St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1892-07-16
NEW RAILROAD OUTLETS
WANTED.

NEW RAILROAD OUTLETX
WANTED.
When the coastrurtion III tase
railroad from New Orleans to jack
son. Miss. (now . part OF the lii
nois CENTRALLY, was under con-
sideration, over forty years ago., =
leading professor Of this city stag
gested that it he built diredtly
across lake lHontchartrain to . point
west Of the mouth Of the Tcl,efuns:ta
| river. i:
He was riditnled by the practical
men and sneered at by those whc
had an, knowledge Of railroadihg.
But time has INDICATED his jUig-
ment, and It can be demonstrated
that no matter in how expensive a
manner the trestle work might lave
been constructed. an enormous :up,
Of money would have been saved bv
the railroad company. -
but other counsel prevailed bn,i
the road was built through the
swamps along the edge Ut lake
Pontchartrain, and over fiOaling
prairies. From the necessities VI
the case . trestle was built through
these swamps. though Of no great
height. and this WAS afterwards iili.
ed with gravel, forming . pretty
solid rOadbed after it had heen
settled.
But the foods came and the Rad.
he'd operated as vast dixie. banked
up the waters and suspended traffic.
Steps were At once taken; to
improve the situation in preliara-
ton for the next crevasse, but xllen
the waters descended again there
was the same result. To-day the
road is SO deeply covered with: the
waters Of the Mississippi that all
traffic IL cut of, and trains hate to
run by way Of the Northsssterr.
1t need scarcely be stated .that
every days stoppage u traffic over
an immense trunk like this involves
enormous loss, and as the busEless
Of the road expands the losses; will
augment. Tie question then arises.
will not the great corporation c1me
back to Prot. Fontaine's original
idea and solve the problem for sll
time by crossing lake Potclartiaiu.
Since its purchase Of the MissiSsip-
pi Valley road 1t has still greater
interest in having an outlet from
New OrleaLs to the high lands. alb
solutely safe against overflow.
There is at hand . Temporary
measure for . time Of need that |
would cost but little. The compile
ton Of the East Louisiana RAILROAD
from Covington to Poncl,atouls aud
thence to BATON Rouge would af-
ford an outlet for trains on both the
Illinois Central and the Mississippi
Valley BY way Of the bridge Of. the
road acrOss lake l'Ont-
With that piece Of road built,
these two companies need never
suspend traffic for a single day on
account Of any crevasse.
HUT the vast business Of these rail-
way companies would justify rot
,nly the construction Of this line
rom COvlngton to BATON Rouge,
,ut the erection Of another ttessle
'crOss late Pontchartain. on the
rest side, giving at al times the
certainty Of an outlet, should the
Northeastern bridge be destroyed
y injured by fire or other cause
tew Delta.
The suggestions contained ia the
hove article are timely and to the
'osnt. In fact the manasers u the
Illinois Central discovered years
so that they had made a grave
aistake by not coming this way,
instead Of through the swamps. I
nd it has been q dear experience .
D them. 1t is never too late to
.arn. however. and they may jet
iscover the fact that the only short.
afe and direct route from New Z
)Yleans to the North Is via Cqving- I
N, and it would not take long to
uild tap road from here To- tlseir
lain line, ut POntchatoula. They :
ould then be Independent Of sover- t
ows, crevasses, and other a,,,n.,al {
isturbers VI traffic and travel
A PECULIAR CASE: :
Nan HOLlps A ChlLD As A PsEls.E
EOR Board BILL. I