The Van Buren press., 1870-02-01
Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad.

EDITOR OF THE PRESS -
Having just returned from trip to
Little Rock, and as there is considerable
inquiry in regard to the progress of our
Railroad, will give you the beuefit of
nv observations, while there. We had
the pleasure of ride out ON the road in
an ambulance with Mr.. G. G. SCoTr, the
President, and Mr.. MARTIN, Secretary Of
the -.And Department, and went out be
vond where the track had been laid, a
distance of three or four miles from the
city, and from what we have seen feel as
sured now that we are to have Railroad
at last. The first twenty miles are now
about graded, the ties and rail laid out
three or four miles. The third division
of ten miles, we were Informed by the
sub b-contractor, would be finished in six
weeks. The track is laid dowN to the
waters edge on the river, on which to run
the cars up the bank. The locomotives
and cars for the first twenty miles are by
this time, we presume, at Little Rock, and
with those used as construction train, will
by the 1st or 10th of March be running
out for thirty miles The other divisions
Of ten miles each, up to the Sth, making
eighty miles, are located and about all
under contract, and the balance, we were
informed would all be let out as fast as
located. From what we could learn our
people need have no fears of the road
crossing the Arkansas river below this
point; that is settled fact The road
will follow nearly the old survey, and is
now to enter above Norristown, where
it has been suggested it might crosss.
To say that the contractors on this road
are not in earnest, about building this
road, is equivalent to charging them with
insanity What inducoment could there
be to do the amount Of work and cXpend
the amount Of money they have, then to
stop at twenty miles-in fact, short of
the end of the road? We are satisfied
that work on this end Of the road, that is
grading, will be commenced this spring
or summer. What we have to do now
is to give the road the county aid requir-
ed, and it is desirable that we take steps
to do this at once, as we have nothing
to pay until the road reaches our county
line then we have the stock, and we sure
ly can pay the interest on it until the road
will pay it for us. In fact, this is the
true way to take stock in Railroads, then
every man is interested and all bare
equally their share in the expense, where
as in private stock few enterprising
men build the roads, while many large
property holders, who are made rich by
it, do not pay cent for it. In this they
all bare their share. We cannot see why
any one now entertains doubt of the
bnilding, and, in fact, the early compile
liOu VI tuiS IOtu. w L are dSSuCcu u1 alI
those in charge of the enterprise at Little
Rock, that it will be at this place in less
than two years-by June 1872, at farther
est. So let US go to work anl assist in
a 5he fdpe shc E "&irib% "%&ir be T among the first
in the matter We feel sure that four
fifth of our people favor it.
There is another matter to which we
should give immediate attention and that
is the organization of a company for the
road from this point to the Missouri line,
to connect with the road from st. Louis
via Springfield. We have the assurance
that if we will organize, that rs soon as
the surveyors of the Little Rock and
Fort Smith Road reach this point, they
will Immediately make survey of this
road for us. We suggest that we have
meeting here soon and take steps to call
a meeting at some point for Benton,
Washington, Crawford and Sebastian
counties, preparatory to raising the a
mount Of stock and organization of the
company. *%#