USA > Louisiana > Orleans Parish > New Orleans > Standard history of New Orleans, Louisiana, giving a description of the natural advantages, natural history settlement, Indians, Creoles, municipal and military history, mercantile and commercial interests, banking, transportation, etc. > Part 31
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On Statisties-W. F. Robinson, J. T. Lampkin, C. S. Tarpley, G. Nieholson, E. Safford, and J. D. B. De Bow, the latter of New Orleans.
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STANDARD HISTORY OF NEW ORLEANS.
On Memorials-S. J. Peters, James Robb, J. W. Stanton, A. Hennon, J. Leeds, and James Saul, all of New Orleans ; and Messrs. Penn, Tarpley, Stone, Catchings, Matthews, Guion and Waull, of Mississippi.
A meeting held March 21, 1850, was poorly attended, but in April, 1851, a few prominent gentlemen excited public enthusisam and promised their aid in building the railroad under discussion. Mr. Robb in particular awakened great interest by his speech. A bonus of $100,000 was promised by members from Opelousas to any company who would build a railroad to Point Coupée. The Attakapas county was also urgent in demanding railroads ; and at a meeting presided over by Maunsel White, it was decided to build a road all the way down to New Orleans. A series of resolutions drawn up by Glendy Burke at the City Hall, June, 1851, called for a general convention of Southern and Western delegates and a committee was appointed of Glendy Burke, A. D. Crossman, J. D. B. De Bow, Alexander Monton and C. S. Tarpley to visit the various States and awaken inter- est in the subject of railroads.
An elaborate address prepared by this committee and read before a meeting in New Orleans, January, 1852, contained these words :
"What, then, must be done for New Orleans? She must, by a wise and liberal stroke of policy, regain a part. if not the whole, of the trade she has supinely lost, and open new sources of opulence and power which are abundant all around her. She can do this by changing and modifying her laws bcaring unequally or hardly upon capital and enterprisc; by cheapcning her system of government ; by affording greater facilities and presenting less restrictions to commerce ; by establishing man- ufactures, opening steamship lines to Europe and conducting a foreign import trade ; and finally, and what is of first importance and should precede every other effort, by MUNIFICENT APPROPRIATIONS TO RAILROADS BRANCHING TO THE WEST, AND THE NORTH, AND THE EAST, FROM A TERMINUS AT HER CENTER, OR FROM TERMINI ON SUCH INTERIOR STREAMS AND RIVERS AS ARE NECESSARILY TRIBUTARY TO HER. Now is the accepted time. To-morrow will be too late""'
The two lines then in projection for the purpose of connecting Louisiana with neighboring States were as follows:
1. The New Orleans & Jackson Railroad, designed to be extended to Holly Springs, Tenn., to Kentucky and the Ohio River.
2. The New Orleans & Opelousas Railroad, ultimately designed to be extended to Texas, and thence to Mexico.
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STANDARD HISTORY OF NEW ORLEANS.
At that time Louisiana had only sixty-three miles of railroad in operation, as follows: Carrollton, 6 miles; Clinton & Port Hudson, 24 miles; Lake Ponchar- train, 6 miles ; and the Mexican Gulf, 27 miles. Following are brief histories of the several railroads now centering in New Orleans :
There was a division in this last convention, certain delegates withdrawing for a convention of their own, in which Alfred Hennen occupied the chair. Their pre- amble and resolution follow :
"Whereas, The delegates to the New Orleans & Jackson Railroad convention favorable to the route via Madisonville have felt constrained to withdraw from its deliberations, they deem it due to themselves and the public to declare the reasons therefor; therefore be it
"Resolved, That the refusal of the convention to allow the advocates of the Madisonville route to be heard through their engineer, Lieutenant L. H. Smith, United States Engineers, who had surveyed the route, by laying on the table a resolu- tion in its behalf before its supporters had an opportunity of being heard, made it imperative on them to withdraw from their scats in that body."
