New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-10-26
THE sHREvEPORT RAILROAD CON.
vENTTON. -N' - -
SHREVEPORT. La, October l9, 1871.
EDITOR REPCBIxoAx:

L Soee~S NA0
status of New Orleans, have taken thi
liberty Of addressing you communication
ON the subject. Ere this reaches you, 20,
will have received an account of the pro
ceedings through the papers; but there ar,
certain communications which ~ yet hav,
not been published. which have been pre-
sented to the consideration of the conven
ton, the subject matter Of which tn,
Crescent City has deep and peculiar in
| terest in.
| Here is the most important one which ..
yet has been presented, and which may
seem visionary to the merchauts of your
city. It explains itself. 1t is addressed ta
the delegates Of the convention and Shreve
port railroad COMMITTEES:
Feeling q great interest in tho object Of
| the proposed meeting, and being desiroua
o. presenting the claims of this locality
Mississippi City and aouthern Mississippi-
to the notice Of the gentlemea eompos' 7g
such IN important committee to the sab
7 iect Of an adequate seaport on the Gulf of
Mexico for the immense and important
traffic Of the West and Southwest, avail
myself of the notice given in the papers in
viting guests from al. cities and localities
interested in making direct connections
with the tBade Of the Southwest, to address
you upon the subject and to request that
this communication be read at your meet
ing and published - part Of your proceed
ings in order that it may be investigated
and receive such notice and encouragement
as it may be entitled to after due examina-
lion OF its merits. II .sr
The port of New Orleans occupies very
Important position by virtue Of its location
upon the banks of the Mississippi river.
and its connection with the gulf By the
same stream, and previous to the develop
ment of the several lines of railway com-
municati0n which strotch across the con-
tiuent from the Atlantic to the Mississippi,
and even to the Pacific ocean, the traffic Of
the valley Of the Mississippi found its most
the sea by means of New Orleans as port
for transfer to ships.
Since the construction and operation Of
these great railways, . considerable Dor
ton of this trade has been diverted to the
Atlantic ports, by the ability of the mana
gers of these roads, to compete with the
great artery" of the Western traffic in
rates of transportation to the seaboard, and
this successful competition arises not from
any general inadequacy Of the river for the
purpose Of transit, but from . epecid
natural difficulty attending the business of
shipping at New Orleans, and which has
been proven to be insurmountable. The
difficulty is two fold. The one prominent
obstacle, which has cost 80 much time and
treasure in the effort to overcome or reduce
it, is the Inadequate depth Of water on the
bars at the mouth Of the river, being but
sixteen to seventeen feet. The other fea-
pels tax of $1 65 per ton on sailing vessels
for towage from and to the gulf, in addition
to delays and risks innumerable, and which
subjects steamersalso to delays and expenses
incidental upon the distance to and from
sea, while the lack of sufficient water at
the bar limits the capacity of vessels to
carry freights, and compeis high freights by
sea.
The document continues to depict, in
special terms, the disadvantages Of New
Orleans as port of entry and exit, and
then calls public attention to "Ship Island,
on Mississippi sound, as the only seaport
on the Gulf of Mexico available to the
great West, and adequate to meet, to the
fullest extent, all demands arising from in
creased supplies of produce and manutac-
lures, and recovery Of much Of the trade
already diverted to other ports" Then fol-
lows a description of the harbor, ETC., and
giving estimates Of the probable cost ''less
than one million dollars for the reconstruc-
ton of the same, to make it available as
seaport.
In connection with the Mexican Gulf
Canal, this communication says of the
facilities offered to the West:
By means Of this canal, the boat or barge
which loads at Dubuque or Quincy, at Chi.
cago or Peoria, may discharge at Missis-
sissippi City, where the ship will load, and
which is but ten miles from sea, and has
twenty-three feet Of water on the bar at all
times.
State Of Mississippi has chartered a road
from Vicksburg to Mississippi City, and it
will be built. But.the communication or
writer wants the reconstruction of tho har-
Dor, and this is the whole gist Of his com
and we must admit that it is .
subject of much vital interest to the
whole country West and South, and to the
,ity Of New Orleans in particular. Mr..
Frank F. Harris, the writer of the commu-
1ication, says truly that the charges on q
'ingle cargo amounts to, in some instances,
BIC, 900 or $4,000. If such is the case, will
vou let US know in this section the facts re-
ative to this matter, which drives commerce
rom your port to others This communica-
ion was referred to-day to the general com.
nittee on business The convention also
eceived this day letter from the Presi-
lent of the Memphis and Little Rock rail-
Dad, to the effect that the directory and
ulcers Of that road "meant business" and |
's An evidence of this spirit of enterprise,
he letter conveyed the intelligence that
! corps Of engineers was on the line be-
ween this city and Pine Bluff, for the pur-
'ose of locating the road, and with proper |
pirit Of enterprise and iberal:ty on the !
art Of our merchants and citizens, they |
ay it will shortly be constructed to this |
lace.
You will see that great results will flow |
rom this social-we may call it such-and
ommercial communion with different sec.
ions of the country, and that Shreveport
as manifested foresight not exceeded by |
ny other city in the South.
Hoping this will fnd the usual place
iven me in your valuable paper, sub.
cribe myself, as Of old. PUBL1CO.
FASHIONABLE TAILoRING.-Such of our
eaders as are desirous Of having made for
heir winter wear suits of clothes of the
most fashionable pattern, and out of the
est materials, should patronize Mr.. A.