The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1881-08-04
A Road to the Wheat Belt.
New Orleans Times.

New Orleans Times
The report mentioned in Yesterday
Times that the Great jackson Railroad
Company was proposing 70 build branch
from Jackson, Miss, to YazoO City, IN the
same state, Is an important item of news III
itself 1t contains in addition q promise Oi
greater events which can be realized with
little comparative outlay OF money, and ia
a short period Of time since the work neces-
sary to insure the desired result l. for the
most part already finished. II the views
herein expressed have not already been
taken by the railroad company, they are
now offered by way of suggestion, aud they
are 10 the effect that the proposed line from
jackson To 1azOo City BE- extended IN d
straight line Northwestward, oy way oi
Greenvilie, on the Mississippi River, u q
point opposite Arkansas City at the mouth
OF the Arkansas River. There connections
Will be made with the Pine Bluf road 10
Little Rock, and thence BY the Fort Smith
road to Van Buren, on the western line Of
Arkansas, whence it j. but little way by
several railroads to the heart OF Kansas the
great wheat country of the middle belt OF
the West
The gap from Jackson to Arkansas City
by way OF aZoo City and GIreenville can
not be more than l20 miles at the utmost
and II there are gaps to be covered by rail
beyond the northwestern terminus of the
Fort smith and Little Rock Railway. they
are inconzIderAbie aud are constantly grow
ing narrower. This line when completed
would command an excellent local business,
for II would drain one Of the richest cotton
districts III Mississippi, while in Arkansas
1t passes through the fertile and thickly
settled region of the Arkansas Valley. 1t
would nave extraordinary opportunities Tor
local freight aud passenger business but
IF
would be that it would give the shortest
possible all-rail route from the heart OF the
wheat region to a great seaport.
From Newton, w ichita, Emp0ra or any
OF the railway centers OF Middle Kansas,
from which the wheat is mostly shipped to
Chicago, 1t Is just as near to New Orleans a.
10 Chicago. With such an all-rail route
the wheat from this region world come dl-
rect to New Orleans for export just as it
now goes to Chicago and thence Il thousand
miles further To Atlantic ports. 1t could be
brought here without change of cars, and
loaded directly on q sea-gOing vessel for the
same freight charges now required u ship II
to Chicago and dump it into an elevator or
warehouse This traffic would make New
Orleans wheat market instead Of a mere
point Of transit, which would also be an inn
portant consideration.
What has been said above can not be con
strued to initiate against the grain barge
business on the river. That is a branch of
commerce which must constantly increase
and which no opposition can break down.
The country which this proposed railway
would reach is a long way from the Missis-
sippl River, and is tributary to Chicago
rather than TO any river town. 1t isa coun-
try whose great resources are yet only in
the infancy Of Development. and the day
viii come when its teeming Larvests and
busy population will demand other and
more extensive facilities for getting to mar
ket, 50 that rail and river viii both have all
the work they can do.
1t may be interesting in this connection
to present few comparative figures as to
relative transportation values of cotton and
wheat. Allowing carload to be 40 bales
cotton, weighing $4,000 pounds, or 300
bushels wheat. weighing rs much if we es-
innate bale Of cotton n twenty bushels of
wheat as the product OF the aVeTaGe acre of
land where these articles are respectively
cultivated, it will be seen that it will re
quire forty acres of cotton to load a car,
while the product of fifteen acres Of wheat
land will do q much Thus itappears,that
a given area OF whea4 land will load two
and two-thirds many railroad GERS as the
same area in cotton, showing the capabii~
ties for railway traffic of the country which
we have assumed to be the objective point
of the railroad line suggested. Under any
favorable succession OF circumstances it
would seem thai there Is almost III sight
now freight business to make sgch branch
of the Jackson road when completed Is
above indicated, the main trunk, while the
Chicago line with its great business might
come by comparison to be a mere feeder.
The possibilities are certainly enormous.