This convention favored the route across Lake Ponchartrain, whose total cost was estimated at $336,400; steamboats for crossing the lake, $70,000 each, and cost of operating them $15,000 a year. The superior advantages of this route were described at length by Lieutenant Smith.
The Mississippi Legislature granted a charter to the New Orleans & Jackson Railroad Company ; and by July, 1851, nearly $500,000 was raised. It was proposed to build the road (of 213 miles) up the left bank of the Mississippi to avoid swamps and navigable streams.
New Orleans was awakened to her duty as a progressive city by the loss to her commerce from lines of railroad then in action. For instance, in 1850 New Orleans lost 12.6 per cent of the cotton crop. Charleston and Savannah together had gained 12.8 per cent. This was owing to the opening of the Western & Atlantic Railroad between Chattanooga and the two coast cities, while the extension of the Chat- tanooga road into Alabama and Tennessce, then in contemplation, would prove a still greater disaster to New Orleans.
A railroad convention was held June 4, 1851, composed chiefly of wealthy Cre- oles from the parishes, who represented about $15,000,000. These men determined to show the world that the Southern States could take their place in the front ranks of progress without aid from the North. The officers of this meeting were:
President, Maunsel White; vice-presidents, Judge Overton, General Declouet,
Photo by Moore. N.O.
J. M. core
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Governor Mouton, O. Cornay, J. W. Tucker, W. Jukinot, Dr. Kittridge, D. F. Ken- ner, Ambrose Lanfear, A. D. Crossman, L. Matthews, E. Lesseps, A. Boutee, A. B. Segar, H. E. Lawrence and Judge Woodruff; secretaries, John E. King, Robert Taylor, Dr. Hawkins, John Burns and Frederick L. Gates.
A railroad was planned by the convention from New Orleans to Washington, St. Landry Parish (172 miles) and the permanent committee of the Opelousas, Atta- kapas & New Orleans Railroad was as follows :
M. O. H. Morton, J. B. Bellocq, M. M. Cohen, J. W. Stanton, Buckner H. Payne, Alexander Lesseps, R. F. Nichols, J. Bernard, S. Benoit, Benjamin Buisson, C. Forshey, Ambrose Lanfear, Judge Labranche, D. F. Kenner, John Thebank, A. Mouton, Joaquin Revillon, E. H. Martin, J. C. Anderson, Alexander Declouet, John Moore, F. D. Richardson, John B. Murphy, J. C. Potts, J. H. Hanna, George S. Guion and A. Collins.
The report (December, 1851) of Civil Engineer Augustus S. Phelps concerning this projected route gave as its cost, $244,596. Phelps surveyed the portion between Thibodaux and Berwick's Bay, and A. G. Blanchard that between Algiers and Thibo- daux (51 miles), the cost of which he stated as $800,000.
A company to build this road was incorporated by the Legislature by the name of the New Orleans, Opelousas & Great Western Railroad Company, with a capi- tal of $3,000,000, divided into shares of $25 each. The first officers of the road were as follows :
President, Christopher Adams. Directors-Christopher Adams, Jr., Ambrose Lanfear, J. Y. de Egane, J. W. Stanton, A. Chiapella, J. D. Denegre, R. B. Sumner, L. J. Sigur, L. Leon Bernard, General A. Declouet, Harvey Hopkins and M. O. H. Norton.
The part of this line known as Morgan's Louisiana and Texas line, extending from New Orleans to Vermillionville (144 miles), its company being chartered in 1877, with $5,000,000 capital, has the following branches: From Vermillionville to Alexandria, 84 miles ; from Terre Bonne to Houma, 15 miles ; from Terre Bonne to Thibodaux, 6 miles ; from New Iberia to Salt Mine, 10 miles; from Cade to St. Martinsville, 7 miles ; from Baldwin to Cypremort, 15 miles, the latter being con- structed in 1885.
The company also owned four ferryboats, a number of dredge boats, tugs, seventeen iron going steamships, six plying between New York and New Orleans, nine between Morgan City and various Texas and Mexican ports, two from New Orleans to Florida and Havana; also most of the stock of the Gulf, Western &
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STANDARD HISTORY OF NEW ORLEANS.
