Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-02-17
Statement Of the Present GosdltIsH and
Prospects Of the Read.
All about the Sentry, CanpbslI & Co.
lmbrOgilo-hr. 6rssnlaW's Tine
Extended.
$1,000 600 Of Second Mortgage Bonds
Asked for.
A Retrospective View Of the Operations
OF the Company.
A Semitic Reminder to The Public Spirited
Crackers.

Z OF the operations anu progress OF your
road during the past twelve months, and
70 afford you an opportunity Of selecting
q Board Of Directors TO manage the affairs
Of your road the ensuing year.
Since your last annual meeting decided
~progress has been made in the work Of
cons ructing the road. On the 9Th day of
February, 1879, g contract was made with
Messrs. Gentry, Campbell & Co. TO grade,
q pile, and lay the iron rails upon the entire
4 road that then remained unfinished, so
that trains could pass g the entire line
from the Mississippi to the Arkansas, on
or before the Ist day ofApril, 1870.
The spring and early part Of the sum
Q mer were unusually wet, rendering work
q on the road, which traversed a low, fiat
$ and marshy country, very difficult.
The contractors failed 10 complete their
o work within the time specified, but in
S consequence Of the difficulties referred to
the Board of Directors we're disposed to be
linduIgent, and not insist upon a strict
performances of the contract, and the con-
tractors were permitted to continue their
q work until the Ist Of November, at which
time they had almost entirely ceased to
, work at sIl upon the road, nOJwithstand-
, ing the months Of September and Oc-
: tober had been almost u-nprecedentedly
fa~vorablefO for such work.
The Board of Directors being convinced
that the road would not be completed for
years under the management OF Gentry, |
] AhllDBEAA "a A0aa 0UbEAlAA4CA ~ A1-ABb blU ]
work, and did SO on the 29th day of Octo-
Der, 1870, to W. b. GreenlaW, but pro-
vided in this contract that Gentry, Camp
bell 81 Co. should be permitted to prose-
cute their work under their old contract, |
and be paid for all the work they did in
accordance with that contract. They not
only refused to proceed with the work
themselves, but endesvOred by all means
in their power, to prevent Mr.. Greeulaw
or the company from prosecuting the
work.
The Board of Directors being satisfied
that Gentry, Campbell IL Co. would not or
could not perform their contract, within
any reasonable time, IL ever, did annul
and declare the contract with them void.
At your last msetiDg, the road was COM
pleted from White to the Arkansas river,
a distance of fOrty-eigh5 miles, and from
the Mississippi to the L'AnguiIle river, a
distance Of hfty-One miles. At this latter
point the work of construction was COM
mencsd by Gentry, Campbell & CO., who
completed the road 70 a point about one
and a quarter miles west of the town Of
Brinkley, q distance Of eighteen and a
half miles west Of the LAnguille river,
making eighteen and a half miles finished
and put in operation by Messrs. Gentry,
Campbell & Co., and altogether in opera
ton on the entire line of road on the 29th
day Of October, 1870, 1I7H miles, leaving
/ about fifteen miles Of the road unfinished.
AT this latter point, one and a quarter
miles west Of Brinkley, the work Of con-
strUcbiOu was commenced by Mr..
Greenlaw, which has been prosecuted
vigorously to the present time. The work
is not completed, bu5 it is in such a state
Of progress that q few days of good
weather would suffice to finish his con-
tract.
The high wsber in Cache and White
river lOwlands has retarded the work and
forced the contractor to pile where he
was prepared to grade and put in framed
t~restles; this has necessarily caused some
delay. Z
1t is confidently believed that a few
weeks of good weather will enable all the {
contractors to fully cOmplste the work Of
construction on this much needed chan
mel of iuLsrCOmmunicatiOn, when the
cities Of Little Rock and Memphis may
interchange neighbOrly visits. t
On the ZsJh day Of april, 1870, a con-
tract was concluded with Mr.. J.. A. 9. {
Gray, trustee for thirLy-1ve hundr and q
thirty tons of iron rails Of a very supe-
riOr quality, equal to any ever laid down
upon any road in the United States of the G
FISH bar pattern and all the fasteuings 8
necessary to complete the entire min E
isheC portion Of your rOSGs This iron s
has all been delivered at HOpeisld eX- a
cept five hundred and fifty tons, which t
has been shipped from New Orleans and i
is expected to reach Hopefeld this week.
