The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1872-08-30
MEMPHIS & KNOXVILLE RAIL
ROAD.

Tie Charter for this very important
and much needed railroad has been per
fected by the Chaneery Court now in
session at Bolivar.
In addition to the main line, which
viii run on the shortest and most direct
route that the Typography of the country
will permit, from Memphis, its western
terminus on the Mississippi river, through
Bolivar, Columbia, Meanwhile and
Kingston to Knoxville, two important
branch roads have been chartered also.
These branch lines Will diverge from the
main stem Immediately after it crosses
the Tennessee river. One will pass
through the centre of the richest iron
ore deposits of Perry and Hickman
counties, and on to Nashville; making
the distance from Memphisto Nashville
twenty two miles less than by any ex-
isling. or contemplated railroad The
other branch will run through Waynes~
boro, LawrencebUrg and Pulaski, to Fay
etteville, in Lincoln county; and by con-
Meeting herewith the Winchester & Ala
.bama railroad will form the shortest
line from Memphis to the Sewanee coal
mines 1t will also give another through
route by rail from Memphis to Chatta1
nooga, eighteen miles shorter than by
the Memphis & Charleston road. 1t is
not little strange, that the State Of
Tennessee, situated directly in the course
of trade between the great South west
and all the large Eastern cities, has, up
to the present time, no railroad through
her territory in the direction of this
great, and rapidly increasing traffic. All
her railroads, with the exception of the
! Northwestern, and even that has no
direct east or west connection-run
north and south across the State, so that
passengers and freight from the central
portion of the State destined for the East
or west, have to be conveyed over one
| half the width of it averaging about so
miles, before approXimating the course
leading towards their destination, and
which they reach by means of railroads
running along her borders, which are
building up themselves and the territory
through which they pass, from the profits
of traffic that ought long ago to have
been transacted by Tennessee railroads.
This state of affairs will not exist after
the construction of the Memphis & Knox
vile railroad and its branches, for its
location being through the centre of the
State, in the direct line of this great traf-
fc, and the fact that it will link together
the richest agricultural and mineral por-
tions of Tennessee, in a manner more
advantageous to each, and that it will be
far better adapted for exchanging their
products at low rates, than any other
road that can be built, cannot fail to make
it, not only great public benefi', but also
Il highly remunerative, safe and proGta-
bic investment for capital.
Connecting at Memphis with the Little
Rock and Fort Smith roads, and at Knox
vile, with the East Tennessee & Virgin
la roads to Norfolk and the principa
Eastern cities. will give the Memphis &
Knoxville railroad superior advantages
as through route.
As a local road, in addition to travers
ing a large extent of country, every por
ton of which is rich in all the product
Of either the farm, the mine, or the for
est, for its entire length (includine
branches) of $50 miles without compe
rition, it will cross all the great line
traversing the State in a Northerly an,
Southerly direction, an enumeration O
which will impress those familiar wit
the subject with the immense value G
these intermediate connections.
There are the Mississippi Central, q
Bolivar, the Mobile & Ohio at Hender
son or McNairy Station, the Nashvill
: & Decatur at Columbia, the Nashvill
: & Chattanooga at Fosterville, the Mort
East & South Western at McSIlnnyille
Enough has perhaps been said to shor
, the large continually increasing loca
sources of traffic awaiting the construc
ton Of this line.
The Directors of the Memphis & Knc,
willie railroad have, we think, wisely cor
clu9ed TO adopt the narrow gauge of
feet for this road, for the following rea
sons:
! lst. II can be built for ene-haf tn
/ cost of broad gauge road over the sam
t route.
I'd. 1t can be operated one~thir
, cheaper.
t Sd. 1t can do all the business tn;
: can be required of it.
4th. It will give railroad facilities t
a large portion of tho mountainous re
gions of Tennessee, rich in coal and iror
that could not possibly be reached by tb
!. broad gauge.
e 9Th. 1t cost comes more nearly With
9 the means Of the people along the lin,
!, and as an investment for their hard earn
: ings, it possesses many advantages owe
t the broad gauge For instance, the ira
= fic on the Nashville & Northwestern
, road, during the fiscal year amounted t
: $500 per mile Of road, and it w0ull b
: reasonable to suppose that very soon tn
: Memphis and Knoxville road would d
an aqually large business. This bein
the case the following figures viii sho'
at glance the great superiority tn
Narrow Guage possesses over the broa
gauge as q paying inves tment
COST or BROAD GAUGE
n $50 miles at $4,000 per mile, 50, 100000