The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1889-06-22
A Railroad from BOyce to
Monroe via Columbia.
Most Natural and Best Route to
Connect GOuld's Magnificent
System of Southern
Railways.


As Jay Gould, the great financial
king and railroad magnate, has
lately turned up as the controlling
factor in the long talked of railroad
through this region, it may now be
considered a certainty that this
road is to be built at an early day.
In view of this fact we think it
behooves our citizens to move in
the matter of attracting attention
to the advantages offered by Its
passing through this section.
In building railroads we take it
that common sense and business
advantages always prevail, and we
believe that road from Boyce to
Colfax, thence to Columbia, across
the Ouachita river and up its east
bank to Monroe, thence to the
Arkansas line via Bastrop, posses
ses many business advantages not
to be had on any other route. To
begin, at Boyce we find the end of
| the division, where all trains can
be made up with one set of hands.
Here the I. & P. already has its
round house, coal chutes, tanks,
| side tracks, division houses, and a
vast amount of rolling stock and
railroad material. We know there
| is some talk about the division be-
| ing moved to Alexandria, but i'm
agine it is talk only, and vain at
that. It does not stand to reason
that a great railroad company, hav-
ing an eye to business economy, is
going to deliberately throw away
the sixteen miles advantage they
have at Boyce in being able to pull
; double train to the very foot OF
the hills with a single locomotive,
> The company certainly does not
seriously contemplate making up
its trains at Alexandria, and thus
entailing the use of two locomo-
tives and two sets of hands ovel
the 16-mile stretch where they now
do away with the extra engine and
hands. Taking it for granted thai
Boyce will continue to be the END
. of the division, it follows that {
bridge should be built across Red
river at that point; and, if rocky
foundation is wanted, Desloche''
Bluff, three miles up the river
will fill the bill in every particular
Immediately upon crossing thu
river the road would enter the fit.
: square miles of alluvial soil il
Grant parish, body of land tina
has not its equal in the Red rivel
5 valley, high and dry, above al
overflow, and as level as floor
> The first Is or Is miles of the roat
in this parish could be laid at
: nominal cost, beside securing tn
il traffic of the Paramount, Colfay
Nantachie, Montgomery, Winfield
8. Ada, Black Greek, Iatt and othe
communities that would NATURAL,
!. go to the river should the road e
Re too far to the east of them. Tn
e section mentioned has six times q
much traffic as the region on al
g. air line from Alexandria to Colum
bia, and is capable of four times a
great development. Beside a lin
s. from Boyce to Columbia by tn
a. route designated would intercer
a. the bulk of the trade that the othe
: line would command. The Boyc
: route, from Colfax to point nea
the junction Of Bayous Castor an
q Dugdamona, would traverse ia
= Gould's immense purchase of pin
8 lands, consisting of 52,9l4 acres ]
4 Grant parish, and 2O,S60 acres j
Winn parish, and this item alon
we think Will be of considerable
;, weight in the eyes of its owne
e who is too shrewd a business ma