Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-04-30

AlN Cls LluA1 IGdl "a CLe hAQAL ~ AAD
cute a contract which would assure
the immediate completion Of the
Levee railway from the highlands
near Cape Giradeau to the southern
spur Of Crowley's Ridge, at Helena.
The APPEAL has said that the con-
summation Of this task, even If all
other railways We're detrimental TO
Memphis, would give to this city the
monopoly Of trade with a district OF
country more productive than any
single Southern State. The very lakes
and ponds, as soon as superintendent
waters from the Mississippi are shut cut
by the Levee railway, become ara
bic fields, and as such have produced
crops ofcorn which Egypt Of old never
rivaled in luxuriance, The opulence
OF Memphis is assured. -Four great
railway schemes, at the same hour,
assume shape and positiveness Of eX-
istence and success. The Mississippi
River railway, If individuals do not
prefer selfish ends to the promotion Of
purposes Of great public good, viii
soon be completed. General Forrest
fs In the city and speaks at three
O'Clock Monday afternoon, announc-
ing TO the people his readiness
TO begin and complete at once
the highway which gives Memphis
unrestricted control Of the trade Of
country unrivaled in richness. Green
law and Tateare nOt idle. They never
fail in any task. Surely they can never
be content with the execution Of q
purpose in four or five months
which Others tOiled and wept over
for fifteen or twenty years. They
are bending their steps toward
the western ocean, and To may soon
announce the fact that, ike the
Mississippi River railway, like For
rests Selma road and like POrter's
st. Louis Levee railway, this OF
Greenlaw and Tate progresses, and
wends its way toward FL Paso and
the Pacific.
THE FACTS.
The contract for the construction
of the road from Helena and Mem
phis to the highlands north OF New
Madrid, was made with the Western
Construction Company, a corporation
created by the legislature Of Missouri
The members Of this company
are the oldest and most sue
eessluI railroad builders of the
West. III evidence Of their worth
be wanting, we only know that many
gentlemen who have recently finished
contracts on other roads are here
awaiting the result OF negotiations
between President Porter and this
Railway Construction Company, that
they may secure sub-contracts. The
company is asserted by st. Louis
bankers and citizens 70 be perfectly
Trustworthy. Members Of the assOci-
alton have recently finished the st.
Louis and Du Qu0in and St. Louis
and Rock Island roads. They have.
as a stock company, a paid up capital
of sIOO. 600, which may be increased
at any time 10 500 900. The leading
men are NIe-srs. Moore, Manners,
Ives. JamisOn, Lincoln and the banker
Maurice, NAMES familiar in railway
building annals Of the West. Their
contract, which they propose to exc
cute within a much brieier period,
requires them to finish the whole
work from Helena to the Missouri
State line by the lst Of July, 1872,
and the york is to be begun in sixty
days,
CURIOUS FACTs.
It remarkable TACT in reference
to this road that there is not bridge
lexcept that over the st. Francis
river or cuIyert on the whole line
from Helena TO the highlands in
southern Missouri, and, more Won
.derfuI. there is not on any mile Of the
entire distance an elevation greater
than one foot per mile. Locomotives
can draw over this road burdens twice
as great as on any other in the South,
and since the road will have no sharp
curves the speed Of the trains may be
marvellous. St. Louis and Memphis
will soon be within ten hours OF one
another.
THE HQARD OF MANAGERS.
The charter Of the Memphis and st.
Loms Railroad Company is somewhat
peculiar. The commissioners named
in the charter constitute a permanent
Board Of Directors, supplying vacsn-
cies as they happen to occur. it is
emphatically a close corporation, and
while governed asat present tits none
the worse for its extraordinary chaTaC-
Ter and powers. +. III. Porter is
president, and his associate commits
siOuers are NJ. j. Wicks, William
Dickson, N. Z. Cochran, IA. b. Ed
m0ndson, J.. H. Roots, and W. B.
Waldrau. If an illustration Of the
excellent good sense Of this body
of railway builders were wanting
IL may be found in the fact that they
have made James Meigs Chief Engi-
neer. CuuousIy enough, Mr.. Msigs'
appointment is significant Of the
worth 0fthe contractors who objected
originally to Mr.. Meig5. Their opin-
ions of him were derived from sdven-
tuTers, who at different periods had
swamped the Little Rock road. When
they encountered Mr.. Meigs, and de-
teruined for themselves his personal
worth, they said they were content
and all trouble on this score was ended.
RESOURCES.
The resources Of the company are
ample. The State Of Arkansas pays
1or the r0ad-bed a. a levee. The gradu-
alton, therefore, Of that part Of the
road between Helena and the Missis-
sippi state line costs the company
nothing. IR fact, for the whole dis
tance, il is only necessary to thrOwup
40 embsukment above high-Water
mark, and the company has only to
pav for crOs5-ties and iron. It owns
one million acres of land, worth $50
Der acre when the road IS finished,
and this and the road bed viii be
mortgaged for five millions Of dollars,
a sum sufficient to finish and equip the