This iron has all been laid upOu the road
except about twelve hundred tons. There a
are now lOZ miles Of track to be laid, 9
which will complete the Memphis and y
Little Rock railroad from the Mississippi t
river to the Arkansas river, opposite the b
city OF Little Rock. The grading Of this &
unfinished portion of the road is conn
plste, and but about fifteen hundred feel 4
of piling remains TO be done This bridge 4
over White river is now on the ground at q
the river, ready to be raised. The piers &
hnHHr h-an rHaafaI Of Hhn mnnaH aHHh-Emw~ m
tisl and durable stone, now ready to re- n
ceive the superstructure, which is an iron
draw Of % feet span. and three fired Q
spans Of lJOfeet each OF wood and iron top n
and bottom chords. The bridge is being 7
constructed by the Louisville Bridge and
Iron Company, under a contract made
with that company, on the 26th day of q
August, 1870, the material for which is T
now on the ground, and the necessary 81
preparation being made to raise the
bridge upon the piers. p
The contract made with W. B. Green n
law on the 18th day of October, 1870, ex- OF
pired by Limitation on the 10Th day of Il
February, 1871, but in consequence of the q
magnitude of the work he undertook to al
do in a very short space of time, and as the q
Board believes he is doing all in his power ly
to faithfully complete the road, and will 2,
do so sooner than any new contractor n
could get upon the ground and do the g
work, and As the season of the year ii
arrived when such work is liable CT
to be hindered and deluged by high water, TO
as has been the case for several weeks CO
past, the Board, in consideration of these W
facts, has extended the time to Mr.. Green "a
law, for the completion Of his contract, to on
5he first day Of April, 1871, believing il to Oh
be the interest of The company, as well as az
.ust 20 the contractor, That the extension "
made. re
For a more minute detail Of construc- ",
a.a-aHeaa I'D R.mangnH a--IaNgAa - A
road, you are referred TO the re- fe
ports Of the Chief Engineer, principal SU- qJ
)erintendent and Secretary and Trsasu- w
hereto annexed, and made a part Of di
report. dJ
Your Board takes pleasure in testifying co
the commendabls zeal, fidelity and vi
with which the officers have dis an
the various duties that have de- pr
1Oived upOu them, and often under the so
most difficult and trying circumstances. pa
For the purpose Of Lquidatiug all the fin
debt and outstanding liabilities of hi
he company and purchasing rolling stock stC
Commensurate with the Increased business ml
" the finished road, your board would re- SCI
commend that authority be given to issue Be
ne million dollars second mortgage We
,Onds. 1t is believed these bonds could WI
,e sold upon very favorable terms after an
he road is completed. The company has no
and used in constructing the Of
one million and fifty thousand dol Gel
ars in bonds Of the State of Arkansas, ,
when the road is completed will be ter
Untitled to receive one hundred and fifty tai
dollars additional. me
As this is the last time that some of your it
representatives. will ever appear before cal
.ou in that capsity, It nay not be deemed sci
miss to take a retrospective view of the me
Derations Of the road, and the difficulties bic
have surrounded it during the ad- brI
Illustration Ofthe present board. About
On years ago a majority Of the present sXl
GARD we're elected, and nave continued me
MEMBERS OF this board most OF the time on.
ntil now. The road had then been com of
leted to, or near, the st. Francis river car
rom Hopeheld, and the grading from De- Clip
alPs Bluff to the Arkansas river was spi
lore than halt finished. The road was age
lsO partially graded TO a point about COZ
lree miles west Of the st. Francis river. gar
n this condition we received the road Of
our predecessors; without money or in
redit-all the available means of the COM wa
any having been exhausted upon the BILE
'ork abovespecihed. q y
A contract had previously been made cul
ith George Peabody q Co., on i
ne credit of a few private individ- tho
FOR ali the iron necessary TO iron for
le entire road, upon such time and terms enc
would have enabled the company TO avn
niBh the road, but for the terrible war the
hich was commenced soon after we en- ing
red upon ths discharge of our duties, cipl
I'D necessarily caused a suspension of all far
Ork upon the rOad for about five years. the
fter peace, the finished portion Of the rest
.ad WAS found TO be in q very dilspidated nit
,ndition; several miles uponthe Eastern W
having been entirely destroyed, icie
a #ha won aufHu Eammnwua H. ELa TH.Im-mN ] NHna