Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-09-29
THE ROUTE TO LITTLE ROCK.
What its Condition is and How the
Trip is Made.
Through TO Arkansas Capital in
Twenty-Five Hours.
LrrrLE Rock, September 25

LITTLE Rock, September Is.
Editors AppeGt. One who has never en-
acted the role of an Arkansas traveller. can
have but a faint idea of this State, and
In every instance, a tour of observation
will counteract the prejudice .engendered
by gossippy letter writers who think that
like poor Paddy, she is Legitimate game to
poke fun at. With more miles of naviga-
bic rivers than any other State, and al
rich lands as the sun shines upon, Arkan-
sas to-day, were il not for the incubus
which weighs her down, in the shape of
taxation and Radical rule, would be the
most thrifty and desirable State in the
Union. She is, however, a prey to carpet
baggers of h vilest description. 1t is
their paradise. They grow tat upon the
tolls of the white man and the negro.
They spread out their branches in every
direction and suck the Likelihood OF the
State. But we did not intend to speak of
varmints when we started this epistle to
the Memphians, only togive ashort sketch
of o~uroverland trip TO this city, which was
accomplished in less than twenty-four
hours. Leaving Memphis at 6 am, on a
beautiful morning, we crossed Big Muddy
on the steamer Nevada, and jumped upon
the westward bound train, of which our
friend Letson is conductor. Under
his care we rapidly steamed
along through swamp and forest,
over we'll constructed bridges and past
towns and villages reaching the termini
of the eastern division of the road in
about three hours from Memphis. 1t is
easy to sit in our well appointed offices
and growl at the managers of the Mem
phis and Little Rock Railroad for not
pushing that great work through, but let
all those who take an interest In the work
make a trip over the road int see what
has been done. Let them remember that
when the war closed not a pound of iron,
not a bridge nor a railroad tie was to be
found upon this road, that its track had
grown up with woods more difficult to
clear away than the original forrest, that
two or three years of most extraordinary
high water has prevailed, that the road as
we'll as its officers were rendered bank
rupt by the war, that the people of Mem
phis nave not aided the work one single
dollar since the war, let them remember
all these things, and hen see what has
been done, and our word for it, all grum.
bling will cease, or justice is as scarce
among our people as it was wont to be in
u courts. The work at PAnguilIe is
about 10 he pushed forward with a vim.
Two spile drivers, one at each
side of the river, will be set
to work Immediately and a day and night
force kept busy until the bridge rs com
pleted. From thence almost to Devall's
Bluff the road is graded, and only wants
a few finishing touches TO be ready for the
iron. At PAnguille we took our seat in
one of Col. Chidester's elegant Concord
coaches drawn by four horses, and we're
whiTled through the woods over a hard,
dry road 20 Clarendon, a distance of thir-
ty-five miles, at the rate of eight miles
per hour, which of itself gives a better
idea of tho condition of the road than if
we were to dwell upon its features for
hours, Some eight or ten passengers
were IN board, and the three changes of
horses gave us ample time to test the vir-
tues of the different waters upon the
route. Col. Chichester has been the con-
Meeting link between civilization aud the
wilderness of forest beyond the great
river for over thirty years. His stage
lines travers the far west for thousands
of miles, and be is known under different
cognomens from the Atlantic to the slopes
of the Pacific. We knew him as Col.
Chichester, but heard him called Col.
- Child, F." "Old Child" " stage Driver"
and one old lady who stood in a
doorway as the stage rolled up to
the fence called out, "You Sarah,
yander comes old Chiddy." We wondered
whether she would have recognized him
so readily a few minutes before, as the
limb Of a tree carried away his white plug
hat, and scalped HIM as etTectually as il
he had fallen among a band of warIike
Sioux.
At rAnguille those who had not break
tasted previous to starting from Memphis
enjoyed the hospitalities of Mai. Cooper,
once a well known merchant of the Bluff
City, who now occupies a portion of the
house built by Messrs. Sawrin & Sickles,
the contractors of the road. Bear, Veni-
son steak and quail will be the bill of fare
at this station for weeks to come, aud ~
they are not bad to take, we expect the
Major will have to enlarge his table. At
Clarendon passengers BY the - Overland
route step aboard the handsome Fairy
Queen, of which Capt. Ellis is owner, and
after partaking OF an excellent supper
retire TO their staterooms, where they can
enjoy q six nap previous to arriving
at DeVall's Bluff. The latter point Is
reached a little past midnight, and from
thence to Little Rock il is but a four
hours ride by rail. At the Bluff, we who
left Memphis on Thursday overlook the
passengers who left there per steamer on
the Tuesday previous and ailarrived at Lit
tie Rock on same train. The Wesern
division OF the Memphis and Little Rock
Railroad is traversed az night, both going
and coming, and considerable dissatfsfac-
ton Is the consequence at Little Rock.
We do not see how it can be remedied, at
least until the road is completed beyond
lAnguiAe, when the entire trip from Lit |
tie ROCK 10 Mempets viii be mSde in day.
light. Probably the hest known gentle
in this city II Maj. A. G. DeShon, as
he certainly is the most popular one. He
has been a conductor on many of our
Eastern roads, and as q railroad man, has
no superior. To him accidents are I'M
known, and while under his charge a Lit
tie Rocker sleeps as securely as when a
little rocker at his mothers knee. The
boys will remember Geo. b. Lee, formerly
of the Memphis and Louisville road.
Is now baggage smasher on this
road, as we'll as agent for the bus line and
is as energetic and polite as whom he was
on the rail sway down in Tennes-
Little Rock and other matters may !
be the subject of my next letter. In the /
l am dreaming ofthee. DICK.