Pacific Railroad, Texas Transportation Company, Buffalo Bayou Ship Channel Company and Houston & Texas Central Railway Company.
In 1884 A. C. Hutchinson, of New Orleans, was president of the company, and also in 1886, at this latter date J. G. Schriever being vice-president ; J. B. Riehard- son, secretary and treasurer.
In January, 1852, a great railroad convention was held at New Orleans, with 600 delegates from thirty Louisiana parishes; Jefferson City, New Orleans, Lafay- ette, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Missouri, Mississippi, Ar- kansas, Texas and Georgia. It remained in session from January 5 to January 9, its offieers being :
President, ex-Governor Alexander Mouton. Viee-presidents-C. S. Tarpley, Mississippi; Joseph Forsyth, Florida; Lueius C. Polk, Tennessee; William N. Bur- well, Virginia ; Amos Morrill, Texas; H. Chouteau, Missouri; P. P. Parham, Ala- bama; J. N. Beadles, Kentucky; Judge James Campbell, Louisiana, and Absalom, Arkansas. Secretaries-John Calhoun, Louisiana; R. C. Farreley, Arkansas, and John Dunean, Mississippi.
Various committees were appointed and a resolution adopted to the effeet that New Orleans would liberally contribute to the proposed road; another approving donations by which publie lands and publie interests would be benefited. A national road was favored to the Pacific Ocean, its terminals on the Mississippi, one north, one south of the Ohio; and later the Louisiana Legislature incorporated by an aet the New Orleans, Jackson & Great Northern Railroad Company, with $3,000,000 capital, and these officers :
President, James Robb. Directors-James Robb, A. D. Kelly, J. P. Benjamin, J. P. Harrison, Isadore Labatut, W. S. Campbell, John Slidell, W. P. Converse, E. W. Morse, Emile La Sere, H. S. Buckner and Charles Bride.
The New Orleans, Mobile & Chattanooga Railroad Company was chartered in Alabama, November 24, 1866; in Mississippi, February 7, 1867; in Louisiana, Au- gust 9, 1869, and in Texas, January 19, 1869, its design being to construct under these several charters railroads from Mobile to New Orleans, 141 miles ; from New Orleans to the Sabine River, 227 miles; from the Sabine River to Houston, Tex., 108 miles ; with branches from Vermillionville, La., to Shreveport, 195 miles, and from Vermillionville to Brashear City, La., 65 miles, the total length of the main lines and branches, 735 miles.
In 1867 it acquired the rights of the Wills Valley Railroad Company, extend- ing from Gadsden, Ala., 84 miles, with the plan of continuing to Chattanooga, and
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STANDARD HISTORY OF . NEW ORLEANS.
Louisiana subscribed to this company $2,500,000 and a subsidy of $3,000,000, pay- able in four installments; the completion of the road to Donaldsonville, to Vermil- lionville, to the Sabine River and to Houston, Tex. New Orleans also granted valuable terminal facilities.
In October, 1870, a division of this road between New Orleans and Mobile was finished, and in 1871 a second division from New Orleans to the Sabine River was completed to Donaldsonville, when the company was reorganized under the name of the New Orleans, Mobile & Texas Railroad Company. Some litigation in 1874 resulted in the transfer of the road west of Vermillionville to the Louisiana West- ern Railroad Company. Other portions of this road were transferred, the portion from New Orleans to Mobile being sold in 1880 under foreclosure and leased to the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company for fifty years.
