New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-05-04
NEW ORLEANS REPUBLICAN THURSDAY MAY J. 1871

portation will be the lumber from the finest
heart pine forests, which may be opened to
any extent by the main line and branches.
We might add that village building ought
to spring up along this line; the deInand;for
the lighter productions of handicraft trades,
such as woodenware, shoes, gloves, combs,
buttons, brOoms and other articles con-
sumed in such quantities by the laboring
class, is now sufficient to justify the estab-
lishluent of such factories. These villages
along the gulf shore will derive much of
their subsistence from the fish, fruits and
vegetables which abound. The railroads will
promote the distribution of the products
thus manufactured. This road was incor-
porated to connect New Orleans with Chat
tanooga, point on the air line to Washing
ton City. 1t has, however, abandoned its
Tennessee terminus, and is preparing to
comply with not less important destiny.
This will be to unite all the gulf shore with
New Orleans, to unite with the chief cities
in the United States in a construction of
common trunk along the Florida Peninsular
to some such harbor as Bay Biscayne, and
thence by steam to Havana. 1t will thus
secure the connection between New Orleans
and Havana by the quickest and safest pos
sible mail, passenger and express route.
The sections of this route, approximately
for distance and time. would be as follows.
The rail rate is placed at thirty miles, and
the steam time at twelve miles per hour:
Miles. Hours.
New Orleans to Mobile ..........,..l4 lao S
Mobile Western terminus Peninsular
and Georgia railroad ............... 40
Peninsular and Georgia railroad to
eighty-two degrees longitude in
Peninsular railroad to Bay Biscayne. .375 10
Bay Biscayne via Key West to Havana.l2O 10
! Total. .........................91 40
The actual steam time between New Or
leans and Havana is at present sixty hours.
We have thus shown a difference of time in
favor of the gulf shore and Peninsular
route to Havana of about twenty hours. 1t
may be said that the road can not make
the time. Thirty miles an hour is nothing
extraordinary over such a line as may be
made, and II competition should ever pro-
woke it we will see that time and much
better made. We should have the old fight
between rail and steamer repeated with thu
result which has followed all along It'd
coast of the United States. The saving
time, insurance, interest, sea risk and se''
sickness, would determine travel and val)n
able shipments over the Peninsular ROUTE
while the satisfaction of thanking the qua
antine would constitute no small motive Us
avoiding the Outports. to
But while the New Orleans and Mobi y
road will secure to New Orleans this inval'
able advantage, it will have a right to ade
the cooperation of the principal cities ana
railroads in the Union, in this connectiG,1
with the West Indies and even with TIN
IsthmHs of Panama. Taking point meas
the intersection of the thirty degree latituo,,
with the five degree longitude in Florida ~
a terminal point on a peninsular trunk roam
common 20 the principal cities of the Unio1o
there might be the following time table bto
tween these cities respectively and Havau8s