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nearly as said company may deem it practicable in the direction of St. Louis, so as to reach a point on or connect with the St. Louis and Iron Mountain Railroad, or any other railroad or point thereon, in that general direction."

The charter was filed in the office of the Secretary of State of the State of Arkansas on the 6th day of March, 1854, and on the 18th day of the same month the Board of Commissioners of said company met and organized by the election of Ethel H. Porter, President of the Company, and J. T. Swayne, Secretary.

As the legal provision is thus obtained for building the Arkansas link of this road, we will now proceed to inquire into the probable length and cost of the same.

For the sake of avoiding circumlocution, we will designate the point on the boundary line between Missouri and Arkansas east of the St. Francis river, where this railroad will probably cross, by the name which is given to the strip of country there cxtending both into Missouri and Arkansas: that is Grand Prairie, although the village of Grand Prairie is not exactly at this point.

From this point to Memphis the distance on an air line is about 60 miles, being the same distance as from this point to Indian Ford. By the reports gathered from the experimental surveys of the Iron Mountain Railroad Company throughout various portions of the Swamp District, and from the facts stated by Mr. Ferguson, of Arkansas, the general character of the country from Indian Ford to Grand Prairie seems to be about the same as that from Grand Prairie to Memphis, and as the air line distance is also the same, therefore it is reasonable to make the same allowance for the length and cost of a practicable route from Grand Prairie to Memphis, as from Indian Ford to Grand Prairie.

Calculating then on this hypothesis the length of Grand Prairie and Memphis link is 70 miles, and the cost of construction of the same, ready for rolling stock, is $1260,000. Calculating the cost of rolling stock together with buildings and fixtures for same at the rate estimated for the Missouri portion, to wit: $4,000 per mile, 70 miles, it is $280,000, making the total cost of the Grand Prairie and Memphis road in running order............$1,540,000 To which add the total cost of the St. Louis and Iron

Mountain road to Grand Prairie in running order... 7,440,000 And we find the total cost of the road from St. Louisto Memphis......

.$8,980,000

The total distance from St. Louis to Memphis by this route according to the above estimates is 290 miles, which with a speed on the road of 30 miles an hour brings St. Louis and Memphis within ten hours distance of each other.

Having ascertained the probable length and cost of the St. Louis and Memphis Railroad, we will proceed to an examination of the Memphis and New Orleans road.

The distance from Memphis to New Orleans on an air line is 342 miles. These two points are connected by a road in process of construction composed of three links, which are the "New Orleans, Jackson and Great Northern Railroad," reaching om New Orleans to Canton, the "Mississippi Central Railroad," reaching from Canton to Grenada, Miss., and the Mississippi and Tennessee Railroad," reaching from Grenada to Memphis.

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The distance from New Orleans to Canton, air line, is 175 miles

[blocks in formation]

44 miles

By allowing on the sum total a deviation of from the air line distance of the links

The length of the practicable route from Memphis

to New Orleans is

346

390 miles

In order to show the progress and prospects of this combined enterprise in Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee, we will quote a paragraph from the memorial of the Mississippi and Tennessee Railroad Company to the St. Louis and Iron Mountain Railroad Company, dated 18th March, 1854:

63

"The greater portion of this route is already provided for. From New Orleans to the Mississippi State line the "Great Northern and Jackson road" is nearly completed, and will soon be finished all the way to Canton, Mi.; thence the Mississippi Central road" to Holly Springs passing Grenda, Mi., is under contract to be completed in 2 years. From Grenada our road, the "Mississippi and Tennessee" completes the line to Memphis; and the means at our command warrant us in the confident expectation of its early consummation."

It will thus be seen that the southern and larger portion of the St. Louis, Memphis and New Orleans railroad is rapidly progressing with brilliant prospects of entire completion long before the

Memphis and St. Louis portion can be done, according to present indications.

But the presentation of these facts should stimulate the public. mind with renewed activity in behalf of the St. Louis and Iron Mountain Railroad, that while this work is being built to the Mountain, means and spirit may be gained to drive it on to Memphis, that a respectable portion of the 2,000,000 acres of swamp land in South-east Missouri may be applied to its construction, and thereby to their own reclamation; their nett proceeds remaining a school fund vested in the stock of the Railroad Company. This is doubtless the best thing that could be done with a large portion of the swamp lands, both in Missouri and Arkansas; and it may be that half enough could be realized from these lands in Missouri and Arkansas together to build the road from Indian Ford to Memphis, 140 miles, the amount necessary to complete this portion, being, according to the above mentioned estimates, only $3,080,000. Means may be gained to prosecute this enterprise by arousing a spirit in Congress in behalf of a grant of lands for the Mississippi Valley Railroad, the St. Louis convention having sent them a memorial on this subject in December, 1852, and the Memphis convention having endorsed the memorial in June, 1853. This grant of land by Congress should be made liberal enough to meet one half the cost of building this road from St. Louis to Indian Ford, 150 miles. Then, the length of this road being the same from St. Louis to Arkansas, as the length of the North Missouri Railroad from St. Louis to Iowa, each one being by a gingular coincidence just 220 miles, and as the cost of construction of the Iron Mountain Railroad is also equal to that of the North Missouri Railroad, and its value to the State also fully equal, it therefore follows that an equal amount of State credit should be granted to each. But the N. MR R. has received $2,000,000 while the Iron Mountain Railroad has received only 750,000

