Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-11-06

There are some small tribes of semi-civil-
lied Indians along the route, that
exc out miserable existence by
hunting and feeble efforts at cultivation
of the soil. In fact, neither of the three
routes heretofore commented on, presents
any great inducements to an industrious,
enterprising agricultural population to
make permanent homes In. the regions
through which they lie. They are all
isothermal, and therefore have not that
variety of productions which encourages
commerce and agriculture. In some por-
tons are to be found precious metals and
other minerals that attract adventures
and transient settlers; but the most extern
sive regions are entirely destitute of these
attractions. A Mexican, looking with
Col Fremont, eastward from the top of
the San Francisco mountain, toward the
valleys of the Mohaye, the Colorado,
and the ella, waved his hand
around the horizon and said 'ty hale NADIA,
NADIA :" there you have nothing, nothing.
The city of Mazatlan has a population 4
of 10000 inhabitants, with very good
harbor for merchant shipping, which, at
no very great expense, can be so extended
and improved as to afford safe entrance
and good anchorage to the largest class of
vessels. From this port ships viii pass
directly west by Cape st. Lucas, the south
ern point of Lower California, along the
tropic of Cancer, and reach the Sandwich
Islands, on their way to China and Japan,
and all countries included in and border
ing on the Pacific and Indian Oceans,
sooner than from San Francisco. These
islands are necessarily the halfway stop
ping place for all steam vessels going from
American ports to the rich marts of the
East
THE SOUTHERN ROUTE.
Is there, then, no more practicable,
interoceanic route for a railway to the
Pacific ocean, that can fulfill the exigencies
of commerce and the demands of the ma
tion2 Most assuredly there is That
indicated in the second of the three reso-
lutions offered byme is shortest, the cheap
est of construction, the best, and in every
way the most eligible of the several routes
that have been proposed, for the construc-
ton of the great international highway:
Commencing on the west bank of the
river, opposite Cairo, the geographical
and commercial center of the Mississippi
Valley, running thence through the south |
east part of Missouri, entering the State of
Arkansas at its northeast corner, passing |
diagonally through the State, by Little |
Rock and Fulton, on Red river, through |
Texas to the Rio Grande, and thence 500 |
miles through Mexican territory to Mazat-
Ian, on the Pacific, embracing IA degrees of |
latitude, from the 9th degree to the
Northern tropic, throughout one of the |
most beautiful, fertile and productive sec
tions of our wide domain, and through a |
part of Mexican territory Astounding in
mineral wealth and agricultural capabili- |
ties, to an excellent port on the Pacific |
coast What more can be desiredl
The Mexican government has already |
made concession of the right of way and |
a subsidy of $4,000 acres of land per |
mile, TO aid the construction of railroad
from Mazatlan to the Rio Grande. In |
leaving the Pacific coast, the greatest en-
cheering difficulties on this route, will be
met with at the Coast Range or Cordilleras;
but these are not great and not at all COM
parable to those of the Sierra Nevada and
Rocky Mountains on the more northern
routes. This obstruction surmounted,
there is no serious impediment TO the con-
struction of a railway by Durango, Sal
tillO and Monterey to ComargO, opposite
Rio Grande City. From this trunk,
through Mexican territory, laterals and
feeding branches would naturally grow
out, toward the City of Mexico on the |
south, and toward Chihuahua on the |
north. From the Rio Grande the line will |
extend through the middle portions of the |
State of Texas to Fulton on Red River; |
giving off branches to Arkansas bay, to |
IndianOla, to Galveston, to New Orleans |
and perhaps to other ports on the Gulf OF |
Mexico. At Tyler or Marshall, it will |
meet the railroad from Shreveport, which,
by way of Vicksburg, Jackson and Mont |
gOmery, will give direct connection with
Savannah and other Atlantic ports.
From Fulton on Red River the line will
pass diagonally through the State OF Ar
kansas and the corner of Missouri to
Cairo. At Little Rock it meets the rail-
road from Memphis, which, by way OF
Chattanooga, Atlanta and Augusta, gives
connection Will NndllCotOh ohN 'tAAS@
cities and sea-pOrts.
After crossing White River, this great
trunk-line will give off branch to meet
the Tennessee Central and Pacific Railroad
at Fulton. on the First Chiekasav Bluff,
on the Mississippi River, where there is an
admirable site for building bridge, the
river being but eleven hundred yards in
width, with a permanent bluff forty or
fifty feet above high water on the
east bank, at the foot of which is the
steamboat channel, both at high and low
water. From Fulton, Tenn, this line will
extend throughout the State, by way of
Nashville and Knoxville, through Virginia,
to all the ports and cities on the Atlantic
coast, and, by connection with the pro
posed road along the Carolina line, directly
to Norfolk, which is destined soon to be
come the great emporium of the Southern
and Northwestern States, and entrepot
between Europe and America. This last
line will be the shortest possible inland
route between the Atlantic and Pacific
Oceans, except the most southern route,
heretofore indicated Passing White River,
the main trunk line will intersect the Iron
Mountain and Helena Railroad, giving di-
rect communication with St. Louis, and
all the regions above, as far west as Kan
sas CITY; from which place the railroad
now being built to Galveston will give d.
rect connection with the Pacific highway,
at TYLER. in Texas. Even from Omaha,
the commencement proper of the Union
and Pacific Railroad, a much shorter,
cheaper, better, and more profitable road
might be built, by running south to the
Rio Grande and thence through the MeXi-
can territory to Mazatlan.
Other branches and feeders to the great
international line may be constructed In
Texas, running up the Brazos, the Colo
RADIO and the Rio Grande. But the most
important of all its connections yet re-
mains to be considered. A branch road
from Comargo, or Rio Grande City, OF 100
miles in length, to Corpus Christi, or
Arkansas Bay, viii give a direct railroad
connection between the Pacific Ocean and
a good port on the Gulf of Mexico. In
side the Sand Islands there is a safe harbOr
with a depth of 80 feet, and over the bar,
between Mustang and Mstagorda Islands,
there is sufficient depth for ordinary steam
boats and merchantmen, which, by
dredging, may be readily increased sui
| ficientlv to admit vessels of the largest
class. Nor viii this obstruction require
continuous expense for its removal as at
the outlets of the Mississippi and some
other rivers, the Nueces being a compare
| lively small stream, entering the head OF
| Corpus Christi Bay. From this port goods
and produce of all kinds can be readily