The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1903-01-31

The Valley Railroad Will Go to
New Orleans.

This has been a busy week for the
Shreveport and Red River Valley rail-
road people. getting matters i'm share
for their ocean export trade. Vice
Prest. McIlvried, Gen. Supt. Ellerbe,
and the attorneys for the road have
been In New Orleans all this week
looking after terminal facilities, and
Mr.. EdenbOrn is expected to be there
early next week to confirm and ap-
prove arrangements looking to that
desirable end.
The people of this valley will be
pleased to know that they are to
have direct connection with tile me-
tropolis of the South, and that our
railroad is to be one of the great
trunk lines connecting New Orleans
with the North and West, thus link
ing us with the great busy world of
trade and commerce. The Picayune
OF Jan. 2Sth says, editorially:
The City Council did not last night.
as it had been given out would he
done, hand over the public streets, a
public place which IL really a park
plot. and the city's Belt Railroad, to
II private railroad company. There
was hitch in the arrangements that
prevented the contamination of an
outrage upon the people of the city,
and the matter was postponed.
The prctext for this proposed max
ing away with public property in
this prOdigal manner was that the
city had invited railway companies
to make their terminals here. and but
one company had responded, and it
was due this company to give 1t all
that might have been divided out
among Others.
Fortunately, a pOstpOnement was
had of the contemplated proceedings
at the meeting of the Council last
night and then an interesting and i'm
pOrtant surprise was sprung upon
the city sOlons. This came In the
shape of a formal proposition of the
shreveport and Red River Valley Rail-
road, asking for ACCOMMODATIONS and
facilities in the city for the proper
transaction of its business. The Com
pany was represented by its officials
and by counsel, and it's petition sets
forth, among other matters, that the
Shreveport and Red River Valley Com
pany H. operating Il railroad from the
lefty OF Shreveport to the town OF
Mansura, in the parish of Avoyelles,
and is DESTROYS of extending the same
to the city of New Orleans. That,
with said object in view, your petit
| toner, at great expense. has acquired
property on the east bank of the Miss
issippi river within the city limits to
he used for wharves and elevators,
and to furnish facilities for exporting
the products to he brought to New
Orleans over it's lines.
That petitioner has purchased a
large area of lands suitably located
1eI OTIS, warehouses, rOundhOuses and
general railway purpose.
That pctitioneh had made said in
vestments undeT the belief that 1t
would he allowed to use the belt
tracks of the city of New Orleans on
terms as favorable as would he ac-
corded to any other railroad company
That an ordinance il now pending
before the honorable City Council, CIV
ing certain rights and privileges to
| the New Orleans and San Francisco
Railroad Company, and especially
| with reference to the said belt tracks;
that petitioner. as an owner of prop
erty and as a railroad company seek
Ing to enter the city of New Orleans,
desires to be- heard in regard to the
details of said ordinance, and partic-
ularly as TO said belt tracks. Where
fore petitioner prays that said Ordi-
nance be recomniitted. or that such
other appropriate action he taken rs
shall allow your petitioner to he heard
ON the matters involved therein.
This company does not come herald
Ell with the announcement that it has
unlimited cash which 1t il ready to
hand out wherever it would do the
most good to it's own advancement,
but there is no doubt that it is the
advanced guard and representative
of some great trunk line system that
desires to make its ocean terminal in
New Orleans. 1t states, as does the
Frisco" that 1t has purchased ex-
tensive property in the city, and that
1t has secured space OH the riverfron
40 there is no lack of solidity in it's
claims for attention, and this 1t should
have at the hands of this city.