Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1870-06-18

.sPRsgm 0P mASoR ". ,. BEEEs
BEFORE THE OMAM1EB OF
C0mmEROH.
Last night Maj. W. J. Sykes for
meFly OF Aberdeen IN this State
but now Of Memphis, being pres
ent at a meeting Of the Chamber
of Commerce and being requested
TO do so made the following re-
marks with regard TO the building
Of railroads and the development
of Southern resources He said
that Just now he was specially in
terested in the construction Of
the Aberdeen and ElytOn railroad,
but that he is essentially a rail
road man and anxiOusly desires
the success Of all railroad schemes
Many years ago, perhaps before
any other railroads Of importance
were built in the South, the citi.
zens Of Vicksburg commenced the
building ola railroad TO connect
the interior Of the State with the
Mississippi river, not having any
conception that they were begin
ming . trans continental road. The
building of that road is the cause
which will secure the construction
Of q Southern line to connect the
Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
II Is not to be denied that the
shortest line from the Pacific to the
Atlantic. is through Vicksburg.
The distance from New York to
the Pacific by the Union and Cen
trail Pacific roads, is 1883 miles /;
from Chattanooga TO San Diego,
about 1900 miles; from Chatta-
nOOga TO New York, $50 miles /;
making 1850 miles from New
York TO San Diego, being O differ
ence In favor Of the Southern line
from New York to San Diego Of
about five hundred miles. From
Brunswick on the South Atlantic,
board TO san Diego, 2,l60 miles,
being u difference Of u thousand
miles In favor of the line connect
Ing the two oceans in the South
over the Northern line. A contract
is already made to build
Q road from Eufaula, Ala
bama to Meridian, which will
soon close one Of the gaps In this
great line. A line through Vicks-
burg from the Pacific coast 10 New
York is Eve hundred miles shorter
than by the Northern line, aRd the
line running through Vicksburg 70
connect the two oceans 10 one
thousand miles the shortest There
Is but little difference In distance In
q route passing through Memphis,
but the great and most important
difference IL in the grade. The
greatest grade from Vicksburg Ia
Chattanooga is only tifty-twO feet
while the greatest grade Is over one
hundred feet to the mtle on the
Nashville and Chattanooga road,
Memphis possesses q special adj
? vantage in being on a direct line
between extreme Southern port
aud ct. Louis and Kansas City, but
!, Vickshurg has the advantage in be,
ing situated on the line Of th'
shortest aud most practicable rout,
between the two oceans. III,
speaker stated he had learned tina
Congress has agreed Gpon a com
mon trunk, to have for its eastern
terminus, Marshall, Texas, anC
frOm there, branches will be bull
+ to other points. This is special!
pleasing to the people Of Vicksbur
; since the speaker has been rellabl.
l informed that those enterprisin
[ railroad men, the Messrs. Stanton
q had already contracted to finish tn
road through from V~icGsburg I
+ Marshall, Texas, and the wOr
q will be rapidly pushed through
If the grants asked from Congress
can be had the Pacific read will b,
built with great dispatch, since
is IN the hands OF men who are Il
q condition TO push it through Tn
building Of these roads will dc
: velOpe the resources Of the cOun
try. They will bring into marke
, the iron which in such counties
l value lies idle in our mountain
7 This iron will be delved out an
E pat upon our roads in railroa
r bars and engines. To-day
{ Chattanooga shops are being erect
ed to work Southern iron Into raj
, road bars aud engines. No enter
prise will or should succeed unleG
we put money aud effort into |
1.-The people OF the South Ceem I
u think that nothing can be don
save through the cultivation {
cotton. Pennsylvania has grow
rich from her coal aud iron. Th
n South is equally rich in these d.
+ posts, but she will never gro'
l. rich until these resources are de
It velOped, aud Il they had bee
# developed during the war, III
q North weuld never have been viz
, tOrious. The Red Mountain
within less than three hundre
! miles of Vicksburg, aud has a maj
u BILE base and an iron crest. Thl
i Mountain alone has iron enough
II to build all the projected raj
roads in the South. The iron an
" mineral districts of Alabama az
prOach within three. miles {
Il Mississippi. There are three In
|. portant coal regions in Alabami
the greatest in extent and riches
of which lies between the WarriC
# river and the Mississippi State linu
n Coal from this district can b
:. placed upon the cars at five cents
u hnohal aud HnIiyopod In this Nif