THE GREAT RAILROAD EODTE TO THE PACIFIC AND ITS The person charging this material is re¬ sponsible for its return to the library from which it was withdrawn on or before the Latest Date stamped below. Theft, mutilation, and underlining of books are reasons for disciplinary action and may result in dismissal from the University. To renew call Telephone Center, 333-8400 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN D 0 # 6 % Soi L161—0-1096 ALFKED 1 KAILR( 0 O vy -L^i XT -CH V_y X i \>r D SHOWING THE RELATION OF THE ALABAMA AND CIIATTANOOGA RAILROAD TO THE PROPOSED — 1 J Southern Line to the Pacific. BOSTON: ALFRED MUDGE & SON, PRINTERS, 34 SCHOOL STREET. 1 8 70 . H* ; • . •• ' . Tl »*■*'» ’ / ,?*#**' "o *' * "•■ v : „ ■>> S '. . - ; v • ; % ~ . ■ r.'-i.-ii i HE i i f A • <0^ 7* library ■he cf aim/ t »5 • «. - •••• s.*\ i . ffcldinriji ; . t • v*~ ; i ■" . r, . ■ ■ • 4 ' ' .. fT»9 . j> ;n,' / THE (MEAT KAIL KOAI) ROUTES TO THE PACIFIC, AND THEIR CONNECTIONS. Showing the relation of the Alabama amt Chattanooga Railroad to the proposed .Southern Route to the Pacific. : 1870. Table showing the lengths, sums of ascents and descents, equated lengths, cost, etc., of the several routes explored for a railroad from the Tunnel at elevation of 9,540 feet. Tunnel at elevation of 4,179 feet. • 85 no.i aqi no jutod jsaqffrq aqj jo bos aqj aAoqu apiiiijjy Feet. 8,373 10,032 10,032 7,550 7,550 6.717 5.717 5,717 Number of miles at -an elevation above tbe sea between — *!jaaj 000*01 PUB 0 00*6 . § N . 000*6 PUE 000*8 20 80 80 naaj 000*8 PU® 000*1 l> 1C o • • • o O O CO CO rH iH rH *J 000*8 pa® 000*Z 210 165 ! 190 261 236 120 120 125 ’139J 000*& pan 000*1 170 276 308 290 292 347 337 305 *t99J 000*1 put? 0 220 340 275 585 354 893 478 420 •sBoae quuis ui punoj Suiaq jios eiqvju ‘ajq -EjEAiJinouu A'pe-iauaS puu[ jqSnoaqj ajno.i jo saqm jo - o^ 1,400 1,460 1,620 1,450 1,400 1,190 1,190 1,159 •puEi 9[qEJE qSnoaq; ajmu jo sapra jo ’O^j l 632 620 670 646 420 834 478 374 •sain oi laa-iajqp jo jsoo aAijBjBdtnoo $116,095,000 Impracticable Impracticable 106,000,000 92,000,000 f90,000,000 68,000,000 |68,000,000 •asuadxa SaiqjoAv pmba jo ojnoa pA 0 [ jo qiSaaq Miles. 2,583 3,026 3,360 3,015 2,745 2,747 2,169 2,167 •sjuoosop pun siuaosE jo suing Feet. 29,120 49,985 56,514 48,521 48,862 38,200 30,181 33,454 •ainoj pEoqiEj pasodoad ifq aouBisiQ Miles. 2,032 2,080 2,290 2,096 1,820 2,024 1,598 1,533 •auq am ^q aouEisiQ — Miles. 1,410 1,740 1,740 1,550 1,360 1,630 1,400 1,360 Route near forty-first and forty second paral¬ lels, from Council Bluffs, via South Pass, to Benicia. * Route near thirty-eighth and thirty-ninth parallels, from Westport, via Coo-chee-to- pa and Tah-ee-chay-pah Passes, to San Francisco . Route near thirty-eighth and thirty-ninth par¬ allels, from Westport, via Coo-che*to-pa and Madelin Passes, to Benicia. Route near thirty-fifth parallel, from Fort Smith to San Francisco. Route near thirty-fifth parallel, from Fort Smith to San Pedro. Route near thirty-second parallel, from Fulton to San Francisco, by coast route. Route near thirty-second parallel, from Fulton to San Pedro. Route near thirty-second parallel, from Fulton to San Diego. O d> >-3fa c« 3 CQ 5 a a a 5 fa 2 fa S* 21 V.GQ aTQ o ts * a is a o a Ofl o a ^ cs © g.S'S fa ",£3 a p +j -rt © Li +» <23<2 § •fa • o I fa-5 m u D O £ fa 85 oT S -s a g>8 11 || ©-§ «3 S a P* 0> o o 2 o a „ i»£§ fa © fa ‘43 Sfa D _ oo s p d y 2 § a o fa 3 fa .2 © g 3 o © ©- fa ©^3 fa Is a 'cs ^ ilaac'c'H a co .a oq o g * « a « g r e,fa ® § « a fag ®*53 2 ® oa °h^c? a- „c3 3 -m-EH f aa. 0 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2017 with funding from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Alternates https://archive.org/details/greatrailroadrouOOalab PROSPECTUS. The Alabama and Chattanooga Railroad, extending from Chattanooga , Tennessee , to Meridian , in the State of Mississippi, passing through the States of Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi, is the shortest and most desirable route from the northeast to the southwest portions of the Union, and to the Pa¬ cific Ocean, via the Vicksburg and Meridian Railroad to Vicks¬ burg, Mississippi and Marshall , Texas, and thence on the thirty- second parallel to San Diego, California, on the Pacific shore. It is proposed to state some facts showing the progress of the company in building this important link, in the great chain which is to unite the Southern States with California. m CHARTERS. The Alabama and Chattanooga Railroad Company have the most liberal charters granted by the several States through which it passes, for a road from Chattanooga, Tenn., to Merid¬ ian, Miss . They have also asked the States of Mississippi and Louisiana to give them similar rights to enable them to con¬ struct their road from or near Meridian to New Orleans, which will undoubtedly be granted. They also have the power to purchase, or to consolidate with any other connecting roads, as they may deem expedient. LENGTH OF ROAD. The distance from Chattanooga to Meridian is about three hundred miles, and from Meridian to New Orleans about two hundred miles, — in all about five hundred miles. 