The Forrest City times., 1897-08-13
done in the way of constructing other lines under the provisions of
 The Bush BfII

lines under the provisions of
 The Bush Bill,
 measure which provides for railroad building by convict labor. The provis- ions of this law are SO inviting to con struction companies that capitalists are crowding around the state board to be first to avail themselves of the oppor- tunity to take advantage of it. And while the measure is tempting to con struction companies, the states inter ests are amply guarded. It is, there fore, understood that the state board, in whom is vested the power to locate and establish roads and let contracts for their building, have the pick of the field, as it were, in the selection of con- struction companies to build roads. In recent interview Gov. Jones, who is member of the state board, gave the public an idea of the manner in which capitalists view the scheme. He said:
 Two bankers, one of Little Rock and the other Of another city, have already called op me and assured me that they can finance the scheme. One of them said he would rather have the bonds of such a road than United States bonds, and offered to advance SEQ 900 to arrange the preliminaries. I am positively ad- vised that gentlemen are now ready to raise the money on the bonds of any line the board determines to build"
 This means that one line of road al least will be built under the Bush act and the building of it is question of time only. At meeting of the citizens of Marion county, held recently, the committee which was appointed to draft a proposal to the projectors of the Mis- souri, Arkansas ana Southern Railroad company, who propose building a line of road from point on the Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf eastward through Benton, Carroll, Boone and Marion counties to Yellville, the county seat of Marion county, recommended the donation of 10000 acres of deeded land, together with right of way through the county to Melville, with depot grounds and terminal facilities. A committee was appointed by the meeting to confer with members of the state board for the purpose of obtaining their legal sane tion to the scheme. Sufficient prospect ing has been done along this route to warrant the statement that it is rich in minerals, and as fruit and grain pro- ducing country it stands unrivaled. Meantime, the construction of rail roads, not included in the list of lines to be built under the provisions of the Bush law, is progressing in many parts of the state.
 Dirt Was Broken Month Ago
 on the Jonesboro. Lake City and East ern road, new line pointing from Net tleton, in Craighead county, to Lake City, on the St. Francis river, a line which will place one of the best tim bered regions and farming sections of the state in connection with all the roads eonverging at the growing city of Jonesboro. It is expected this road will be completed in time to move the devel- oping cotton crop. Work has been re- sumed on the Arkansas Midland, an unfinished road extending from Helena on the Mississippi river, toward Little Rock, and known as the short line route from Little Rock to the Mississippi It lies through the famous cotton region and timber belt, and will be, when fin ished, valuable acquisition to the state capital Then there is the Lott road, with Hot Springs and Little Rock for terminals, with a possibility of reach ing westward through Montgomery and Pike counties to Mena, about 60 miles distant, on the Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf. The Lott road, which is graded from Benton to Hot Springs, with rails laid 12 miles, has been in the hands of receiver the past two years, waiting the fostering care of capital to complete and put 1t in operation. It now shows visible symptoms of reviv- ing and receiving the finishing touches Another incomplete line in southern Arkansas, known as the Southwest Ar kansas and Indian Territory railroad, running from "A
 smithton to Pike City.
 has been surveyed to Sunnyside, on the Mississippi, via Fordyce and Warren, which, when finished, will form a con tinuous line from Pike City, in Pike county, running in southeasterly di- rection almost across the south side of the state, traversing a portion of the yellow pine timber region and cotton producing districts. Fifty miles of new roadbed will close the gap between Warren and Smithton. Work is pro- gressing on other roads in the southern and southeastern parts of the state, be- sides extension of lumber mill roads into logging camps is being pushed in the lumber regions. One of these short lines, extending from Noble Lake, Jef- ferson county, is being constructed by convicts. It is four mile line running to a shingle mill owned by E. P. Laid The grading is being done by 100 con- victs under a contract with the peniten- tiary board. Many of these lumber roads connect with trunk lines and large number of them will eventually reach across the country to other roads or to points on the Mississippi river to facilitate the transportation of mill products and other freight to the mar lSets of the world. Never in the history of Arkansas was the sentiment favora- ble to railroad building so general or so intense as now. It has, in fact, at- tained the point of unanimous enthus-