New-York tribune., 1872-08-15
SOUTHWESTERN TRAVEL.
A RIDE THROUGH ARKANSAS,

LITTLE Rock, Aug. T." Before you start over
the Little Rock Railroad" said friend IN Memphis tne
other day, get bottle Of medicine for se&iChhesS
your stomach all unsteady. 1t Is the roughes' roa
YOU ever saw in your life" one who has Travelled huch
in the South has seen great rough railroads. ana
made due allowance for exaggcmiion in my frlends
account; but before had gone mile upon the road
found that his description had given me very In
adequate idea Of its actual condition, IL Is certainty tne
most remarkable railroad in the United States. and is
worth seeing as a curiosity alone by any one whose
nerves are steady and whose courage is toleraby good
For 40 miles from the ferry landing the west bank OF
the Mississippi, opposite Memphis, the ROAD runs
through the Lost Swamp and the peouiariy OF IL iS
that the roadbed Is sometimes entirely overhowed py
rise in the river and at others, sinks into the oozy nuu
of the swamp and disappears altogether Take up a
pinch Of the soil OF the swamp in your fingers ana you
will find 1t 10 be an almost impalpable black POWDER
finer than -four 1t the detrtus OF the great nVer
depositcd centuries ago. and II is at all times moist
and soft, absorbing like sponge the water
OF the river and of the numerous muddy creeks ana
black bayous that creep through it, II affords no ade
auate support for road bed and gives under the
weight OF trains, sometimes with gradual sinking, but
occasionally with treacherOus suddenness that pitches
locomotive or cars the my ditch at the side Of the
track.
The road is nowhere level, and the lurch from
side 10 ships in storm, although the speed does
not exceed seven OF eight miles hour, and
four Looking ont OF the window you see the
locomotive and baggagecar careeni1g in a fright
ful manner from side side and jumping up
and down, If trying 10 execute fantastic dance III
spirit drunken jOllity. The passengercar rocks so
that people of weak somaehs actually get sea-slck oH
the motion The rails viewed from the rear PLATFORM
look like wounded snakes wrigging through the swamp
miles not only the ties but the rails themselves
have disappeared, and the car-wheels poW oeep Iu
row IN the black mud Now and then ono passes small
hearteuedlookng whites, digging out the track anu
puitng LOGS under it, or driving piles 10 support
irestlework. They hook if they know their labors
Will be in vain, and believe the terrible swamp VIII
swallow mp their work almost as soon as IT is finished
For trains to get of the track is daily occurrence,
am informed. The which l made the journey
met with an accident hour and the passen
gers had begun get accustomed 10 the Jerking ana
pitching and to think it meant no harm, when we were
brought q halt with a sharp conclusion ana aHlght
Jul shrek from the engine. The women screamed
and everybody made a rush for the doors. 1.-THE
fender ia done got off," said the negro
brakeman, with an undsturbed manner and a
rcassurng grin. Bring out the grasshopperF shouted
the conductor in the same matter-ofeourse tone IN
which he had said All aboard when left the last
stopping place. He aman whose countenance mdl-
Gated patience and long suffering Much hosting OF
trains out of the mud had apparently made him prema
turely gay and his manner was that OF one VINO reels
himself doomed to struggle with obstacles that he mas
lost all hope Of cOnqueTing. The grasshopper proved
to be short stout bar Of irOn with two prongs at one
end 10 radde the track help of this tool and
of numerous sticks Of wood the tender was soon
put on the rails, only the upper surface OF which
showed above the mud We went along well
enough for another hour when everything came to a
sudden stop again, with another screech and jar This
time II was the rear passenger that of If the
accident had occurred rod further wei should have
been tumbod IS feet down into an ugly black bayou
The eated and swearing passengers rushed out again.
the patient conductor got his "grasshoDper and went
TO work. without to show that he was in the least
annoyed and in 20 minutes the put on. This
was our last misadyenture OF the kind.
TIE SWAMP.
The lost swamp Is said to be 100 miles in length,
stretching up and down the Mississippi, and reaching
M back 40 miles the St. Francis River 1t is covered
with growth Of timber Of various kinds, including the
post-oak, water-oak hickory. walnut, and sweetgum,
with thicket Of weeds coarse grass, and under
brush The soil is exceedingly rich. Many plants
familiar Northern eyes grow TO astonishing hight
The purple-hOwenng iron.weed is a small tree In
size Tie smartweed grows higher than q
mans head, and the pads of the water-liies are
SO large that a child can safely sit upon them.
In five or six places along the railroad where
he land rs e % saef @ @ 1b bu fg b and ne eds Of
cotton and OF corn that grows so tall that man can
soil The malaria deadly that few tempted
certainty Of large crops TO risk their lives by ny
lng In swamp Those that do are IL Is said people
who have been ruined and who desperately stake their
against the chance OF regdulng their fortunes
We nearly SIX hours crossing the swamp ana
never experienced six hours Of railroad travel as dis
agreeable. The fierce August sun brought out all the
pestllential. miasnauc odors hidden IA snmerihg i
ponds, great stretches OF OOng mre, ana DlacK agus
bayous: and the rocking jerking humping train went
100 slowly TO stir the sckly air into any sembance OF
breeze. do not know that had any cause for com
plant against the railroad company on account OF our
snfFerings. The wonder was not that the road
better but that there any road at all across the dis
bnt manly upon trestle-wOrk and running light engines
and cars, win ever overcome the difficulties OF the
route aud secure firm, level road across the swamp.
A WILD AND UNcULTIyATED COUNTRY.
In some way or other road ought TO be put in good
repair without delay II is the only Western line of rail
that runs to Memphis and is of great Importance to the
business OF that city After crossing the St Francis
River the country, until one reaches White River, Is
chiefly wild and swampy, but the soil is not like that
denosfed by the Mississippi and affords tolerably
GOOD road bed. West OF the White vast PLAIN
stretches all the way 10 Little Rock wet ana WOOdeu lOI
the mosf mart, but in places bare Of trees and
closely resembling Illinois prairie. These reaches OF
,rsric dated with occasional cumps Of oaks
farms that noticed upon them dsproVe the general pc
and ~ one point little village OF shaDtles has sprung
up whose Inhabitants do thriving business Gatlerlng
the prairie hay As we appToa%enso % L1o @ & nOcH; ,iH
ien miles OF that city the population appears 10 De very
sparse should say that OF the whole region between
III one thousand seen from tAe car "nuO"s
Is cultivated - -. .. -. .,a A.
usual on southern itarOds' Aau tue !or
ward one 10 themselves The distinction on account OF
Mr. Summers standard OF clVli rights IVr Two neay
dressed cOOrcd women were admitted without question
10 the IL was not 80 much distinction Do
tween black and white as between clean ana uISieah
and did differ greatly from that observed on NoIih-
roads, where conductors usually manage 70 XII e
unwashed au0 llDannefeu pasSenSeis "A4Vo VI pN0A'
into the forward car
THE CURRENT OF POLITICAL DISCUSSION
Among the travellers in the car were number OF