6 GRADES AND CURVATURES. The grades and curvatures are very easy; so much so, that the fastest time can be made with as much safety as on any road in the country. The average grade is about twenty-eight feet to the mile; maximum grade, fifty-two feet. The minimum curve is three degrees. AMOUNT OF ROAD IN OPERATION. The line between Chattanooga and Meridian is now com¬ pleted, fully equipped, and in operation for about one-half its length. Pronounced by experts to be a first class road in all respects. TIME OF COMPLETION OF THE ENTIRE ROAD. The Company propose to complete the line between Chatta¬ nooga and Meridian the present year; and that from Meridian to New Orleans by July, 1871. DONATION OF LANDS. This Company has received a grant from the general govern¬ ment, by act of Forty-first Congress, April 10, 1869, of six alternate sections per mile of land lying along and connecting with the line of the road, and located in the State of Alabama. CHARACTERISTICS OF SAID LANDS. About seventy-five per cent of these granted lands are mineral in character and abound prolifically in red and brown hematite iron ores, bituminous coal, etc. These coal and iron mines are unsurpassed in quality and inexhaustible in quantity. The balance of the lands are arable and of the best quality, and on these, as far as the road penetrates the country, emigrants are settling rapidly. The mineral lands have not heretofore been developed, owing to the difficulty of making the ores available 7 for useful purposes for want of the proper means of transporta¬ tion, the absence of railways and water communication. The completion of this road will make the greater portion of these lands exceedingly easy of access, and will invite thither capital¬ ists to operate them and to develop their resources into pro¬ ducts and material for railway and other purposes. CONNECTING LINES. This company, has very valuable connections, as follows: At Chattanooga , Tenn. y with the East Tennessee and Georgia Line, leading to Washington and the northeast; with the Nash¬ ville and Chattanooga Line to Nashville and the north; with the Western and Atlantic,' to Atlanta , Ga., and the south. At its southern end, at Meridian , with the Vicksburg and Meridian to Vicksburg , and thence by the North Louisiana and Texas Railroad, formerly known as the Vicksburg, Shreveport and Texas Railroad, to Marshall , Texas , near the thirty-second par¬ allel. This is undoubtedly the best route through to the Pacific coast. The Mobile and Ohio Railroad connects at Meridian to Mobile south, and north to Cairo , etc. The New Orleans, Jackson and Great Northern Railroad at Jackson , on the Vicksburg and Meridian Line, gives communication with New Orleans before the completion of the Alabama and Chattanooga Railroad Line from Meridian to New Orleans. The South and North Railroad, to be in operation the present year from Montgomery to Elyton , intersecting at about the centre of the Alabama and Chattanooga Railroad, between Chattanooga and Meridian. Also, a line, now in process of construction, called the Eufala, Opelika, Oxford and Guntersville Railroad, will strike the road at Gadsden, eighty-seven miles southwest from Chattanooga. It will readily be seen that all the above lines are valuable trib- uataries to the Alabama and Chattanooga line, passing, as they do, through the most fertile part of the Southern States, pro¬ ducing the most abundant crops of the various cereals, cotton, tobacco, etc. 8 The Cincinnati Southern Line, projected from Cincinnati to Chattanooga, and in aid of which the citizens of Cincinnati have almost unanimously voted the munificent sum of Ten Mil¬ lions op Dollars, and toward which great enterprise parties interested in the Alabama and Chattanooga Railroad have subscribed two millions, will prove of very great advantage to the Company. They have secured a liberal charter through the State of Tennessee, and are in a fair way to obtain the same rights in Kentucky. This will secure through connections with all