Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-10-19
PAGE NJ. PATTERSON.
Our Arkansas Trade-CaIamifIes TO Onr
Communicating EviIs-How
to Provide Against Them.

We did III 0stiee a day or two ago to our
excellent friend Page Patterson. who
controls the fsrryboat. The figures Civ.
en-, involving the amonat Of frsignts
transferred across the river Il and from
HOpeheid, made his business immense
much greater than It is. The charges he
makes are the lowest possible, and il was
not intended TO show that delays and ex-
sravsEant costs are caused by the ferriaRs.
oDt because goods are row necessarily
subjected to 30 seaRy landings. BIr. Pat
terso1 is not only q most active, efficient
and upright manager Of public interests,
00i deserves an Infinitely more prJnsnbIa
position than that which he occunies
his charges are most moderate, 80 low
that his business is often pro6tless. Int
the system we proposed 60 fnvgiob esainst
needlessly subjects Memphis commerce to
there e~0actlcns. Freight charges arc too
numercds, and have Become tasuftersble
rSr this reason Il has been proposed to
transfer trains Of csrs 70 and from the
navy yard and Hope6eld On stsamers
built for she purpose. If this be not done
and speedily, tho trade OF Ibis city will
o lcse mora than the navy yard Is
worth. Thus tar it has unfOrtuDstelv hseu
worth almost nothing. Fifteen hundred
tons Of freight for the West are now
heaped up aS the depot of the Ohio roed.
Perhaps an equal quantity from st. Louis
3<Dc1ttGs Al aEEd OF
Two OF TIE Wbs-G is covered with goods
bought here by Arkansas merchants.
Sor three nights the managers of the
Little Rock Road have not slept, snd now
they III remove the frejghts that block
their way and business across the river.
Men who have bought goods from Mem
phis merchants win find their bills have
matured before their goods are received.
What fact can be more ruin0us to our
wholesale trsdesmen2 And Is there no
remsdy2 Can the chamber OF commerce.
suggest none7 Seven hundred men are
at work on the Listle Rock road perfeetinr
the traekway, lifting it above the d0cd /
tide Of the Mississippi, between Memphis
and the St. Francis river. The gaugs of
the road will 30 changed and e~veryEhi.aR
provided for the transfer OF Louisville and
Memphis and Charleston trains bodily
70 Little Rock. For this Condition Of
things and for the successful prosecution
of these plans provision saecld row De
made. Why change the gauge from I'VE
feet TO five and half feet IL there viii be
noPoint OF couvsrgence for all the roads
on this side of tbs riyer9 Much money was /
in the swamps of Arkansas and much
wasted and lost because Of the war; but
this fact constitutes the very reason for !
tn expenditure Of all additional SIMS fe- |
CURED TO make former investments aysii- |
able n profitable. Let the raiiroads !
nsFo 2 navy ysro Tor railroad PURPOSES. /
and then IL viii be used for the puhiie 4
good, aud if we receive no rents our corr
will DO relieved c-isextraordfnsrv
burdens The word Memphis signifies /
commerce, and We can lose nothing hv
freeing trade from every possible exae-
ton. There may be those who viii give
more for the property than the city is
now en5red; but there are none who can
80 utilize It as the railroad companies can. !
and make it psy the city a greater real
revenue than II every foot paid interest on
.ts value into the city treasury, Some
thing must be dons 70 relieve our trade
with shs west, or Memphis is undoBe.