The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1871-01-07
WEST.MISSISSIPPI ST. LOUIS AND
NEW ORLEANS RAILROAD LINE.
A MAGNIFICENT OPENING FOR RAIL-
ROAD CAPITALISTS.

A MAGNIFICENT OPENING FOR RAIL-
- ROAD CAPITALIsTs.
Continuous and rapid railway COM
between New Orleans and
St. Louis, by a route traversing the |
fertile lands and populous districts sit |
uated between those two cities, west of
the Mississippi river, will in a very
few years be an accomplished fact, how
ever Indifferent capitalists and the peo-
pie directly interested in such a result
may now be to the bare possibility that
this communication will ever be estab-
ished- The country through which
road or reads connecting these two
cities must pass, is far above an aver
age producing country, and though in
its greatest length not much above 700
miles, is, nevertheless, country
Astounding with the greatest variety of
agricultural and mineral productions,
the exchange of which along the line of
such railroad, would alone yield enor-
NOUS profits. -
?. Five take any portion of territory
included in the thiclkly settled States
Of the North or West, which is not pos
.sessed of even half the natural attrac-
tions and resources as that about which
we are writing, we will find that in
stead of one main trunk line, it has not
less than two or three, over which mail,
express and accommodation trains are
running almost hourly. What has
been done there, will be done here.
But the connection here contemplated
is not the building of a road from New
Orleans to st. Louis. Local enterprise
and local trade has already, at both
ends, commenced the work of uniting
these two cities with iron bands. st.
Louis is rapidly extending the Iron
Mountain road to the Arkansas line,
where connection is to be formed
with the Cairo and Fulton road, in the
construction of which, great capital and
energy is enlisted. This road passes
through Little Rock, whence another
road leading to Pine Bluff, is now being
built.
At the other end, the Mobile and
Chattanooga Railroad Company is
pushing its line from New Orleans up
the Mississippi and through the Atchaf-
alaya country, and expects in year
or two to reach Alexandria, in the on
ward march to Shreveport and Il con-
nection with the Southern Pacific at
that point.
BY consulting the map we shall find
that these roads and projected roads,
cover two-thirds of the distance be-
tween st. Louis and New Orleans, and
that the only unoccupied gap between
these cities, is that between Pine Bluff
and Alexandria, a distance of about
200 miles. And this gap, from the
topography and relative fertility of the
country through which it lies, is that
part of the route from st. Louis to New
Orleans, upon any practical, common
sense survey, which could not be avoid
eel in connecting the two cities by rail
west of the Mississippi river. "A map
before us, issued in 1916, has this iten-
teal gap traversed by a proposed rail-
road, and it cannot appear otherwise to
any rejecting, observant mind than
that whenever the cities of ST. Louis
and New Orleans are connected by rail
on this side of the Mississippi, one Sec
ton of the route will be that embraced
between Alexandria and Pine Bluff.
OF the practicability of building and
profits in operating this proposed road,
there can be no doubt whatever, if
railroads are practicable and profitable
anywhere in the Trans Mississippi
country. Those who are familiar with
the country which would be tributary
to the road-to say nothing of what
would be derived from through freights
and travel-need not to be argued with
to be convinced that the road would
pay handsomely.
And the construction of the road
could readily be provided for. The
people directly interested would sub
scribe literally to the enterprise, while
the wealthy commercial marts of ST.
Louis and New Orleans would be zeal
ously enlisted in its behalf. Our Ar
kansas exchanges, copying recent ar
ticle from this paper in support of the
road proposed, assure us of liberal en-
enlargement and aid, and the st. Louis
Times, rcpubIiShinp the same article,