The New Orleans, Opelousas & Great Western Railroad Company, chartered in April, 1852, for the purpose of building a line of railroad from Algiers via Thibo- daux, Berwick's Bay and Washington to the Sabine river, and with a branch off to the northwest to the southern boundary of Arkansas, completed its road of 80 miles to Berwick's Bay, Brashear City, in 1857. On June 21, 1852, New Orleans voted to tax herself $1,500,000 to pay for this road, and in 1853 Louisiana agreed to sub- scribe one-fifth of the stock (conditionally). Congress donated certain lands (which, however, never came into possession of the company), and in August, 1852, the road was begun. On November 6, 1854 the road was opened from Algiers to Lafourche Crossing, a distance of 52 miles ; on October 15, 1855, to Tigersville, on March 1, 1856, to Bayou Boeuf, and on April 12, 1857, to Berwick's Bay ; total dis- tance, 80 miles.
On February 1, 1866, this road, held during the war by the Federals, was re- turned to its company. It was purchased in 1869 by Charles Morgan of New York City, for $2,050,000, and the branch to Havana completed in 1871. In 1879-80 the extension from Berwick's Bay to Cheneyville, distance 124 miles, was finished, and also the Thibodaux branch, 6 miles long, and later the Salt Mine branch, the St. Martinsville branch and the Cypremort branch were constructed.
In 1884 the capital stock of the railroad company was purchased by the South- ern Development Company, and in 1885, 40,627 shares out of 50,000 passed into the hands of the Southern Pacific, a new company then controlling the lines of the "Sunset Route" between New Orleans and San Francisco. At this time the lines of railroads and steamboats were divided into three systems :
First, the Pacific system; second, the Atlantic system; and third, the steam-
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ship lines. The Pacific system was then 3,001.19 miles in length; the Atlantic system, 1,709.84 miles, and the steamship lines, 4,205 miles, giving a total length of 8,916.03 miles.
The eighteen sea-going steamships of the Morgan line, running in connection with the Southern Pacific railway lines, plied semi-weekly between New Orleans and New York, and weekly between New York and Galveston; New York, Key West and Havana ; Morgan City and Vera Cruz ; and Galveston, Indianola, Corpus Christi and Brownsville. The officers of this company elected in April, 1885, were : Leland Stanford, president; C. P. Huntington, vice-president ; Charles Crocker, second vice-president; C. F. Crocker, third vice-president; A. N. Towne, of San Francisco, general manager of the Pacific system, and A. C. Hutchinson, general manager of the Atlantic system, at New Orleans.
The Southern Pacific Railroad Company was formed October 12, 1870, of the consolidation of the following lines: The Southern Pacific, chartered December 5, 1865 ; the San Francisco & San Jose, chartered August 18, 1860; the Santa Clara & Pajaro Valley, chartered January 2, 1868; and the California Southern, char- tered January 22, 1870. The Southern Pacific Branch Railroad Company, char- tered December 23, 1872, was consolidated in the Southern Pacific, August 19, 1873, and the Los Angeles & San Pedro Railroad Company, chartered February 18, 1868, was consolidated therein December 18, 1874. The total length of the lines of all these companies was 1,022.20 miles.
The road as completed was opened to Fort Yuma, 729 miles from San Fran- cisco, via Lathrop and Goshen, May 5, 1877. From the California boundary eastwardly the road was extended by the Southern Pacific Railroad Companies of Arizona and New Mexico, connection being made with the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe at Deming, N. M., 466.6 miles east of Yuma and 1,197.5 miles east of San Francisco, March 18, 1881. During this year the road was continued to El Paso, 88 miles, making a connection with the Mexican Central, which was completed in 1883, to the City of Mexico, and also with the Galveston, Harrisburg & San Antonio, thus forming a through connection, or transcontinental line, from San Francisco to New Orleans. This through line, of which the Texas & New Orleans, the Lou- isiana Western and Morgan's lines, formed parts, was opened for traffic to New Orleans January 15, 1883.
This latter line in 1885 passed under the control of the Southern Pacific com- pany, which practically began March 1, 1885, having by July, 1887, control of the Central Pacific, of the Southern Pacific, of the Atlantic system, of the New York,
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Texas & Mexican, and of the Southern Pacific Coast Line, and owning 612 loeomo- tives and 15,845 cars,
From July 1, 1889, the railroad leases in Texas held by this company were can- eelled and operated from that time by their own officers. The following lines in Texas were controlled by the Southern Pacific Company: The Texas & New Or- leans ; Galveston, Harrisburg & San Antonio; Gulf, Western Texas & Pacific, and the New York, Texas & Mexican.
