{"newspaper_name": "The New York herald.", "edition": "01", "page": "p1", "byline": ""}
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LrrrLs Rock (Ark.) July Is, 1915. ~
The Western " Desert"-Ihe Highpay to Isras-


Little Rock Bridge Co-Pro6table Enterprise.
MIR. JAMES GORDON BENNETT


am at present residing a region Of the mighty
West which presents great many interesting fea-
lures, and IS rapidly growing in population, energy,
enterprise, and social and political importance.
Yet it is comparatively little known to your readers
north and south; and frequently observing in your
columns interesting communications descriptive of
the state and prospects of other sections OF our ex
tended country, have been led to suppose that
might possibly render an acceptable service to ma
ny of your readers, by furnishing you with some
account OF the topography Of this part of the coun
try, and some Of the movements which are in pro-
gress for its internal improvement.


We occupy at this thriving town, which Is stu-
ated about $50 miles from the Mississippi, but four
hundred by the navigation, the first high ground
from the bank Of this mighty river, and beyond Is
for hundred miles, is vast domain of rolling
ground and prairie, rich in all sorts of minerals
Then comes the great desert, the Zahara of this
western territory. This vast sterile region extends
from Texas down to the Canadian border, and is
probably from one thousand tofifteen hundred miles
In length, and one hundred and fifty miles in
breadth 1t has been very little described. The
hunters, and the comparatively few travellers,
who have traversed it, are full Of descriptions
of its stern magnifcence-its vast solitudes-
and the solemn impressions which it makes
on even the radest and most uncultivated minds
For days and days the traveller may pursue his way
without meeting human being land the whole scene
Is marked by the solemn grandeur of vast unbro-
ken solitude, silent, apparently, since the birth of


time. Many of the rivers flow into the desert, lose
themselves in it, and after, it were, filterng their
waters in its extended wastes, appear on the other
side Such is the case with the Arkansas river
The Missouri, in consequence OF the great volume
OF its waters, does not disappear, but it spreads
for leagues, ard Is extremely shallow in the desert


Through this region must, of necessity, be the
great highway to Texas, ard the line of communi-
cation is about to be perfected by the construction of
bridge over the Arkansas which will be very val.
liable property For this purpose the Little Rock
Bridge Company has been formed under very lib
eral charter. That the stock will be profitable in
high degree, no one can doubt who understands the
geography Of this region, and is fully aware of the
fact that this route must be the great thoroughare to
Texas. The revenues from the ferry at this time,
at Little Rock, would pay l3t per cent. on the in
vestment, and from the rapidity with which the pop
uatlon OF the country and the travel is increasing
the profits would very be increased to 20 per
cent. The facilities for constructing the brdss Q
as respects permanency OF location and proximity OF
materials, cannot be surpassed. Stock is now
taken up rapidly in the Western States, and will pro-
badly be filled up very soon. The sugar planters
and cotton planters will be moving into Texas verv
rapidly. This is the only avenue, by land, to that
new bit" of the promised land II is yet uncertain
whether Texas will be tariff State or not-whether
it will join the Northern tariff men on account OF its
sugar products or strike for the tariff flag of the
South, on the score of its cotton productions. This
is very interesting subject for speculation But at
liable space, and so conclude for the present.


Yours, truly, A SoUArrER