St. Landry democrat., 1878-06-08
Meow Orleans Texas and Colo
RADIO Railway.
COL. HARDEE's REPORT.
from the N. O. Times, June 1st1

L
The report of Col. Hardee on the re
ing engineer Of the New Orleans, Texas
and Colorado Railway, has just been
submitted to General Buckner, the
president Of the company, who arrived
| in this city yesterday.
The distance, as estimated by Col
Hardee, from New Orleans to Dallas,
in Texas, on the line adopted by him is
AGA miles, and the total estimated cost
| S5,724,200 for the road fully built and
equipped, or less than $12,500 per mile.
He states in his report, viz:
"The alignment gauge and gradients
used are fully up to the standard OF
what is required for the business opera
/ tions of a first class railway, the maxi
mum grade being IS feet to the mile,
| the gauge four feet eight aud a half
inches, and the alignment throughout
the whole distance departing only ten
This is certainly flattering outlook
for railway enterprise having such
| comprehensive business expectations,
and traversing a. distance possessing SO
many varied resources OF climate, soil
and productions"
Particular attention is directed to the
important resources OF the road which
will lie in the development of the I'M
mense pine territory through which the
line is located. This pine it is stated,
is of superior quality for building pur-
poses, and for distance of one hun
bred miles from the Calcacieu to the
Neches rivers, the field for the manu-
facture of lumber is almost unlimited
and inexhaustible.
Under the head of agricultural re-
sources the following language is used,
viz: "With the exception of the ad-
Louisiana and Texas, the located line
will traverse a country peculiarly rich
in agricultural resources. The alluvial
section of one hundred and seven miles
first out of New Orleans, comprises the
fertile bottom lands of the Mississippi
Valley; then follows for sixty-three
miles the Attakapas prairies, through
the parishes of St. Landry and Cal
casieu, which are only little less fertile
than the alluvial lands preceding.
After crossing the Neches river and
leaving the pine region proper, the route
on the ridge between the Trinity and
Neches traverses beautiful table land,
with pine, oak and hickory as the pre-
vailing growth for distance of over
one hundred miles, and all of which
section is susceptible of being improved
and cultivated. In places on this ridge
the line passes over prairies of rich
black land. which is notable in the
| From Palestine to the vicinity of
Goshen the soil is somewhat sandy, and
with the exception of the pine, this is
probably the least productive portion
of the entire line. After reaching the
Great Rolling Prairie region, which
commences SO miles from Dallas, the
agricultural resources of the country
beyond are indisputable, and it's capa-
city for production almost without
| limit. From this section alone would
flow agricultural products sufficient to
create a great and renumerative traffic
for more than any one line of railway
having its terminous in New Orleans"
The report further says, viz:
cit will be observed from the accom-
panying map the line of the New Or
leans, Texas and Colorado railway oc-
cupies ground about midway between
what is known as Morgan's lower route
to Houston and the upper line by the
New Orleans Pacific to Marshall. When
the Colorado road gets fairly into Texas,
and intersects the International road at
Palestine. it is then more than 100 miles
egui-distant from Marshall and Hous-
ton. With these roads completed, and
tapping, as they would, every portion
of the rich empire they penetrate, it is
not difficult to demonstrate that the
business that will grow with the future
developments Of such country cannot
fail to support, with profit the three
roads as commercial highways into
New Orleans, and without inficting in
| jury upon the Others"
The report is quite voluminous in de-
| tails, and will be printed in phamphlet
form with accompanying maps.