The New Orleans, Jackson & Great Northern Railroad, before referred to, was completed by 1860 to Canton, Miss .; the Mississippi Central by 1860 to Jackson, Tenn., and by 1873 to the Ohio River; and by October 29, 1889, a route was opencd of 2,888.47 miles between New Orleans and the great lakes. This road, becoming November 8, 1877, the Chicago, St. Louis & New Orleans Railroad, was leased June, 1882, to the Illinois Central Company. Its capital stock is now $10,000,000; its bonded debt, $18,000,000.
In 1889 the Mississippi & Tennessee Railroad was consolidated with the Chi- cago, St. Louis & New Orleans Railroad Company, and was also leased to the Illinois Central.
The Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railroad extends from New Orleans to Mem- phis, a distance of 456.15 miles, and has several branches, increasing the length of the system to 807.27 miles, that being the length of the lines in operation June 30, 1897. The Illinois Central Railroad Company purchased nearly all the stock of the Louisville, New Orleans & Texas Railroad Company in 1892, on the basis of paying $5,000,000 in cash and $20,000,000 in its 4 per cent called bonds of 1953, and in the year last mentioned the latter railroad company and the Yazoo & Missis- sippi Valley Railroad Company were consolidated, and since November 1, 1892, they have both been operated by the latter company, which owns the Yazoo division of the Illinois Central Railroad, of which division there are two branches ; one run- ning from Jackson, Miss., to Parsons, a distance of 115.69 miles, and the other running from Durant, Miss., to Tchula, a distance of 24.67 miles, this division having been leased to the Illinois Central Railroad Company in 1888.
The Mississippi, Terre Aux Boeufs & Lake Railroad Company was chartered March 23, 1877, for the purpose of building a railroad from New Orleans to Shell Beach, distance 30 miles. The road was opened May 8, 1884, and the directors elected March 2, 1886, were as follows : Lloyd R. Coleman, Lucas E. Moore, James A. Shakespeare, M. R. Spellman and B. S. Story, all of New Orleans, and John R. Elder and William L. Elder, both of Indianapolis, Ind. John R. Elder was chosen
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president, and Lloyd R. Coleman vice-president. The capital of the company was $199,500, and the road cost $483,746.25. This company in 1886 was merged in a new company called the New Orleans & Gulf Railroad Company, which had been chartered to build a line from Poydras, on the line of the former company's road, to Point-a-la-Hache, the quarantine station for the port of New Orleans, a distance of 36 miles, with two branches aggregating 2.5 miles. The capital stock of this new company was $300,000, and the officers remained after its incorporation the same as those of the older company.
Track laying was begun in January, 1887, and the line was completed the same year. The company purchased the three steamboats and the entire business and good will of the Red River & Coast Line Steamboat Company from New Orleans to the Jetties, which included the United States mail contract and gave the com- pany a monopoly of the traffic between New Orleans and the Jetties on both sides of the Mississippi River. As now constructed, the main line of this road extends from New Orleans to Bohemia, 50 miles, and the Shell Beach branch is 15.50 miles long. The officers up to 1891 remained as above given.
As successor to the above company, the New Orleans & Southern Railroad Company was chartered September 15, 1891, the property having been sold under foreclosure March 5, preceding. A receiver was appointed for the property June 6, 1895, and the property was leased to the New Orleans & Western Railroad Company February 1, 1896, the latter company owning a railroad from Port Chalmette to Shrewsbury, La., 12 miles, and from the latter place to Southport, 2 miles. This company was chartered January 17, 1895, their road being opened January 11, 1896. It owns extensive terminal facilities at Port Chalmette, including 2,300 acres of land, 1,500 feet of covered wharfage, eighty warehouses, four cotton compresses, a grain elevator, waterworks, etc. Its road connects with every railroad entering the city. On February 1, 1896, this company leased the New Orleans & Southern Railroad for one year, provided it were not sold under foreclosure before the expira- tion of that period.