points North. It will be seen by this explanation relative to these connect¬ ing lines, that the road, aside from being an essential part of the great Southern line to the Pacific, can be fully sustained and will be one of the best paying roads in America. RESOURCES OF THE COMPANY. The resources of the Company are ample to complete the line from Chattanooga to Meridian ; and they have every pros¬ pect of sufficient means to complete the work to New Orleans. DISTANCES FROM CHATTANOOGA TO THE PACIFIC. The distance from Chattanooga to San Diego , on the Pacific, via Meridian, Vicksburg and Marshall, Texas, and the thirty- second parallel, is about two thousand miles, and from Chatta¬ nooga to New York, eight hundred and fifty miles. Total, New York to the Pacific, two thousand eight hundred and fifty miles. Prom New York to San Francisco, by the Union and Central Pacific lines, via Buffalo and Chicago, is three thousand three hundred and sixty-three miles. Difference in favor of the Chattanooga, Vicksburg, and Marshall route, to San Diego, more than five hundred miles. This route is unquestionably the shortest and cheapest that can be built to the Pacific, as will be seen by reference to a comparative statement of various routes 9 from report of Captain Humphreys, April 9, 1869, on page 3, with light grades, easy curves, mild and healthful climate, and must eventually become the great and favorite passenger and mail route across the Continent. In Mr. Stewart’s report to the Senate of the United States, February 19, 1869, he says: THE SOUTH IS ENTITLED TO A LINE. The Southern States are in the Union. They have the same rights that the Middle States have, or the Northern States. They have the right of access to the Pacific on their parallel of latitude. They have a right to their share of the trans¬ continental commerce between Asia and Europe, — Norfolk , Charleston, Savannah , Mobile and New Orleans can justly com¬ plain of a Middle State monopoly which pours all this inter¬ continental traffic into New York and Philadelphia. The States lately in rebellion are ruined and impoverished. Their peculiar products of cotton, sugar, rice and tobacco are of the utmost value to the nation. It is sound public policy to aid the res¬ toration of the annual production of this wealth, which is con¬ fined by the laws of climate to the South. To the extent that a Southern Pacific railroad will stimulate the growth of the peculiar Southern agricultural products, the Northern and Mid¬ dle States have each a large and direct interest in having it constructed, and the prosperity of the foreign commerce of the United States demands that it shall be constructed. WHY GOYEENMENT SHOULD AID THIS EOAD. It will be seen by reference to the map accompanying this Report that the line of this road traverses a tract of country unsurpassed in the fertility of its soil and salubrity of its climate, to wit: the northern part of Texas, and runs directly through the great mining districts of Arizona and California, the development of which should of itself be an inducement, if there were no other, for the Government to aid this road. 10 Apart from these considerations, the Government, through the instrumentality of this road, will be enabled to throw open to the world the large tracts of public lands now lying dormant and unimproved along the line of the road, or in contiguity with it, in the States as well as in the territories,, thus bringing them into notice and greatly enhancing their value, thereby making them a source of revenue to the Government. HOW THE AID CAN BE GIVEN. The Government, in aiding this enterprise, will be placed upon an equal footing, so far as security is concerned, with individ¬ uals, which is altogether different from the mode of aiding pre¬ vious enterprises of a similar character, as will fully appear in the bill which the company propose hereafter to submit to Con¬ gress, specifying, for their approval, what aid they desire and in what manner it may be given. THE CONSTRUCTION OF THIS ROAD A GENERAL GOOD. While the completion of the Southern Trans-Continental Route will inure very greatly to the advantage of the Southern States, it will also be for the good of the whole Union. The Western, Middle and Eastern States are now rich and prosper¬ ous, and they can afford to be and undoubtedly will be liberal and magnanimous toward their weaker sisters, and on their vote, and by their action, depends the early success of this great enterprise. By order of the Directors of the Alabama and Chattanooga Railroad, D. N. STANTON, President .