The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-09-27

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income upon small ievestme,ls, are espe-
cially developed and brought to light,
| and when the large number Of branches,
| supplying many different localities, pour
upon the trunk line-a large amount of
business by concentration.
The development OF narrow gauge
| railroad from Memphis through Jackson
! and also through Bolivar and Purdy, to
the Tennessee river,-the success of the
narrow gauge Ripley branch railroad,
which in time will be extended to Jack
/ son on the north, and to the gulf on the
south, gives the Duck River Valley
! Railroad an outlet south and west, con-
| meets it with the future Pacific railroad
at Memphis and with the Gulf of Mexico
by the Ripley road.
On the other hand the construction of
the Cincinnati Southern railroad, which
is to commencement year, would insure
| to the Duck River Valley Railroad an
outlet north and east, by tapping this
| future grand trunk line on the Cum.
berland mountain.
A narrow guage road is reported in
| progress of construction from st. Louis
| to Cairo. How long will it take to reach
Johnsonville? Thus we see that mar
| row gauge system looms up in the
future, whose proportions will be large.
IL Will U0 Ill uHOTOheW CtUc W t"CCfVOt
gauge from the Gulf of Mexico, and
| from Memphis, from the extreme south
| ard southwest to the Cumberland
Mountain in Tenn, with many branches
| reaching in every direction. This sys-
| tenn is dir ectly in the path of narrow
gauge connection with st. Louis, the
great city of the future, and of con-
| nection between st. Louis and Atlanta.
This system would have points of
transfer for through treights from
gauge to gauge, only at the termini, that
| is at the Cincinnati Southern Railroad,
on the Cumberland Mountain, at st.
Louis, Memphis and the gulf. This
system would connect great variety of
production, the cotton and sugar of the
South with the blue grass region OF
Tennessee aud Kentucky, the timber,
| the iron and the coal, etc. And would
| cross nearly all, if not all, the main
trunk lines in Tennessee, from which it
could furnish much traffic.
Assuming, that all are agreed, that
the country ought to be developed and
made more rich and populous; that
railroads add more to the wealth OF
counties. according to experience, than
anything else; that railroads are
| necessity to some parts of the country;
that we cannot build costly and I'M
must bnild Maroon gauge rodds-it hap
pens to me, that the above exhibited
and suggested system of narrow gauge
| roads ought to be acceptable to the peo-
pie, and preferable to a short local road.
The undersigned, not guided in this
matter by any special local interest, but
looking upon it as a whole, has con-
stantly kept the success of the enter
prise in view, is fully convinced OF Its
ultimate success, and would be proud to
! assist in its achievement. 1t is plain 10
every intelligent mind, that, If short
local narrow gauge road was built IN
Middle Tennessee, for instance from
Columbia to Fayetteville, las many are
now in operation in other parts of the
country that it would prove success,
and that such success would stimulate
other parts of Middle Tennessee to
build such roads, and, after while, the
country would be gridironed by short
local roads, beginning nowhere and
ending nowhere, competing with each
other, each of itself Insignificant, and
with not as large net earnings as they
ought to have.
But If, on the other hand, we concen-
trate the whole narrow gauge move
ment into one system of its own embrac-
ing and swallowing up all these petty
schemes, concentrating all such roads as
branches of one system under one COM
pany and one management, success IS
bound to be certain, net earnings large,
on account of aggregate large income,
comparatively small operating expenses,
and an immense field of operation, as
above described.
The Duck River Valley Railroad
ought to cover the whole ground in
Middle Tennessee where narrow gauge
roads are needed and can be made profit
able. 1t ought to be tina. part Of the
system, described before, lying east OF
the Tennessee River.
Subsequently this Duck River Valley
Railroad, with all its branches under
one charter, ought to be consolidated
with the narrow gauge roads Of West
Tennessee and Mississippi, which entire
system ought to be finally identified by
one charter, one name, one conSotdldted
bonded debt.
If possible, ell parts of this narrow
gauge system ought to lie built by the
issue of a consolidated mortgage bond, or
a company controlling by its CONSOLE
dated charter, the construction OF over
five hundred miles of narrow gauge
railroad.
Commissioners have been appointed
for the counties Of Humphreys, Hick-
man, Maury, Perry, Lewis, Wayne.
Lawrence, Marshall, Lincoln, Bedford.
Moore, franklin and Coffee counties,
and the commissioners have authority
to extend their operations over the fol-
lowing lines:
d. Johnsonville to Columbia,
(2.) Columbia to Fayetteville.
~ Columbia to Mt. Pleasant and to
a point opposite Perryyille.
al Columbia to Mt. Pleasant and
Savannah.
(5.) Jacksonville to Linden.
(6.) Petersburg to Cowan.
"a Lewisburg to Shelbyville and
Tullahoma.
In addition to the lines they are au-
| thorized to build branches from point
on the line between Mt. Pleasant and
Linden to CentreUille and Nashville; also
| from Petersburg, via Lynchburg, to
| T1llahoma. The only line left out is
| one from Mt. Pleasant to Florence, Ala,
| by Lawrenceburg.-an authority for
| this can be obtained at any time, az
| for any additional lines to be suggested,
| A narrow gauge company proposes to
| build road from Wartrace to Wood
| bury in the direction of Sparta, and
| would be the proper line TO consolidate
1 with for a connection with the Clncin-
| natl Southern Railroad.
At Johnsonville the road is expected
1 to connect with q road from st. Louis.
| At a point opposite Perryville with the
/ road to Jackson and Memphis; at Sa-
vannah with the road to Bolivar and
| Memphis, etc.
| The road from Columbia to Lewis
| burg will be the trunk line of the Mid
| die Tennessee system. If this idea IS
4 carried out, as at Columbia the lines to
| Johnsonyille, Perryville, Savannah and
| Florence would branch out, and at
| Lewsburg the lines to Fayetteville,
Cowan, Shelbyville, etc.
AS stated, the enterprise, started as an
| idea only, is gradually assuming mate
rial shape, and it is to be expected that
| sufficient stock will be raised to obtain
| a charter. The survey of line from
| Jacksonville to Columbia and through
| the Buffalo valley to Linden was sug-
| gested to stimulate the population, and
| was made, and the survey from Column
| bia to Fayetteville is now progressing.
| Both are made at the special request of
| citizens and were not necessary for OBJ
tanning charter.
The call for the meeting coming from
| such a respectable source and from one
| of the commissioners, and the necessity
| for general exchange of opinions ex-
| listing, the undersigned has called a
| meeting of the executive committee OF
| the board of commissioners on the
4 same day at Columbia, and hopes that
| full discussion of all points will result
| in much good to the enterprise.
1.-THE commissioners and future stock
| holders should determine to get a
4 L.o IL IL