|
President's Office |
| Montgomery & West Point Railroad
Company |
| |
| Montgomery, Ala., January 23, 1862 |
| |
| My Dear Sir, |
| In the Richmond Examiner of
the 20th I notice their coupess. is Engaged in considering the
propriety of aiding in the completion of certain lines or Rail Roads
and amongst them the line from Montgomery to Jackson. I hope this
is so -- and that the small amount which will insure the speedy
completion of this important line will be granted. Two hundred
thousand dollars of aid now given would complete the whole line within
this year, except the Bridges across the Alabama River at Selma and
across the Tombigbee at Demopolis, provided we can buy the Iron in
this country for the 72 miles not yet provided for, and which I am
disposed to believe might be provided if the Govt would call for the
Building or completion of the line as a military necessity. I know of
Iron in Augusta and in New Orleans which for such a p?? might be procured. |
| The Enclosed will at a glance
show the progress of the ??? Line of Roads from Montgomery to Meridian
and from Meridian the line on to Vicksburg has been in operation for
more than a year. |
| But to ??? you up fully, I
will take up the Line in detail, beginning at Montgomery |
| Western Rail Road from Montgomery to Selma |
| 44 miles long |
| Since the 1st day of January,
I have set out to contract this road, the grading of which is to be
done by the end of the year. |
| (with $100,000 of aid from the Govt
to enable me to by the Iron provided I can get it. I can have
the Road done by the 1st day of April 1863. (except the Bridge on the
Alabama River ??? perhaps by the end of the year. |
| The Alabama & Mississippi Rivers Rail
Road |
| Extending from Selma to a
place called New York on the North East & South West Rail Road. |
| 79 miles long |
| of this Road -- |
| 44 miles from Stern to a Station within 7 miles of Demopolis
is completed and the 7 miles to Demopolis will be completed by the 1st
of April as the Road is all graded and the Iron on hand ready to lay
down. So that 51 miles may be considered as completed. |
| Leaving of this Road
only 28 miles to Build, on which they have a large force at work and
Gort Griffin the President assures me that if he could raise $100,000
to Buy Iron for this 28 miles and could get the Iron, he could have it
completed by the 1st day of October. |
| The North East &
South West Rail Road from New York to Meridian 18 miles long will be
completed by the 1st day of March 1862. |
| With
these lines completed and the Road from Danville to Greensboro in
North Carolina, we should have another perfect line of interior
communication with Richmond & the South ??? Between Montgomery
& New Orleans & Vicksburg we should have an interior route
more ??? than any now in operation. |
| {end of the document
in the Archives. Charles T. Pollard was the Montgomery & West
Point RR President} |