| From the Sugar Planter {West Baton Rouge, La.} |
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| December 22, 1860 |
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| Baton Rouge, Grosse-Tete & Opelousas
Railroad Company |
| To the kindness of the worthy
President of his Road, Col. J. V. Duralde, are we indebted for the
following valuable information in regard to its business and progress
for the past year. In order to complete the road to Livonia, a
distance of twelve miles from the Bayou Grosse-Tete, subscriptions
were received amounting to $80,000, which, with the assets of the old
stock, and the receipts of the old road, work was immediately
commenced with thirty five newly purchased negroes on the 3d day of
January last. The road-bed was completed, ready to receive the ties
and rails during the month of September following. Owing to the drouth
which prevailed throughout the country during the past summer, it was
extremely difficult to procure ties -- the contractors being unable to
run their mills in consequence of the drying up of the ponds and
wells. But for this unanticipated set back, the cars would have been
making daily trips to that point by the 1st day of November.
Everything is now progressing finely and by the middle of January the
section will be completed. The entire receipts of the road for the
past year to Dec. 1, amount to near $36,000; an increase over that of
last year. The assets of the company amount to $263,787.03, to which
may be added the rolling stock, valued at $35,000. The entire
indebtedness of the company reaches the sum of $192,850.97, showing a
balance in favor of the company over all its liabilities of
$160,936.06; or, with the value of the rolling stock added,
$195,561.06. This showing will prove interesting to all parties
concerned, and we think will favorably vie with the annual showing of
our other State roads. The cost of the Livonia section will not exceed
$8500 per mile -- one of the best and most satisfactory evidence of
the great cheapness of slave laboring in railroad building. How much
the cost of railroads is reduced by employing slave labor, can be
estimated by referring to the cost of roads built by white labor under
the wretched contract system. |
| The company, immediately upon
the completion of the Livonia section, will commence upon the third
and last section, to the Atchafalaya river. The distance from Livonia
to that point is about thirteen miles, and it is calculated will be
completed by the 1st of January, 1862. The clearing and grading will
occupy the hands of the company about seven months, while the
remainder of the work can be done easily in the remaining five. All
the necessary materials, money, and labor are on hand for the purpose. |
| The value of this road to the
State cannot now be estimated. That it will prove a rich harvest for
all interested, will not for a moment be questioned. All that we ask
in this connection is, that our friends on the other side of the
Atchafalaya river will hurry on the work to Alexandria, and from
thence -- where? Right glad are we to learn that the residents of the
valley of Red river are now completely aroused to the importance of
this road, and are making all exertions to meet us at the Atchafalaya.
Then Alexandria will be within a few hours' travel of Baton Rouge, and
from thence eight to twelve hours by steam to New Orleans. |
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