The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1875-09-03
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Reply OF Major Frank r. Bond to the
letter Ex-senator Johnson, Of WI.
pnlLNnrLpnIA. Ananat 10. IA

DEAR uR-My attention has been
called 10 II leitor addressed 10 yon "
senator Johnson, Of your State, pub
lIshed in the Richmond Wing, giving
his objections to II bill before the last
Congress authorizing the United states
to aid IN constructing the Texas Pacll-
ic railway, on the thlrty-sccohd paIAl-
lei, ASA southern route to the Pacific.
Senator Johnson's objections are:
First. That Memphis Is not named
us the terminus of the road.
Second That the gauge is to be four
feet eight-and-a-hal inches, AID not
five feet.
Third. That the Atlantic and PaclI-
10 Railroad Company Originally hu-
thoriHed to construct II line To the Ia
cite on the thlrty-lilth parallel have
agreed to connect its road Wllh the
Texas and Pacific road ut II point IN
Texas at least two hundred and iiity
miles east of the Rio Grande-the
western boundary of Texas; and
Fourth. Because the bill WAS ''pre-
scented by Pennsylvania Senator, adj
vocated by commercial bodies in st.
Louis, prayed for by wOrkmen IN Phil
adelphin, petiti0ncd for by citizens OF
Berks county, Pennsylvania" etc.
Believing Senator Johnson to he,
what he says he Is, can earnest friend
of II genuine Southern Pacific road, y
and being DESTROYS that the fullest in
vesligation shall be made into the mer-
It's of the bill aud the advantages Of
the Texas and Pacific railway as Il
southern route, submit the following
statements covering the objections
named by the honorable Senator:
First. The eastern termini or start
ing points of the Texas and Pacific
railway, rs fixed by its charter and
named in the bill, are Shreveport and
TeXnrllana, the two lines to extend
westward, unite ut Fort Worth, and
from thence extend TO San Diego. The
| bill also authorizes branch from
shreveport to New Orleans, and an
other from Shreveport to Nicksburgi
but rs there is " road already con
strueted from VeXarkana via Little
Rock to Memphis, and also TO Column
bus, KY, the northern terminus Of the
Mobile and Ohio road practically, both
of those points are as much tcrmini OF
the Texas and Pacific railway as are
Nicksburg and New Orleans. l0u
VIII perceive, therefore, that under
this bill every Southern State border
ing on the Mississippi river has "A direct
connection from Its principal river
town with the Texas and Pacific road
Louisiana from New Orleans, Mis-
sissippi from Nickburg, Tennessee
from Memphis, and Kentucky from
Columbus and what is II little re-
markable is that the routes from these
points to the point OF connection with
the Texas and Pacific railway are in
each case almost I'M airline, and they
are almost equidistant from the west
ern terminus ON the Pacific. Surely
a more distnctively Southern route
across the continent cannot be selected
Second. The gauge objection: The
war OF gauges has been long and bitter,
and will probably never be settled sat
islactorily to all. In constructing
trunk lines, original cost OF construc.
ton aud economy in operation ms we'll
M the gauge of connecting lines should
determine the gauge to he selected.
Every connecting railroad west of the
Miss issippi river, constructed and UNI
der construction, is with one exception
Of ASA gauge, or less; one, the Cairo
and Fulton, is feet. There can be no
question that between 3 feet and l:S@
the narrow gauge is the more econom-
lcal, M there il no increase in the ca
pncity of trains corresponding to the
INCREASED cost Of wider entertainments
and cuts, longer ties, and heavier
equipment; and IL was for these econ
omical reasons that the Asa gauge was
adopted.
The Senator is In error in assuming
that n break ofgauge prevents the rum
ming of through trains of ears, snd ne
cessitates the breaking of bulk in
fret Int transportation; M the method
of changing trucks by II ear "hoist' or
"lift'-such as we have In Use in eX-
changing business at TeXarkana with
the Cairo and Fulton road and such
as is used at Buffalo and Dunkrk, on
the Erie railway, and on several other
roads eflectually overcomes this APP
parent obstruction TO through trans
portation.
"rhe Imboden Car-liftern an inven-
ton of General mboden and manuiac-
tured in your city, one of which un-
derstand Is in successful operation ut
the Danyille and Petersburg railroad
junction, is another method of accom-
pllshing the same purpose.
General Imboden claims, and can
see no reason To doubt 1t, that the
trucks under train of thirty cars can
be changed by his "liip on the transfer
boat while crossing the Mississippi
river; and in II letter descriptive of the
"lirter he says, what In very true, that
"nelther the wide lower Mississippi
nor break of gauge on its different
shores interposes any serious barrier to
railway transitu across the continent,
or between the great and productive
neighboring States that are only sep
arated by this great rivern and do
not think there is practical railroad
man in the South or North that will
question this statement.
The third objection, that the Atlantic
and Pacific railroad connection is what
he terms u "cousolidntion of the two
roads,h does not seem to be well taken,
as there is no intention or desire ON
either side, nor any authority in their
corporate acts, to consolidate the two
companies; and fail TO see what reas-
enable objections can be made to the
Atlantic and Pacific Railway Company
abandoning the western end of its line,
rs authorized in the thirty-hfth par
allel, and giving back to the Govern
ment 30, 00O,O00 acres of reserved lands
that had been heretofore granted TO
aid In its construction, and exchanging
the business tributary to its road with
the Texas and Pacific Railway Com.
pany on the same terms rs other con-
Meeting companies shall exchange
their business; and this is what the bill
authorizes. 81. Louis already has u con-
nectiOn with the MnXns and pnniiin rnil. |