The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-11-26
Observation-Disclosures
FIVE THOUSAND PERSONS SET.
TIED ON 10000
OF the 100000 Acres OF Land Be.
longing 20 the Louisville, New
Orleans and Texas Road.


The Louisville, New Orleans and
Texas railroad is one of the sc i've and
potent agencies thar have contlibu ed
and are contributing 10 tie develop
ment OF Memphis Every day it
spreads cut lis iron arms aud brings
new sou ces OF profit aud new avenu 80
of trade within easy reach Ct the en-.
teIpiise Of cur merchants, and along
the line OF It's main road towns are
rising up as II touched by en- en-
chantei's wand, virgin forests are con-
vented into tillsbls soil, ard Shiny
swsmps transformed into fields OF
smiling & cen, rich with vegetation, or
white with The hetcy pre- duct that
constitutes so large a portion Of the
productive wealth OF this nation.
This is no fancy picture, the child OF
an imagination expanding under
the genial Influences OF turkey
and dressing" and other Thankg-
giving dinner Ingredients, but hald,
cold fIoz9p facts, as GER ain az fate and
az irreiu'able ss figures. The growth
of the Louisville, New Orleans and
Texas Railroad, otherwise known as
the Mississippi Valley, has been phe-
nominal, and sbundantly juttifies the
ssgacity and foresight of its prom OF RS
and builders, MeFsls. r. P. Wilson
and @ P Huntington. A eight ret
respective glance at silent facts in it's
history may not be without interest to
cur Jeaders. In May, 1882, MIR, Will
son went over the proposed route; in
June OF the fame year the surveys
were begun; in S ptember, 1882, con-
ttruction was commenced, and in
September, 1884, the main line from
Memphis 10 New Oileans vas com
pleted. The fret complete schedule
was put in operation Oct. IL, 1884.
The territory trave eed by the
new road was throughout half its
length practically an uUexplor' d re-
Rion ard in some places an unhrc ken
wilderness. From Memphis TO Vicks-
burg there were but six points that
rose to tie dignity OF villages: Clsrks-
dale, StoneviIle, AIcols, Mckinney
vile (now Anguilla), end Rolling
Fork. Today there are thirty two sta
tions between here and ViCksburg,
twenty OF them thriving villages, one.
third OF them with populations in ex.
cess OF 100 AID one with $50 inbabit.
ants. The development of the lands
adjacent to the read, but ssp arAted
from it by distances of from i've to
ten mites, will be referred to hereafter.
We have now to do with matters con.
nected with the earlier history Of the
road. During the winter OF 1SS4-85
the schedule was necessarily slow,
owing TO the soft and yielding charac'
ter of the alluvial soil upon which a
great portion of it was built. 10 order
TO remedy this defect the road, for a
d stance of 200 milee, was bal
lasted with sand to depth
of from twelve inches to two feet.
In 1886 the work OF ballasting with
gravel was begun, and in order to
facilitate The work aud insure an
abundant supply of material, the COM
pany purchased a gravel it on the
Tallahatcnie river, in Pamela county,
Miss with capacity to ballast the en-
tire rosdbtd. During the last summer
sixty miles were ballasted in this way,
and it is purposed to extsnd the work
{ YER the entire liue. The main lii o ia
$50 mills in length and It's schedule ia
twenty. eight and one-half miles an
hour, which could easily be increased
to thirty miles bat for fr qusnt stop.
pages between here and ClaIksdale to
accommodate local traffic.
IN PROFITABLE FEEDERs
tie rosd is air ady we'll equipped. It
has a branch f'om Leland to Hamp-
on, forty miles IN length, and another
from Leland 10 Huntington, twenty.
two miles in length. l hes also lie sed
the Port Hudson end G linton road,
the latter being one of the Oldest roads
in the county and intersec,ing the
L uisville, New 0rleaus and Texas at
Ethel, twenty-fouI miles above Baton
Rouge. Prior to 1885
The EARNINGs OF THE COMPANY
were m relv nominal. IL 1856, up to
this time, its eMnings have txres ded
last years by $3.50, 900, and this amt unit
will he sweltd to 100000 Def re the
end OF the calendar year. During the
year 1885 it carried into New 0fleans
49,, 900 bales OF cotton, and this YEAR q
operations will exceed that figure,
notwithstanding thu large hole
knocked into New Otleans receipts
by Memphis competition. As a
measure OF the company's in
crease OF business, it may he stated
that in the season OF 18S4-lSS5,
out OF q total crop of &c. 90
bales raised in Washington county,
Mississ ppi, the company carried $4,000,
the ste amboats $4,000 baIes. Il 1885,
SO, :out of a total crop of $1,000 bales
of cotton in the same county, it car
red Al 900 bales, the steamboat l6, 900.
This year they have carried out Of
Greenville alone, up to this period, five
or six times the quantity handled by
them last season. Between
NEW ORLEANS AND BATON ROUGE
they do a heavy traffic in the
transp 7rtaion OF rice, sugar ard
molssses, aud the business be-
tween these points shows a steady
increase. At Huntington, Miss. the
company last year received 27,465
bales of cotton, this year the receipts
at the same point will sggrf gate l00,-
600 bales. At Vicksburg last year it
handled for carriage to the seabosrd
100000 bales, which amount will be
added to during the current
year. These facts were cleaned
from an interview had by
an APPEAL reporter yesterday with
Mr.. A. M. Cook, assistant general
manager OF the roa1. An interview
with Maj. G. w. McGinnis, land COM
m ssioner, resulted in the disclosure Of
INTERESTING AND SURPRISING FACTS,
tending to demonstrate that the popu-
lar idea OF the negro's thrift essness
and want Of frugality and improvi-
dencs is built npon fallacy. 1t may
not general y be known that concur.
rently with the purchase Of the
right Of way over the territory
1t now traverses the company pur-
ehaaed 7R0 000 acraa of What ara