Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1886-04-16
Improvement Of the ", s. & D.
Railroad.
Editor Commercial Herald;

W. Il D ~
Railroad.
Editor Commercial Herald;
Since the completion Of the v. $. g.
p. railroad, from Vlcksburg 70 Shreve.
port, in August, 1884, IL has long been
predicted that IL would some day be
the principal line over which the i'm.
mense emigration would 20, settling
up the rich and productive portion Of
Northern Texas. For the purpose Of
being able to handle the immense
business which was bound to come to
it. the Queen & Crescent completed in
last October their splendid transfer,
which began on the 28th day of that
month, and has proved a great con-
venience to the travelling public, and
enabled the road to handle, in un-
broken car loads, freight from all the
Northern and Eastern States and
Texas. There was, however,
another very serious obstacle in
the way of operating the road prof,
itably. The country for over seventy
miles has; for years, been subject to
overflow and for four TO six months the
running of trains were entirely sus-
pended, working great inconvenience
to the travelling public and great loss
to the company, ont the progressive
Queen Il Crescent seemed determined
to overcome all obstacles, and on the
LIST day of December, 1884, the first
section of contract was let to Messrs.
Bullentine & Rogers to raise the road
bed above the high water mark Of
1882. From Kings station to Ray
vile, a distance of fourteen miles,
embraces what is known as the Crew
Lake swamp, and is considered the
most treacherous portions of the road.
Here the road-bed has been raised from
four to twelve feet. The second section
was let IN May last to the same parties,
from Riyville to De hi, a distance OF
sixteen miles, and the third has been
recently let to the same contractors,
from Delhi to Lum's, embracing what
is known as the Canal Bayou swamp,
which is being pushed vigorously for
ward. Here the road will be raised
from four to ten feet, putting it above
the high water mark Of 1882 The
survey and first work was done under
that tx client gentleman, Capt. F. Y.
Ddbney chief engineer and superin-
tendenr, who also re'surveyed the old
line and built the ninety-seven miles
between Monroe ard Shreveport, who
by reducing the estimate from twenty
five to thirty per cent, placed himself
at the head Of the list of locating
engineers now engaged in this
profession. All the subsequent
work has been done under that
efficient gentlemen, Major M. S. Belk-
nap, superintendent OF the V. & M.
also. Lately that gentleman contract
ed with Messrs. German e. Lewis, of
this city, to place several thousand
cubic yards Of dirt on the work, which
was done on Crew Lake swamp over a
year ago, but on account of the hard
winter and the great number OF trains
which were passed over it last season
in doing the traffic of the road had
caused it to slough off. They are now
engaged IN sodding The road bed from
Delhi to Kings, in all places which re-
q1ire it, with Bermuda sod, which will
enable the banks to stand as severe
pressure as our strongest levees. When
the work which is now being done is
completed, it will take, with the levees
in good repair, higher water than 1882
to interfere with the business of the
road. In fact, Your correspondent
feels safe to say farewell to overflow
and its inconvenience and injurious
Effects. The road is now equipped
with t~wenty-three good engines, four
OF them being of The large Mogul
make, and excellent passenger, baggage
ana InaIl cars. and d superb parlor car,
which runs trOm Meridian 10 Shreye-
port, a distance OF 3l5 miles, and we
are Informed that superintendent
Belknap will, as o o as the Cincinnati
Southern is changed to a standard
gauge, have one OF the elegant Mann
Cars running from Cincinnati to Dal.
las, Texas, ii distance of 1925 miles,
without change. Your correspondent
feels warranted in saying with that en-
ergetic gentleman at its head, the ",
5. " L. is designed to become the trans.
continental of the South.
TRAVELLER.