In 1896 the officers were as follows: President, Charles E. Levy; vice-presi- dent, Charles B. Van Nostrand, of New York ; secretary and treasurer, D. B. Morey, and auditor, G. McD. Nathan. The office of the company was then in the cotton exchange building in New Orleans.
The rails of the New Orleans & Western Railroad connect directly with those of the Illinois Central, the Mississippi Valley, the New Orleans & Northeastern and the Louisville & Nashville, and interchange is made with the Texas & Pacific
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by boat to Port Chalmette, and with the Southern Pacific by transfer boat to Port Chalmette, the same as with the Texas & Pacific, and by rail through the Louisville & Nashville.
The Port Chalmette terminals are the largest and most complete in the South- ern States. There is a wharf frontage of 2,475 feet, with more than 1,800 fect of shed on the same. Seven steamers can all occupy quay berths and load at the same time and during the last cotton season (1898-99) more than once ten steamers were at one time loading various cargocs at this wharf. In addition to these wharf facili- ties, the company owns and operates three large cotton compresses; eighty brick warehouses, whose aggregate capacity is 96,000 bales of flat cotton, and also several large storehouses, in which 40,000 additional bales of cotton or other freight can be stored. It also has a 500,000 bushel elevator. These large terminals and other facilities are located on historic ground, the place having been formerly known as the "Battle Ground Plantation." The remnants of the manor house are where Gen- eral Packenham had his headquarters in the war of 1812, and from this manor house to the public road is an avenue of live oaks unequalled anywhere else in the South. One of the principal advantages of these terminals and the belt line is that shippers are not confined to the terminals of the road over which they ship, and manufactories located on its line are practically located on every line coming into the city. The officers of the New Orleans & Western Railroad Company are: W. C. Dotterer, receiver and general manager ; J. W. Mumper, assistant general man- ager ; G. McD. Nathan, secretary and treasurer ; Charles W. Towsley, general agent, and R. B. Fowler, general superintendent.
The New Orleans, Spanish Fort & Lake Railroad Company is an old organi- zation. The property was purchased in 1896 by Eastern capitalists and leased to the New Orleans & Western Railroad Company for the purpose of giving that company an entrance into New Orleans. Spanish Fort used to be the chief lake resort for the people of New Orleans, but of recent years it has become the chief resort of the colored portion of the inhabitants.
The Texas & Pacific Railroad Company, formerly known as the New Orleans Pacific Railroad Company, was organized in June, 1875, for the purpose of building a railroad from the upper Red River country to New Orleans, the latter city con- tributing $354,000; Alexandria, $15,200; Natchez, $25,000; Mansfield, $15,000; De Soto, $100,000; Shreveport, $25,000 ; Caddo, $20,000, and Marshall, Tex., $60,- 000, together with the charter of the Marshall & Mansfield Railroad Company, and 286,720 acres of land belonging to this latter company. The work of construction
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STANDARD HISTORY OF NEW ORLEANS.
was carried on from 1875 to 1879, the Louisiana Construction Company ceasing work in 1878, after spending $100,000. In July, 1880, the American Railroad Im- provement Company took charge, and in October resumed the work of construction, and the last rail was laid July 11, 1882, the road at that time being 171 miles long and having cost $3,537,000. On September 19 of that year the new road was trans- ferred to the Texas & Pacific Railroad Company, under articles of consolidation. The part of the old road between Shreveport, La., and Marshall, Tex., was com- pleted July 28, 1866, the first train passing over it the next day. The first train from Dallas to Shreveport over the Texas Pacific road reached Shreveport August 11, 1873, and the road was opened for regular traffic August 13, 1873.
This road was first projected carly in the forties, and a sketch of the road made in 1851. The branch from Baton Rouge Junction to Port Allen forms a part of this system, and the new road from Alexandria to Arkansas City, as well as the road from Plaquemine to Indian City.
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