Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1873-08-16

/ close InSpScLlOD OF the fOduD6uy lTacA =
superstrueture, depots, water stations,
and bridges on this route, and will now,
as briefly as possible, give resume OF
the days wek.
Westopped at every station and nearly
every water-tank on the road, exam
ming with jealous eye the alpha and
omega of each building, earthwork,
crosstie, culvert, etc, etc, and the sum
of our investigation is, that we found
the rosd-bed solid, the crossties sound,
the track smooth, and a considera-
ble portion of it well ballasted with the
''Tishomingo gravel" a unique and
pebbly concrete, easily pulverized, and
when moistened with rain and dried by
the sun, forming a cement as hard as
stone. We discovered water-tanks
founded on q superstrueture Of solid-eut
masonry, the tanks or tubs of cedar
painted, enclosed and housed in with tin
roofing, with capacity in each Of water
ing ten engines at time, and supplied
with stationary pumping-engines, or
fountain conduit-pipes, leading from ad-
jacent springs. Watchmen and pump
eTs, industrious and vigilant, attend to
these night and day, and the largest To-
comotive can be "wateredn at any Of
these tanks in just two minutes. The
old rails are being replaced with new
ones of approved fish-bar fastings. The
old depots, built Immediately after the
war to replace those destroyed by
the federals, are themselves being re-
placed by neat and substantial buildings
of modern design, while still more i'm
portant item to the safety and durability
of the road, the culverts are everywhere
being rebuilt in first-class solid-stOne
masonry. One of these, at Pocahontas,
is especially deserving Of mention,
being a noble arch, protecting
wagon-way beneath the road,
which is twenty feet from the rails.
Between Corinth and Burnsville, dis
tance of fourteen miles, there are five
culverts just completed, of a similar
class Of work. Many of these are be-
meath high embankments, which have
been recently made in lieu Of dangerous
and insecure trestle-work, thus adding
immensely to the security of the road.
1t is the intention of the company to
continue in the future this policy of per-
manent work. This is evidenced by the
supply Of stone delivered at similar
points, observed along the line of the
road. We find the trussed-bridge a IA
yorite on this railway. These are
of two classes, built entirely since the
war-peaee having found the streams on
this road bridgeless. The first class is a
combination of wood and iron, the sec
ond constructed wholly of wrought iron
the former known as H0l0es Patent,
and the latter as FERE's Triangular and
Suspension Truss Bridge. AT Bear
creek, stream one hundred yards wide,
just in the edge of Alabama, one hun
dred and nineteen miles from Memphis,
we found corps of bridgemen engaged
in the erection of one of Fink's triangu-
Lar trusses, all wrought iron, which is be-
ing substituted for one of cast-iron, known
as the Jones patent Howe truss, which
had been deemed defective. This latter,
and condem ned bridge, was erected in
1866 by Jones & Westlake, of st. Louis,
and some three months thereafter a
whole span of it, one hundred and fifty
four feet in length, gave way, precipi-
tating locomotive and several cars into
the stream, fortunately without loss Of
life, but with a loss to the road of
twenty thousand dollars. Whether this
disaster was caused by a defect inherent
in the structure has never been clearly
demonstrated. This plain, unvarnished
statement shows the Memphis and
Charleston railroad to be, thus far, in a
sound and healthy condition. The
length of this letter already suggests
the omission of many features Of in
terest to which your correspondents
attention was called en- route. He may
outline them for the readers of
the APPEAL in other letters.
We must, however, speak of an Incl
dental excursion, which is not without
interest: At Middleton, just seventy
miles from Memphis, the junction and
terminus of the Ripley narrow-gauge
railroad, we found lively little locomo-
tive with a tender and passenger-car
awaiting our arrival-the conductor
having been telegrsphed to be ready to
take the committee over the road. This
is the road built by Colonel w. C. Faulk-
ner, from Ripley, Mississippi, to Middle
ton, Tennessee, in reference to which
the attention of the readers of the AP-
PEAL have been more than once direct
ed. The road is constructed twenty five
miles to Ripley, and steps are being
taken to extend its chartered jurisdiction
to Mississippi City, on the gulf of Mexi-
co. We went over the road some eight
miles, and the whole party were
charmed with the trip. Its maximum
grade at present is one hundred and six
feet to the mile, gauge three feet, iron
thirty-five pounds to the yard, cross
ties, five feet; but they are now being re-
placed with others seven feet in length.
There are two locomotives, one
weighing twelve and the 9th
er fifteen tons. The passenger-cars
are thirty-six feet long, seven feet
two inches in hight from floor to cell
ing, and about seven feet wide. Each
car will seat comfortably thirty passen-
gers. There are fifteen platform-cars and
four box-eaTs. The platfoFm-cars carry
sixty barrels Of -four, and from fourteen
to sixteen bales Of cotton. The average
speed is fiftesn miles an hour, but q
speed of twenty-five miles to the hour
can be attained. The local work of con-
struction cost about six thousand dollars
per mile, iron and equipments ofrolling-
stock six thousand five hundred dollars,
making total cost of twelve thousand
five hundred dollars per mile. The
former was done by the Ripley railway
company, the iron and equipments be-
ing furnished by the Southern Security
company, whonow own and operate this
road. The road tFaverses one Of the finest
agricultural regions in the south. Cot
ton and corn are cultivated successfully
and yield well. During the last season
this road transported to Middleton seven