The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-11-27
The New Orleans and Pacific
Railroad.

ing Major s. L. James, the lessee of
the Louisiana Penitentiary and the
contractor for grading the New Orleans
and Pacific Railroad to this place.
We were assured by Major James that
the building of the road to this place
was a fixed fact, and that branch
road from Mansfield, in the direction of
Sherman, was in the dim and distant
future.
A constitution company has been
formed, composed of David UrquhaEt
and associates, in New York and New
Orleans. with ample capital to pusl,
the work on to completion. Major
James is still the contractor tor gra
ding, under this company, and will
work about 800 hands. A portion of
the hands are now engaged on the line
below Alexandria, and portion axe
grading the road west near the line f
DeSoto and Natchitoches Parishes
The road between Alexandria and the
Mississippi river, a distance of 100
miles, is all graded and only needs
dressing up preparatory to laying the
track.
Iron has been purchased and track
laying will begin at Alexandria and be
extended east. thus opening up mag
nificenr country on the alluvial bayous,
and giving the road heavy and lucra-
tive trade from the start. When the
gap between Alexandria and the Mis-
sissippi river is completed, the iron
will be laid from Alexandria west. 1t
was necessary to grade nearly two
hundred miles, in order to give the
company a basis of credit. Having
made negotiations by which the road
can be ironed and equipped, it is very
desirable to put all the track graded in
running order. The contractor is now
laboring under disadvantages on &C
count of the distance from navigation,
and the cost of transporting his sup
plies and men by wagon.
The track will he laid from Alexan-
dria to Bayou Goula, and in the event
of failure to consummate negotia-
tons now pending for purchasing the
completed railroad from that place to
Algiers opposite New Orleans, the com
pany has the right to cross the river
and construct their road on the eas9
bank to the city Major James states
that the road will be running to this
city in eighteen months.
| This ia certainly most cheering news
and is we'll calculated to light up the
gloom which has overspread the faces
of our merchants and real estate own
ers for some time past. We hope to
be able from time to time to report
progress on this great Southern
railroad.
Yesterday afternoon Major James
met large number ofour citizens at
the Cotton Exchange, and after al
interchange Of opinion was had upon
the impos tanoe of connecting Shreve-
port with the great commercial marts
of the world, Major james stated iii
substance what is given above, adding
that locomotives, rolling stock aud iron
| had been bought for cash, and would
soon arrive, and that the work of con-
struct:nn was progressing very rapidly.
He also stated that on the completion
Of the gap between Bayou Goula and
Alexandria, which will occupy only a
short time, large force will begin
work at this end, while the other por-
ton Of this force will be engaged lay
ing ties and iron between Bayou Goula
and Alexandria. Although Major
James has two years in which to com
plete his contract, he is confident that
the entire work will be completed aud
through trains running between New
Orleans and Shreveport within eighteen
mauths.- shreveport Times.