The Forrest City times., 1897-08-13

spring up almost in night, new centers of industry are formed in what were a few years ago considered uninhabitable portions of the country, forces of nature are being subdued, while railroads are working marvels in the way of opening new lands and changing the course of traffic. Two years ago all western ex- port business went via New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Baltimore, while now there is steady flow to southern seaports. Wheat for foreign markets is pouring into New Orleans and Galveston every day. Last year a firm of grain exporters at New Orleans, operating in connection with St. Louis dealers, placed 14,000.ooo bushels of grain on shipboard, while at Galveston the amount shipped was II ,O00,000. It Is estimated the shipments of Galveston this year will exceed 25, 900, 900 bushels North and south lines of railroads have diverted western grain to southern ports. The causes which have infiu- enced the building of railroads to the gulf may be defined as the operations of new laws of trade and changing con- ditions, but the secret or hidden cause which led to the construction of one new line which compels the building of others may be read in
 A Tale of Two Cities
 To any person who has kept tab on the rivalry between Kansas City and St. Louis to control Mexican and sea- port traffic the building of the Kansas City, PittsburQ and Gulf railroad was no surprise. For many years past both these cities have been reaching after southern and southwestern business, and now they are waging a contest for supremacy which intensifies as time goes by, and will eventuate in the con- struction of new railroads and exteu- sion of lines now in operation. Kansas City has what are designated Kansas City roads, that is to say, lines that are specially interested in building up the trade of that city, and the same may be said of St. Louis. While this is the case, there are railroads connecting both cities and traversing the west and southwest which are more interested in the amount of freight they carry than in the cities to which it is carried: in other words, simply looking after busi- ness and using every means to hold what trade they have and get more if possible. The Missouri Pacific is one of the neutral systems. It enters both Kansas City and St. Louis, with lines radiating south, west and southwest Long ago the management of this sys- tenn cast an eye over the field to every point of the compass beyond the termi- nals of trunk and branch lines, with view of extending them to meet antici- pated competition whenever it became necessary. It may be safely asserted that the opening of the new line from Kansas City to Port Arthur resulted in
 Breaking the Barriers
 which obstructed projected lines to the gulf and arousing all roads pointing that way to a consciousness of the necessity of pushing their lines to completion. The incorporation of the Little Rock, Springfield and Gulf road, the beref1 ,iary of the Smith land grant bill, whici will parallel the Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf from Spring field, Mo-, to Yell county, Arkansas, has caused the Missouri Pacific manage ment to discuss the question of building an alternative line, or extension rather, from Cushman northwest to Spring field, or rather Carthage, where it will tap one of its own trunk lines. This project has long been in contemplation. Cushman is located about l2 miles northwest of Batesville and is the ter minus of the Newport and Batesville sranch of the Iron Mountain road It crosses splendid region of table land traversed in every direction by creeks and rivers, all fed by springs at short intervals. with surface heavily tim bered with hard wood of various kinds, while everywhere along the route ex- ist rich deposits of minerals which will be brought to light as soon as the route is finished. While steps are being taken by established systems to extend their lines in Arkansas there is manifested Local Interest in All Parts of the state, indicating that the people are fully awake to their interests and resolved to reap the benefit of every opportunity the occasion offers. 1t is the opinion of state officials, who are well informed respecting railroad affairs, that work on the Little Rock, Springfield and Gulf road will begin within 90 days. A force of expert employees of the com pany has been searching the records of the state land office selecting forfeited lands, which lands were withdrawn from market to become the property of the railroad company, provided it com plies with the conditions upon which the land grant is made, one of which requires that work shall begin within six months after passage of the Smith bill.
 Preliminary Work Progressing Rapidly.
 There is no reason why work should be permitted to lag, and there is every reason why it should be hastened, as the land donated by the state will more than pay the cost of construction Re- garding the manner in which the initia- tive steps are being taken, late copy of o,,a of tba Tt4t1a p1of- l. .,.--.