The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-08-27
The southern Pacific Side.

- The SCuLEcIu i oSilAS 49,
1sa;or FRANK S. RoEp. Vice-P President OF
Tho Southern Pacific Railway Company, re-
niles in our paper. to-day to Senator JOHN.
sros,s letter on the Southern Pacific or Texas
Pacific railway. The senator's argument TO
show that i. is q northern railroad, Is COM
nletely answered. Major BOND answers the
senator's specifications In their order, and
leaves the decks clear for any other that may
be left in the arsenal OF any Of the adverse
ries OF the road.
We refer the reader to Msjor BONDS very
concise, clear, and frank letter as 70 'nese
strong points in the answer. Ii appears '"~'
the attempt to prove that the scheme IS No.
a Southern one because its terminus IS not "
Memphis is more than sufficiently answered.
The charter Of the company makes AeAai-
kama ard Shreveport the eastern tefmihi Oh
tho road. From Shreveport two branches
ara autborized-one to Vicksbrrg and the
o,hcr TO New Orleans and from Texarkana
there are already roads to Memphis and 70
Columbus. Ky. Let US add what Major
Bosp seems to have forgotten, that Calves
ton already has road from Galveston to
Marshall, BY which the Texas Pacific rail-
road will be compelled to pass In its route
TO Fort Worth, where it connects with
the branch to Texarkana. Therefore,
every southern State bordering on the
Mississippi river, and also Texas, mas
connection with the Pacific railway from
it's principal town. The most southern
town, Galveston, is brought nearer 10 oan
Diego than any of the others, while those
Others are about equi.distant from the
western terminus of the Southern faciuc
line. And these southern cities all nave
the advantage by more than thousand
miles over New York. We concur VIII
Major BoND in bis remark surely more
distinctly southern route across the con''-
pent cannot be selected
AZ 10 the matter of the gauge, the answer
surprises and grst:fes US. taK'ng tpe asser-
t;on in Senator JouSsToS's letter as true, we
sunnosed that the whole South had adopted
the 5.foot gauge; but we now learn that
every road west of the Mississippi save one
has the 4.foot. s-inch gauge. And 'ohot road
IS that? The road from Fulton, Ark, to
Cairo. H., or Chicago, which cannot be
claimed as a southern line zoe suppose.
Will ANYBODY on the South side so claim Il!
Just here we will say that we have just
read an elaborate report signed by 3. ii.
GREEN. OF Louisiana, civil engineer, discus
sing the routes by which it is proposed New
Orleans shall connect herself with the South
ern Pacific line at Shreveport. He faVorS The
route uia Vicksburg as the best because 1t Is
localeGhon high. ground, out of danger from
floods, while the route ola A!e4anurta,
through the centre of the State, Is SUBJ
jected to that danger. MIR. GREEN
docs not mention the sutjecL of the
gauge at all, nor DOES he talk about
bridge over the Mississippi which Senator
j OMISSION discusses very earnestly. Nor does
Maior BOND in his defer &C speak OF bridge.
We infer that it was Il subject the discussion
of which they deemed supererosatory-Very
probably as they considered bridge there
impracticable. Certainly, New Orleans be-
ing on the east side OF the Mississippi and
proposing to cross it to get at the Pacific
railway has as much interest in bridge over
stat grand river as have Spout Spring,
Rice's, Blacks and.W bites, and WaVerly sta
ton.
Major BoND, however, after defending
the company which he represents for adopt
ing that gauge, decided by engineers to be
the most economical, and that gauge which
prevails west of the Mississippi, makes the
very simple suggestion that railroad trains
crossing the Mississippi by ferry can be lifted
from their trucks and transferred to others
!. e., from the 4:S3 inch to the 5.toot gauge
without any delay. What more could be
asked? If bridge can't be built, this ex.
pedient is unquestionably capital and satis-
factory.
AS to the practicabllity of bridge at
Memphis we have always been in doubt.
The broad river, its capricousness as to both
shore and bed, while the expansive swamp
opposite Memphis made the approach to a
bridge elevated enough to accommodate navi-
cation u most serious question, all considered,
suggested difficulties that seemed to lis almost
insurmountable. We think it more than
probable that u tunnel would be the best
means of crossing the river at Vicksburg.
B 1t we desire to ask all honest and fair.
minded men, whether, with the facilities Of
an efficient ferry and the car-litter to trans
port freights across the Mississippi, they
would deem it just to require the Southern
Pacific Company, as a condition indispensable
{, its existence, to build bridge at Men,
PMS? That is the question.
Msjor BOND makes an array of public
sentiment on the subject of the South
ern Pacific in strong contrast with that
cited by Senator JOHNSTON. The Senator
made so. emphatic point OF Mr.. HUNTING
TONS opposition to the Southern Pacific
railway. Major BOND explains that mat.
ter in manner that will hardly induce
any man of real southern feeling to op-
pose the Southern Pacific railway. We know
that MIR. HUNTINGTON and the company OF
which he is 3 leading member, including
the powerful National Bank of California
said to have the largest capital Of any bar
in the Uuion-have the best reasons for de-
string to suhjugate or control the Southern
Pacific line. They own the Central Pacific
line, and they hold all the gateways that
open to us the golden empire of the
Pacific. Naturally they dread the South
ern Pacific with its easy grades,
its benign temperatures and uninter,
rtsntad nnerationS 1t is vastly different