Grayson County TXGenWeb

Houston and Texas Central Railway
H. &T.C.

Denison Daily Herald
Monday, September 23, 1878
pg. 1

IRON BANDS
Uniting Denison with Every Quarter
Making the Railroad Center of North Texas

Houston & Texas Central
railway is now under one management operating over 500 miles of road and running 34 freight and passenger trains daily. This road connects here with the M.K. & T. and at Houston with the G., H. & H. and the Houston Direct Navigation Co's steamers for Galveston, and at Clinton, nine miles south of Houston, with Morgan's steamships for New Orleans and New York. It crosses the Trans-Continental Division of the Texas & Pacific at Sherman, the Texas & Pacific at Dallas, where passengers and freight transfer for Ft. Worth and points east of Dallas on the T. & P. At Hearne it crosses the International & Great Northern and connects again with the same road at Houston. The H. & T.C. was first projected to leave Houston and cross Red River near Preston, only a short distance from the present crossing of the M.K. & T.
Paul Bremond, the present owner and builder of the East-Texas & Narrow Gauge railway, was the first President of the H. & T.C. and commenced its construction from Houston about the year 1856, building it to Navasota, about seventy miles, where, on account of the war breaking out, it stopped and made its terminus until 1865, when it was built to Millican, twenty miles further. It remained here until 1867 when it was extended to Bryan, 100 miles from Houston, remaining there till '68 when it commenced a rapid construction to its present northern terminus - passing the several Texas towns of Corsicana, Dallas, Sherman and McKinney and building new towns along its line, some of which have grown to be places of importance and do a thriving business.
At Hempstead, fifty miles north of Houston, branches the Austin division, a distance of 140 miles. At Bremond branches the Waco Tap, sixty-five miles in length. In 1871-2 the company built twelve miles north of Waco, intending to reach Weatherford. But owing to the depression in business and national financial embarassments the project was abandoned and at present remains in statu quo. The financial condition of the road has been somewhat embarassed, keeping company with like corporations. But traversing, as it does the best portions of the State - rich in produce, stock and minerals - we look for a better state of things, as the road does an immense business. Waco alone shipped 58,000 bales of cotton in 1877 - of which this company got the long haul on. Other places on this road ship from 10,000 to 35,000 bales of cotton every year, and as the country is fast settling up shipments will necessarily increase. The company's employes form an important percentage of Denison's inhabitants, many of whom have families living here and prefer it to places south on account of the many advantages Denison naturally offers that other places do not enjoy.
It requires about 800 men to operate the road, many of whom are skilled mechanics and railroad operators. The officers at present are:
C.A. Whitney, president, New York
G. Jordon, vice-president
A.H. Swanson, general superintendent
J. Waldo, general ticket and passenger agent
E.W. Cave, treasurer
A.S. Richardson, secretary
M.G. Howe, engineer and superintendent South division
G.A. Quinlan, engineer and superintendent North division; Corsicana