The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1883-03-01
NARROW GAUGE.

! NV " ~ lNl'' " wa ' '''F
0pystn,f Hubbard Addresses our Uiiiffn'
and Explains the Causes why hia Nhr'
row Gauge Buad Cannot Heath mere
nest August-"iho Act Of Ood - nnd
cine ISings Enemies" Interfere -lh'
signors ~ the Donation Notes LN''hh
tho Time.
The meeting called for in the HERALD
came TO order and Captain Veal, president
of the board, moved the appointment OF
Oiptnin S. j. Adams as chairman WIN MI
Higmas Clover as secretary, which mOtlon
wus carried. The chairman then intro
duced Governor X. b. Hubbard, attorney
and agent of the road, who addressed
Large, attentive and interested audience on
the subject Of his mission, substantially as
follows:
Fellow Citizens Of Dallas
The Texas a. st. Louis railway company
in August, 1881, for and in consideration oi
HE free righr-oi-way from the eastern or
northeastern boundary of Dallas county, TO
and within the corporate limits the city OF
Dallas to depot grounds TO be selected mu.
tuaiiy by the. company ana the Gonatl0hs,
and in further consideration Of not less
thar three acres for depot, 10
be donated 10 said company free
of cost, and the sum o $4,000, as
evidenced by contract of guaranty be.
tween certain liberal citizens OF this city
and said company, agreed TO complete
branch line of their road from Mount
Pleasant, on the man line, to the city OF
Dallas by the lst Of August, 1888.
The said contract was duly accepted aud
ratified by the Texas u st. Louis railway
company
In good faith and in pursuance of aid
contract the entire line was surveyed from
Mount Pleasant to Dallas, and construction
commenced at the eastern end OF the line.
About forty miles ofthe line was graded to
within few miles of Sulphur springs, the
piliug for bridges all driven and the cross
ties mostly cut and prepared. Meantime
work was being pushed in Arkansas and
between Waco and Gatesyllle. 1t was the
misfortune OF the railroad company 10
contend all the winter OF 1881 ana the
spring Of 1882 with the most destructive and
unprecedented floods, which had occurred
for over quarter OF century, IN
| our sister state of Arkansas. At
| Ii mes miles of newly constructed
grades were covered with water or
washed away, and all bridge contractors
com PEELED TO forfeit their contracts, or have
their time extended, which the company
in equity aud all good conscience lelt 1t
their duty to extend.
Not only was time thus consumed and
work suspended, but losses OF thousands OF
dollars incurred in the loss OF this property.
Second.-Not only so; but the company
In the prospective commercial war and
competition between the st. Louis Narrow
Guage system and other railways
"a war not of their seeking,
and of course, greatly against their
interest-had to submit TO an embargo on
their through business from Texas to ST.
Louis at the border line of Arkansas and
and Texas, imposed on them by the great
Il Of
represented by the Iron Mountain
rod. The Texas & st. Louis were com
PEELED to pay local rates for all freights
intended for ST. Louis or delivered To this
system at TexaIkana. The result, in "a
word, was that we found under this
practical declaration OF war; that we had
about 800 miles OF complete railway already
in Texas, more than we had any use for,
and that we were completely shut out from
trade with st. Louis, whose liberal and far
seeing business men first put their shout.
ders to the wheel to make the Texas d st.
Louis railway really great Interstate sys-
tenn, insuriug healthy competition and n
spondingly lower rates OF transporta-
ton.
To remedy this trouble, a calamity to US
at the time, it was determined to stop all
work in Texas on main or branch lines and
concentrate the whole strength and means
of the company towards the rapid com
Missouri, thus making as a con.
tinuous through line from st. Louis
aud Chicago, with our connec.
tons, to Gatesville, Texas, 75l miles from
Cairo on the Ohio.
Had all our branch lines been completed
on time, or our western extension com
pleted to Laredo, with this link missing
ir the chain, we could have offered no
competition or l.2gIs 60 Texas, and would
have been mere .GeicrA 70 hostile systems,
whom you would have found 20 your inter
st 10 patronize, "a. lfsr thar au liniinisllel.
I'D broken and disiMnted line. Agairh<
8siz-sflaJ1ce A. h,s 49, ''''1 - e IA, a
am happy 10 anuonC5 TO you and to the
people OF Texas, that BY tue middle Of
March or the first Of april the Texas and
OF. Louis railway Giil be c1mpleted as d
through line from Cairo on the Ohio river
70 Gatesville, Texas, 75i miles.
1t will then be open to bushes and enter
upon the solution of the problem
whether long line Of narrow-gauge rail-
WY can successfully compete with the
broad-gauge system?
The problem (already solved by the Den
yer g. Rio Grande narrow-gauge railway,
nearly 1000 miles longj will be solved
In favor of the narrow gauges that
they have the capacity 10 do all the BUSH
ness offered at reasonable rates, and with
rapid transits over long lines.
Until now, or until few weeks or months
from now, this city would have, as before
intlmated, no use lorus, nor could we prof.
itably have accepted your business.
We caunot get TO Dallss by the LIST o.
August vi this year, Therefore, because Ol
events unforeseen, the ''act OF God" and the
kings enemies, /" both having impeded our
way-of course, i make the last allu.
sion in Pickwickian sense and in
pleasantly; but it has been an opposition
nevertheless, which while friendly at the
kup at mr. N h. ~ IN a
orfui adversary ia the field Of commercial
conflict.
Even now, the great rivera, the Red,
White and Arkansas, and the. st. Francis,
all the above we cross, ARE swollen by Hoods,
and we are confronted by new troubles Vt
we will be through In a month or six weei $. |
We started 10 come TO Dallas and never |
have intima.ed otherwise. We use no
threats, and have too much respect for both /
your courage and intelligence to suppose 1
that you would allow us 10 approach /
your city with the whip and The
spur. All we ask is an extension OF
eight months. Aud yet ] say 10 you as IN
general sol oitor and agent OF my company,
and by their authority, that we
most confidently intend and eK-
pect 10 get 10 Dallas early
ia The fan Of ISIS. IL is 10 our interest 70
do so, and certainly We would not deceive
you. for the small favor which you oiisr us.
We expect you 10 grant the extension. sad
10 make good the amount originally prom
ised By your generous people.
In conclusion, think we viii be tie first
to offer you independent competltiOa %
he great trade centers Of the West. \
think recent events in railroad circles,
sustain this prediction. think that the
great broad gunge systems, represented hy
Huntington and Gould respectively, will
Dot cur each others throat 20 crafty The
ambition for suprt macl or conquest, TIE
me ever the other They are powerful