The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1874-07-18
DALLAS AND WICHITA RAILROAD.

we were Ilucn pleuSeu W HlceI Nolo-
mel Welch, of Denton, OH yesterday,
and hear his views in regard to the
great advantages that will ensue both
to Dallas and Denton from the compile
ton of the above-named road to the
latter place. Colonel Welch is thor
oughly informed as to the necessities
of the section of country in which he
lives, and also as to the feeling of the
people of Denton county in reference
to railroad connection with Dallas.
That feeling is earnest and unanimous
in favor of etlecting the connection by
building the Dallas and Wichita road
at as an early day as possible, and if
Dallas will carry the road to the county
line, Denton will take it up promptly
and carry it on. The people of Denton
look in this direction as their natural
outlet, and though they are promiseda a
railroad by the Texas and Pacific road
passing through the county Ell route
from Sherman to Fort Worth, still,
they attach comparatively little i'm
portance to that as compared with di-
rect connection with this city. This
feeling ought to be encouraged and CO.
operated with by the people of both
the city and county of Dallas; for,
whatever the advantages of the road
may be to Denton, they will undoubt-
edly be tenfold greater to this city.
The completion of this rood would Sc
cure to the city of Dallas, beyond per-
adventure. the business and trade of
that rich tier of counties lying west of
Grayson ard Collin counties and north
of the Brazos river. The profits from
this trade in five years would more
than pay the entire cost of the rood.
In Denton and other counties along
the projected line of the Dallas and
Wichita road are immense tracts of
prairie lands that are rich as any lands
the sun ever shone on, but which are
valueless now for agricultural pur-
poses on account of the remotencss of
timber, and the impracticability OF
hauling lumber to so great a distance
for fencing purposes. Complete this
road, and it will be then practicable to
get fencing LUMBER there at cost that
would warrant farmers i'll reducing
these lands to cultivation. And, at
the same time, it would give an almost
inconceivable impetus to the lumber
trade of Dallas. We cite this as only
one of the hundred reciprocal benefits
that would flow to Dallas, Denton and
other points along the line from the
construction of the road.
Impressed as we are with the vital
Importance of this enterprise to the
permanent prosperity of Dallas, we
cannot refrain from thinking that there
is an undue apathy in regard to its
success on the part of many Of the
business men of the city.
1t must be clear to any rejecting
man that as the Texas and Pacific rail-
road pushes to the west Dallas will
necessarily lose very great part of
that trade OH which her hitherto unex-
amplad prosperity has been based. Is
it not then the part of wisdom to be
reaching out in other directions to Sc
cure trade that will counterbalance
what we are likely to lose? Let our
business men, who are justly eminent
for their sagacity and enterprise, give
this matter their serious attention.
We are glad to be informed by Pres
ident Calder that the contract for the
first five miles has been let to other
parties and that work thereon will be
resumed next Monday. He expects to
push the work OH rapidly to the county
line without any further delay.