The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1874-12-19
Communicated.
Our Railroads. t.s

way projected from New Orleans, on
the west side of the Mississippi river.
One of these is to Houston, Texas,
and is already completed to Bayou
Goula, it's point of departure from
that river, with half the additional
grading finished to Houston. Anoth-
er, known as the Louisiana Central
Railway, is to connect Vcrmillionville,
on the Houston line, with the city of
Shreveport, running through the Ope-
lousas couptry and the Red River VAL
ley. These two are controlled by
organized companies, and the incor-
porators are now devising means for
their early completion. The third is
the projected line from New Orleans
to Dallas, Texas, tapping there the
great Texas and Pacific Railway and
this road, though in its incipiency,
and without u charter as yet, seems
to he received with very decided ia
vcr by local capitalists.
These three roads are to form the
main trunk lines for the great railway
system leading from our chief COM
mercial city to the west and north.
west, and would be sufficient, if bnilt,
to regain tle trade which has recent.
ly been diverted to St. Louis and the
G. ulf coast of Texas.
In this system, the N. 0. and Hous-
ton road is the first vital necessity, and
should he finished at once, as the ba-
sis of tho other two. Tile Louisiana
Central will connect with it at Yer
millionville. The routes of both
these roads have been selected with
Judgment, and 40 modification sllould
be made in that respect. The affairs,
also, of tie two companies seem to be
in good hands at present, and the
people and capitalists should respond
literally with whatever encourage
ment may be necessary.
The route of the Dallas road, though
underlined, seem to he indicated from
Opelousas or Vermillionyil!e to the
city of Dallas. Al examination Of
the map will show this selection to
be injudicious. II Dallas is to he the
objective point, the divergence should
not be 50 far south. The route is too
long, and trayerses a comparatively
barren portion of the territory Of Lou
isiana and Texos. 1t leaves tue great
heart of central Texas almost untOuch-
ed. 1t will be moro 4 competitor to
the La. Central and the Texas and
Pacific least of Dallas) than an indie
pendent tributary line. 1t will find
its through trade very nearly the same
as that Of the other two great routes,
aud It's meagre way business will he
exclusively in Heights and travel
which now reach New Orleans by
overland and water communication
already established. Dallas, III fact,
is not the best terminus, nor Opelou-
sas the most available initial point
for such a road. After the completion
of the Houston road and the Louisiana
Central rail way is assured, the other
line in the system should penetrate
the vast central region of Texas, and
form a great trunk line, running cast
and west through that State, midway
between the Texas and Pacific on tile
north and the Houston road on the
south. 1t should leave the La. Cen
trail at or near Natcl'itoches, trayers-
ing the salabrisas and fertile fred
lands" Of Sabine, San Augustine,
Nacogdoches, Cherokee and Anderson
counties, crossing the International
and the Great Northern roads at their
junction at Pa!estine-thence west,
through the still more fertile and
equally beautiful "timbered prairies''
4 of Frsestone and Limestone counties,
crossing the Texas Central at Mexia
thence west, through still richer
lands to Waco, On the Bfazost, form.
ing its future junction with the Texas
aud Pacific by tho projected Waco
and Northwestern route, at about $50
miles west Of Dallas.
There is no part Of the South more
charming than that which lies along
this route.a Beautiful to the eye, and
"watered by living springs" its in
trinsic value as q farming aud grazing
region is a hundred times greater