The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1875-05-14
SHALL THEY BIZ UNITED RY A NARROW
GAUGE ROAD.
This .. the Question Mai SyLe. Asks
While PrNtsiUg the Cairo q ~.
UOuts Road.
Al Interesting Letter from an Enthusiastic
Railroad Protector.
MEMPHIS. Tenn. May 18th. Is;

through your city.
I am gratiiied in being able to say that
your Narrow Gauge road from Cairo to
81. Louis fully realized my expectations,
IN TACT, surpassed them. The coaches
ran more smoothly. and the speed was
more rapid than ! expected. must say
| have never ridden on any road where
the coaches were more comfortable than
on that portion of the Cairo aud -. l.oui,
road between MurplYsboro and ~. Louis.
a distance of 30 mile-. IN q few weeks
the other portion of the road,
from Murphysboro to Cairo, distance of
IS mile, will Do in equally good condi.
ton. The cause of the difference in the
present condition of the two portion, OF
the road i, that the last portion, - miles.
has recently been laid with iron rails. and
has not yet had time to settle and become
firm.
50 far from the ear, being liable to run
oil the track. thcy have never done so en-
ccpt in one instance. and that was caused
by a switch being LETT open. No pas-en-
ger sustained any injury.
The experience of this road shows the
utter iallacy of the generally received
opinion that roads Of this description are
more Useful than those OF q wider gauge.
Exactly the opposite j, the fact. AMI the
, reason, are obvious to amy one who will
examine and see the practical workings
! of thi. road
The locomotives pull a- much freight
on thi, road in ono train A. j, pulled on
any road having a, steep grades. \ To-
connective weighing 81 tons. hauled over
this road 1T one time. l92 tons of paving
freight. Ii the grades had been less
steep the amount hauled would have been
much greater.
II there have been any doubts u 10 the
practicability oi thi- description OF road-
the success ot the Cairo q ~. Louis road
must remove them.
This road his already reduced freight,
on other road,, and must still fntbcr re.
ducc them in future.
To Cairo this i road OF the iir,, I'M
portoDcc. II bring To her the Ri. Mud
dy coal which is used in the furnace. at
81 LOU, In it. PAW state. thus causing il
to be very valuable in the manufacture OF
iron. The supply OF this coal i, album
dant. The Gartsidc mines are capable of
yiciding 1000 tons. or half Il million of
bushels, per month, to say nothing OF the
Mount Carbon aud Lewis mines.
lOu can get iron ore down the
Tennessee river from the counties
Of Humphreys, Hickman. Perry.
Decatur aud Wayne, in Tennessee.
much cheaper than it can b. obtained at
ST. Louis, from the Iron Mountain, and
the Tennessee ore make the very best
iron. With your advantage, a. a proyi-
sion market. being near the grain fields
of Southern Illinois, with Cheap and
good coal. with cheap. abundant and
valuable Tennessee ore, why cannot
Cairo become great iron manufacturing
city: aud why can she not furnish a
large portion of the supplies needed In
southern markets, such rs bacon. flour
and provisions OF all kinds? II the
southern people will not raise these
things themselves. "a, II seems 10 me they
should 10 great extent. valuable ~ the
Cairo and ST. Louis will be to Cairo a. il
Is, yet it, value would he greatly in
creased il il could be- extended South n,
far ~ Memphis. Nicksburg and New Or
leans, even.
The difficulty will be in getting from
Cairo to Memphis, bccause there are al
ready 50 many railroads in West Ten
nesscc OF Il different gauge, and the
ground seems to be fully occupied; but
this road would supply de.ideratum in
giving direct connection between Mem
phis and II. Louis through Cairo by
means ola road of the same gauge under
one and the same management.
When once built to Memphis there
would be no difficulty in extending it 10
Nicksburg and even to New Orleans.
1t would go down the Mississippi bot.
tom, thus controlling large portion OF
the business in the Yazoo and Missi,-
sppl valleys on this side of the N[issls.
sippi river. 1t il q remarkable fac, that
the iazoo river is the only one OF any
Importance running into the Misslssippi
on IL eastern side between Memphis and
New Orleans.
This railroad would develop the finest
cotton region not only on thi. continent,
but in the world. II any road I'm the
southern States would pay as an invest.
ment this is the road. Owing TO the
character Of the country, it being pcner.
ally level, the road from Cairo to Mem.
phis would cost less than the
road from Cairo 10 st. Louis has COS,
and 1t seems TO me continuous line from
st. Louis 10 Memphis, through Cairo.
would pay better, according to IL, cost.
than q road merely from St. Loui, 10
Cairo.
The parties owning and interested in
the Cairo 4 St. Louis road should. il
seems 10 me, be anxious for an extension
to Memphis, Vicksbure, or even New
Orleans.
The value 81 the farm products in the
ionr Tennessee counties through which
tins road would run--Shelby, Faycttc.
Haywood and Obion--arc a follows.
FROM lro,iuctg