The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1910-11-12
RAILROAD TO GULF.
Company Organized to Construct Electric
Line from DonaldsOnville to Leesville.
Project Capitalized at Million
and Half.

Line from Donaldsonville to Leesville.
Project Capitalized at Million
and Half
The Lafourche Valley and Gulf Railroad
Company. capitalized at 81 100000, was
organized at a meeting held at Napoleon
vile last Saturday. the following officers
being elected for the ensuing year: F. NJ.
WEIGH of Crowley, president; J. N Cotomb,
of Donaldsonville, first vice president;
Honore Dugas. of Paincourtville. second
vice PRESIDENT Charles Maurin, of Donald
sonvilie, secretary and treasurer. The of
ficers, with C. C. Barton. Sr., E. P. Munson,
John Marks and Sam. A. Leblanc, of AS
sumption, and James T. Badeaux, of La
fourche, constitute the first board of di-
rectors.
The purpose of the company is to con-
struct and operate an electric railroad on
the right descending bank of Bayou La
fourche from Donaldsonville to Leesville,
distance of 80 miles. A standard gauge
track, with 80-pound rails, will be laid on
top of the levee. which viii be straight
ened as far as possible and cut down to a
certain grade. All of the dirt not needed
in constructing the road-bed of the track
will be placed in the public road, which
will also be Strengthened so as to parallel
the track. Motor cars capable of carrying
100 passengers each will be operated, it
being proposed, according to the tentative
schedule so far discussed, to start car
from each end of the line every hour.
The company will also be equipped to
handle freight and express matter and it
is likely that an effort will be made to OBJ
tain the contract for carrying the mails.
Modern, up-to-date waiting rooms and de-
pots will be erected at all of the stations
along the line, and the company will con
struct its own telegraph and telephone
systems TO control the operation of its
trains. It is stated that the equipment
throughout will be of the most modern
and complete character, and in this re-
spect the line will be superior to any sim
liar enterprise in the south The cars
will be equipped with seIf-sustaining
motors-that is. they will generate their
own power within themselves-thus doing
away with the necessity for erecting
costly power stations along the route
Two surveying parties are now in the
field mapping out the route of the pro-
posed road. One of these parties is work
ing south from Donaldsonyille and the
other north from LeesviIle. and they will,
meet at Thibodaux in about ten days.
When the survey is completed, the work
of securing rights of way from the police
juries of the various parishes to be ira
versed by the road and the individual
property owners along the route, will be
inaugurated This undertaking is ex-
pected to prove unusually easy Of accom-
plishment, since the promoters of the
road have already received many tenders
of land, and. in view Of the vast benefit
to be conferred on the territory traversed,
will probably have no difficulty at all in
securing rights ofWay from every property
owner approached.
The company is capitalized at $780,
900, divided into 10000 shares of the
par value of 500 each. F. NJ. WEIGH,
prominent capitalist and successful pro-
moter, and j. Numa CoIomb, a capable
business man and enterprising financier
OF this city, are the originators and pro-
moters of the enterprise, and it is their in
tention to interest as many local people
in the project as possible The latter will
be given the preference in the purchase of I
the stocks and bonds to be issued by the
company. and not until their wants have
been fully supplied will the stock be Of
fered for sale elsewhere. Mr.. WEIGH has
already left for New York to complete the
details for financing the corporation, and
as soon as these matters are arranged
and the preliminary survey completed ac-
tive work on the construction of the line
will be instituted. Barring accidents or
other unforeseen contingencies. the com
pany expects to have its road in operation
BY November of next year.
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