The New Orleans daily Democrat., 1880-04-17
THE NEW ORLEANS PACIFIC.
A Speedy Connection with the Tex as
Pacific Promised.
Jay Gould and Tom SCOTT to Complete the
Road Within Two Years.

Ine auHouucemeuG OIL gne signing OF con-
tract by those great railroad builders and
manipulators, Jay Gould and Thomas A.
Scott. to complete the New Orleans Pacific
Railway before the first of January, 1882, has
created considerably more than ripple OF ex-
element In business circles of this city within
the last day or two, and at once brings this
important enterprise Into prominence. In
September, 1878, q construction company was
| formed for the purpose OF building this road,
and contract was entered into with them for
Its entire construction within two years. The
work was In active progress at the commence
ment Of the year 1879, and continued so until
the following summer, when the construc-
ticn company suspended work until the
first Of October, with the consent Of the
company, but has not resumed operations
since that time During this period, and
previously, exhaustive surveys were made,
resulting In final location and establish
ment Of the line to Shreveport, La, and
Marshall, Texas, while more than two mil.
lions and half cubic Yards Of graded road
have been CONSTRUCTED, including some par
TALLY graded work acquired by purchase
from the Louisiana Central Stem" and Red
river companies, making approximately q
continuous line OF grading of some one hun
dred and sixty miles, extending from near
the terminus Of the New Orleans and Texas
Railroad, at Bayou Goula on the west bank
of the Mississippi river, to within about sew
enty-five miles OF the city Of Shreveport. In
the opinion Of the chief engineer of the road
all this work performed by the New Orleans
Pacific Railway Company is upon the only
practicable route for railroad from or
near Baton Rouge to Shreveport. The Lou
istana Central Stem Of the Pacific, above
referred to, was chartered In Louisiana in
1856, and has sometimes been called "LouIsi-
ana Central" and som etimes the "Boyce
road Under this charter less than twenty
miles OF grading was done, and In accordance
with contract with the owners of this fran
chise the New Orleans Pacific Company have,
as already stated, located their line over the
same route selected by the Boyce Company,
and completed the imperfect grading that they
found on said route. In his recent statement
In behalf Of the claims of the New Orleans
Pacific Railway Company to the land grant
prayed for in their pending bill, made before
the House Committee on Pacific Railroads.
Mr.. E. b. Wheelock, president of the COM
pany, remarked that this enterprise, propos-
ing to supply the connecting link between the
great city of the Mississippi valley and the
States In contact with Louisiana west thereof,
indirectly reaching up to Missouri, Kansas,
Nebraska and Colorado, has claims to consid-
Grafton. not only because 1t proposes ends of
great Importance and magnitude, but be-
cause the energy, capacity and honesty of Its
management have found expression In prac-
tical. actual construction OF their line In such
measure as to give adequate assurance of
their ultimate success. The corporation. he
said, was in the hands of the substantial
moneyed men OF Louisiana, whose interests
are vitality affected by this work, and whose
surroundings and relations to the commerce
and people OF Louisiana all conspire to
make them earnest and honest In the execu-
ton OF their trust, and the prosecution to
success and completion of this important
line OF transit AS evidence of the standing
OF the company and the general interest
felt In their behalf, he submitted to the
committee memorial presented to Congress
and signed by the president OF every bank
Ing institution, insurance company, railroad
ana street railway company, mayor and
common council, cotton exchange and cham