The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1883-02-28
THE NARROW GAUGE.

"the Kings Enemies" Intsrfere-Th
sIsnors o: the Donation Notes Exten
the Time.
The meeting called for in the HERAL
Came 10 order and Captain Veal, presiden
of the boar |, moved the appointment G
Oeptain S. ]. Adams as chairman with MI
Tiom ,s Glover as secretary, which motio
WAS carried. The chairman then intro
duced Governor Il. b. Hubbard, attorne!
anu agent of the road, who addressed
large, attentive and interested audience OF
the subject Of his ission, Substantially a
follows
Fellow Citizens OF Dallas
The Texas d ST. Louis railway company
ip August, 1885, for and in consideration .
die ifce right-of.way from the eastern O
northeastern boundary OF Dallas county, I,
and within the corporate limits ofthe city Of
Dallas 10 depot grounds to be selected mu
tuauy Dy the company and the donations
and IN further consideration of not les.
thar three acres for depot, t.
be donated TO said company free
Of cost, and the sum o. $4,000, a,
evidenced by contract of guaranty be-
tween certain liberal citizens of this city
and said company, agreed to complete a
branch line of their road from Mount
Pleasant, on the man line, to the city OF
Dallas by the LIST Of August, 1883.
The said contract was duly accepted and
ratified by the Texas d 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 a few miles of Sulphur springs, the
piling for bridges all driven ana the cross
ties mostly cut and prepared. Meantime
work was being pushed In Arkansas and
between Waco aud Gatesyille. 1t was the
misfortune OF the railroad company to
contend all the winter of 1881 and the
spring of 1882 with the most destructive and
UNPRECEDENTED floods, which had occurred
Tor over quarter of u century in
our sister state Of Arkansas. At
umes miles of newly constructed
grades were covered with water or
washed away, and all bridge contractors
compelled TO forfeit their contracts, or have
their time extended, which the company
in equity and all good conscience felt II
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.
pNophu' ohly So out tne company
IN the prospective commercial war AMI
competition between the St. Louis Narrow
Guage system and other railways
"a war not OF their seeking,
and OF course, greatly against their
intcrcst-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
and wealthy system of broad guage railways
represented by the Iron Mountain \
road. The Texas Il st. Louis were com.
PEELED to pay local rates for all ireights
intended Tor st. Louis or delivered to this
system at Texarkana. The result in
word, was that we found under this
practical declaration of war;" that we had
about 700 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 IL St. |
Louis railway really great interstate sys.
tenn, insuring healthy competition and
correspondingly lower rates of transporta
ton.
TO remedy this trouble, 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
plletlon OF the line in Arkansas and
Missouri, thus making as con-
tinuous through line from St. Louis
and Chicago, with our connec-
tons, to Gainesville, Texas, Isl miles from
Cairo on the Ohio.
Had all our branch lines been completed
on time, or our western extension com
pletcd to Laredo, with this link missing
in the chain, we could have offered no
or favors to Texas, and would
have been mere feeders TO hostile systems,
whom you would have found to your inter.
est TO pattonize, rather than an unfinished
and broken and disjointed line. Again, in
pursuance OF this determination, |
am happy to annonoe to you and to the
people OF Texas, that by the middle of
March or the first of April, the Texas and
81. Louis railway will be completed, as a
through line from Cairo on the Ohio river
J, Gatesyille Texas, 754 miles.
y 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 & Rio Grande narrow-gsuge railway,
nearly 1000 miles long, will be solved
in favor of the narrow-gauges; that
they have the capacity to do all the bust
ness offered at reasonable rates, and with
rand transits over long lines.
Until now, oruntil few weeks or months
from now, this city would have, as before
intlmated, no use for us, nor could we prof.
itaby have accepted your business
We caunot get to Dallas by the LIST Of
August OF this year, therefore, because of
events unforeseen, the ''aCt of God" and the
"li,g's enemies both having impeded our
way-of course, | make the last allu.
sion in Pickwickian sense and in
pleasantly; but 1t has been an opposition
nevertheless, which while friendly at the
banquet or in the club, is an open and pow
erlul adversary in the field of commercial
conflict.
wen now, the great rivers, the Red
White and Arkansas and the ST. Francis
all the above we crossare swollen by floods,
aud we are confronted by new troubles. Yet
we will be through in month or six weeks
We started to come to Dallas and never
have intimated otherwise. We use II,
tht ats, and have too much respect for botl
your courage and intelligence to suppos,
that You would allow us to approach
your city with the whip and thu
spur. All we ask is an extension o
eight months, Aud yet say to you as tn
general sol citor and agent OF my company
and by their authority, that W
most confidently intend and OK
pect 10 get to Dallas earl,
in the fall Of 1883, Ills to our interest 4
do SO, and certainly We would net deceiv
you, for the small favor VIII CHI you ofler u;
We expect you to grant the extension, an,
to make good the amount originally prom
isod by your generous people.
In conclusion, think we will he the frs
to offer you independent competitions =
the great trade centers Of the West.
think recent events in railroad circle
suatuin this nrpCiction | think that II,