The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1885-08-22
TIE U;AIHiVA RIVER MAILS.
New Orleans States

partmplt suspending the river mail
service by line of steamers ON the
| Ouatiita river has caused fnsilrrabte
feeling among the peopis along the
liue Of that route, aud has given much
| dissatisfaction to the merchants of this
city, to say nothing of the hardship
imposed upon the Steamboat interests
by the withdrawal of this profitable
| business and transferring il to a land
service.
The transmission of the mills from,
| this city to the Ouacsita country by
| land is not wise nor advisable; az the
| land route is always mN,r or less pre-
cariors and Irregular, made so by the
annual over flows of The different rivers
and the numbcrOuS haynuS, creeks,
small lakes and lasoons tia, abound in
| that section of the country from Troy
to Monroe and Ouachita City, COM
pl"tcly suspenuing all land travel for
| weeks and months III every year.
1t has frequently occurred that large
quantities of mail matter destined for
| the Ouchita country has accumulated
at the p,'1toflice in this city when there
was no river mail service for its distri-
button. Naturally enough this gave
good cause for the planters to complain.
In order to accommodate those peO pie
tho Blanks line Of steamers consented
to and did receive the mails and dis
! tributcu them, Tree Of charge, along
the line Of thCir route. The river mail
| service WAS Indispensable to both the
planting intrrCi'' Of the country and
| the mercantile interests Of the city, so
much SO that even at this time when
| the mails are transmitted by land, this
line of steamboats, is carrying a portion
of them because they can be distributed
| in no other way.
The geography of the country from
the town of Troy, at the mouth of the
| Ouachita river, to Harrisonburg,
| Columbia, Monroe, Trenton and
Ouachita City is such as to preclude the
possibility of a regular and uninter-
| rupted land ser vice Of the mails to those
! various points which are so located AS
TO be subject to annual inundations.
1t is apparent, then, that a large SOC
! tion OF North Louisiana bordering on
and contiguous to the Ouachita river
can have the mails supplied regularly
and properly only by river service.
The people there require it and the
rcasonableness Of their demands war
rants Il proper consideration by the
Government, and the granting of which
would be the most acceptable boon the
| Post Office Department could confer
upon the people Of that Part Of Louis
ana.
The Blanks line of steamboats, has
been carrying the u. S. mails for &
number of years with great prompt
ness, regularity and dispatch, giving
general satisfaction to all parties inter
csted, from New Orleans to Monroe
riu, Troy, Harrisonburg, Columbia
and Logtown. There arc no railroads
along this line Of waterway, and nc
carly prospect of any being constructed
because of the threatening dangers
from ovcrtlows. Hence the necessity
of restoring tho river mail service as
indispensable to the interests, convent
cncc and welfare Of the people Of tho
Ouachita Valley.
In CSpOuSing the cause Of Il river mai
service for that section of the State
which can not be efficiently supplied
by any other means Of transportation
it is not our intention to diSparagc tho
railroad interest in any manner. We
believe that upon routes where Tho
people can best be served with thCi,
mails with the most certainty and
regularity and whore they prefer il by
a river service they should be accom-
modatcd by the Government. The vast
Number Of postofiiccs in this state, bc
yond the reach of steamboats,, give tho
railroads the bulk of the mail contracts
without any competition. Where steam
boats then have the natural advantages
MS they do in tho OuaChita, the Rcd and
thc valley of tie Mississippi river
country, ii stands to rcas m thci: claims
should be considered, As in doing 50
tho public likewise will be benefited