Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1880-12-14

miles nearer BY way of Helena than to
Memphis. You leave the Midland
road, west of White river in the
hands of its present owners, with no
inducement to give your west side of
river route any trade, because Of the
So miles extra distance. Look at the
section Of the country on east and
west side OF the river, and see where
the trade now goes to: AT Wits
burg you have the st. Francis river as
a competitor to your road. BY the
way of this river, this trade is already
largely tributary to your city. From
Wittsburg to Brinkley, you have the
Memphis & Little Rock road com
psting for the same business, From
Brinkley to Aberdeen, the Memphis
& Little Rock and Arkansas Midland
will be competitors against you. On
the Glendale route you run through a
splendid section of country, opening
up and developing as fine lands as any
in the world; while it is true nearly
all of DeSotOand Tunica county trades
with your city, yet there is 100000 of
trade a year goes to Helena from the
lower part Of Tunica and the section of
country tributary to the Mobile road.
While Helena may be benefited by
the east side and Midland route, how
much less will she be by the west side
route. Is it not certain that what
Helena gains by the east side route,
from the west she will lose and Mem
phis gain in the Yazoo valley. Put
Memphis with ten times the popula
ton and twenty times the capital that
Helena has in from two to five hours
time of Tunica, Coahoma, ITALIA
havchie ard lie Flore counties, is it
not certain that the trade will go to
your city, With 80 miles more Of
our road completed to Minter City, on
the Tallaha.chie river, which place is
10 miles from Honey Island, 220
miles from Yazoo City, 3l5 miles from
Vicksburg. 720 miles from New Or
leans and 720 by water from Memphis,
is it not fair to presume that the trade
from a large portion of the section
tributary to the T~allahatchie and
Yazoo rivers, would go to Memphis il
there was railroad communication.
The T~allahatchie river is navigable
l27 miles north from Minter City;
some 70 miles of this distance has
been very little improved, but from
Honey Island, 10 miles south and ~
miles north of Minter City, there are
about 1870 landings. A road some 20
miles in length, (15 miles from Talla-
hatchie river,) running southwest
would tap Big SunfOwer, putting at
least one half of the Yazoo valley at
your very doors.
Phe road to Texas may be a good
thing for Memphis by either route, but
a road by way Yazoo Valley route
will be sure and certain, as you have
no rival via the Valley route, you will
not have the other for the Arkansas
and Texas trade, and it gives you the
YezOo Valley trade certain.
The Mobile & Northwestern is q
narrow gauge, being three feet wide.
and | am satisfied that the Memphis
end, and the road from Clarksdale can
be built for a half million Of dollars,
and that the bonds will be good for
their interest aud principal. Last
year there was over 100000 bales Of
cotton shipped through the mouth Of
Yazoo river, representing fully five
million Of dollars, nearly if not all OF
which went to New Orleans. l doubt
very much if Memphis received five
per cent. Of the amount in trade from
that section Of country,
THOs. I. A. LYON,
Pres't NJ. & N. r. r.