Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1873-02-01
THE IRON HORSE.
The TiptonViiIe, DyersbuFg and
Jackson RaIIFOad-mIssOur Ard ,
-POrGeF's ROad-A Letter From
President scott.
From the Drersburg STATE Gazette.


From the Dyersburg State Gazette.
Mr.. Editor:-I see it stated in the
public prints, with Meals State Ga
Zette as their authority, that the
citizens of Dyer, Lake and Obion
counties have petitioned for an act
of Incorporation, with 6 view of
incorporating q company TO build q
Railroad from Tiptonville to Jack
son, Tenn, via Dyersburg, Alamo
and Gadsden; and extend il north
from TiptOnvills. across the MissiE-
sippi river, to some point on the
Iron Mountain Railroad. hope the
parties will press the importance of
this matter upon the Legislature,
and speedily succeed in procuring a
liberal charter; and that an organi- 4
cation under it may at once be had. /
The Importance Of the proposed 4
road TO the citizens of the counties 1
through which il is to pass, ought /
to be sure guarantee 10 the rails /
ing OF the necessary capital stock /
for its early construction, equip !
Aent and completion. Ii will open I
up, not only to you, but equally to /
the citizens of New Madrid county
market by rail, at all seasons Of
the year, with all tke principal cit
les of the South, for the immense
crops of corn raised in this, Dyer,
Lake and Obion counties.
We organized a company here
some two years ago, entitled the
''St. Louis and Memphis Branch
Railroad Company" The road that
this company proposed TO build was
| to commence at Morley, on the Iron
! Mountain Road, in Scott county,
and run from thence to the town of
New Madrid, thence at a safe dis
/ tance down the west bank Of the
Mississippi river to q point opposite
/ Memphis. The road bed in the
/ counties south of this was to con-
stitute leFec to protect the interi-
or from overflow from the Missis-
| sippi. Col. Porter, of Memphis is
| President of the Arkansas portion
of it, and of the Missouri. The
! Arkansas and Missouri companies
at one time agreed on terms of con-
solidation, and cenditionally let the
road TO contract, but the Arkansas
"Levee Bonds" deprecated so much
| that this arrangement wholly failed
and nothing further has been done,
except survey the line from Morley
to this place, a distance of about 81
miles with a descent of less than Is
inches to the mile. Ihave not heard
| from Col. Porter for some months,
but at last accounts he was still
| hopeful. All depends on his end of
the road. Our county has SUBJ
scribsd 500, 900 to the capital stock.
Although we have done nothing for
some time toward the construction
of il, yet / do not think it is dead,
but ''only sleepeth"-and that it
may yet be built. l am free to con-
fsss, however, that so far as New
Madrid county is concerned, a con-
Eolidation OF our road with yours,
At point suitable for crossing the
river between this place and Upton
vile, would be far preferable, in
point of interest TO our people, to
that of extending 1t down the west
bank Of the river, through the low
lands, to point opposite Memphis.
BY either route we have to cross
the river. If we 90 down the west
bank, we reach nowhere until we
get to Memphis. If we consolidate
with you, and cross the river be-
tween this and TiptonVilIe, at Tip
l
of the Nashville and North Western
road from Hickman; at Dyersburg,
we shall connect with the Paducah
81 Memphis road;..at Gadsden with
the Memphis & Louisville, and at
Jackson with the Mississippi Cen
trial and the Mobile & Ohio roads
thus giving US, by your road and its
connections, as short line to Mem
/ V.hTc q q lnNr -
time, connections and facilities to
market for our corn and other pro-
ducts, that would be out of the
question by our route. This ar
rangement would also give Memphis
and other cities q competing line
with the Mobile & Ohio road fer the
trade and travel Of ST. Louis, Chi
cago and other northern cities.
Now, should the citizens of the
counties of Dyer, Lake and Obion
succeed in getting q liberal charter
for your road, effect an organization
under 1t, raise the necessary capital
stock and show thai they mean bus
lness-that they intend in earnest to
build the road have little doubt
but our citizens would readily meet
them with our road and shake hands
| Win luCIl AT some suitable point
between this place and Tiptonville,
on the BANKS of tile Great Father
of Wathers." The people, howev-
er, of late years have been SO often
humbugged by railroads on paper
and railroad Colonies, that any pro-
ject looking 10 the building of a
railroad, must be reduced to a NOR
al certainty, otherwise they will not
touch it. Now, l think a railroad
from Morley, on the Iron Mountain
Railroad, in Scott CO., No, to or
near New Madrid, from thence to
Tiptonvilie, Dyersburg, Alamo,
Gadsden and Jackson, is so entire
ly feasible = so essentially necessary
that all that is wanting to make it
a moral certainty is to convince the
people of its importance TO them,
and that you intend to build it with
their assistance; and, you may de-
pend upon it, they will come to your
aid, to man. Yours, &c,
JOHN L. SCOTT.
New Madrid, No, Jan. 10th, '73.
From the Chicago Tribune.