$1,250,000

Leaving the claim of the I. M. R. R. for of State credit, which it is but just and reasonable to suppose will be allowed by the Legislature as soon as it convenes.

Let then this Swamp Land grant, this Mississippi Valley Railroad grant, and this grant of $1,250,000 State credit be gained, while the contractors are building the road from St. Louis to thè Iron Mountain, then means and spirit enough will be realized to drive this work on with energy to Memphis.

The people of St. Louis have already acted with a noble liberality towards their railroad enterprises. They have given $2,805,000 to the Pacific Railroad, and more than $2,700,000 to the Mississippi Valley Railroad, about one half of the last sum to the North Missouri portion, and the other half to the Iron Mountain portion, making the amount given by the city, county and private subscriptions of St. Louis to these railroads over $5,500,000. Besides, the people of St. Louis have given liberal aid to the railroads in Illinois, and all these works are progressing in every direction. And although the people of St. Louis have raised these means and shown this spirit, they would be ready and willing in case of an emergency to raise and show more. But, for what they have already done, they manifestly deserve the applause of the whole country, from the lakes to the Gulf, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and should, at the earliest possible moment, receive generous assistance from the State and National Governments, worthy of the magnanimity they have displayed.

The means of the St. Louis and Iron Mountain Railroad Company are as follows, to wit:

Subscription of the city of St. Louis.... county of St. Louis.

66

66

Other corporate and private subscriptions...

To this add State credit granted.....

$500,000

500,000

500,000

$1,500,000

750,000

.$2,250,000

Total amount of means at command........ And to this add the amount of State credit, which, as above shown, may be reasonably anticipated.... 1,250,000

and then we realize the amount of.......................

.........

.$3,500,000

enough to complete the road beyond the Iron Mountain. To this add the Mississippi Valley Railroad grant and the Swamp Land grant, and thereupon the Company will soon gain means and spirit enough by their own credit, which will then be firmly established on a high and commanding position, to build up the whole line from St. Louis to Memphis with dispatch and ease.

When this is done, the railroad connection from New Orleans to St. Louis will be complete, while at the same time the North Missouri R. R. Co. together with the Iowa and Minnesota interests will be extending this connection to the Falls of St. Anthony, reducing the distance from New Orleans to the Fals by railroad to the same number of miles, New Orleans is from St. Louis, by the river, to wit: 1,200 miles.

ARTICLE VIII.

St. Louis, Paducah and Nashville Railroad Connection.

A significant idea of the enterprising spirit of the people and of the stability of St. Louis, may be derived from the fact that their city, county and private subscriptions to the railroads west of the Mississippi amount to $5,500,000, that the number of men now working on the Mississippi Valley Railroad-embracing the North Missouri and Iron Mountain Railroad-amounts to nearly 1,000, and on the Pacific Railroad to more than 1,000, tnat the account of receipts and expenditures for the city alone during the year ending 8th April, 1854, amounts to $1,041,697 42, that the surplus revenue of the last fiscal year amounted to $37,434 20 100, that its revenue last year was $725,966 84, and that the real estate held by the city in its own right is estimated by good authority at over $3,000,000, while the whole debt of the city might be met by its own property independent of its revenue, and moreover when railroad bonds were falling, and the tax-payers of the city and county were called upon to give additional aid to the Pacific railroad, they voted on the 8th May, 1854 to tax themselves $1,200,000, to carry on the work out of their own resources, by an overwhelming majority.

The amount of aid given by the people of St. Louis to railroads. in Illinois, the amount of manufacturing and commercial business done here, though too extensive to be condensed or even shadowed forth in this article, would enlarge and exalt the idea of the enterprising spirit of the people, and deepen the conviction of their rapid and continuous prosperity, in wealth and population, the number of inhabitants being acknowledged at present to be about 120,000.

One of the lines of railroads starting from St. Louis points towards Paducah. The Belleville and Illinoistown railroad was the

first indication that way. The original object of this road was merely to connect St. Louis and Belleville, 14 miles. We are indebted to Mr. A. A. Van Wormer, for the following data of the present condition and stage of progress of this work:

"The graduation of the whole line is complete. Depot at Belleville (which is brick and is large and 1st class) is built. The cross ties are delivered. Two 1st class locomotives and 6 platform cars

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