The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 47, July 1943 - April, 1944 Page: 360
456 p. : ill., maps ; 24 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
The next day, Briscoe made a contract with Maurice Lee Bird-
sall, brother of Mrs. Harris, for the provision of three thousand
ties at fifty cents each to be delivered five sticks to every twenty-
five feet of the road, five hundred sticks in March and the re-
mainder within four months at Birdsall's discretion.10' At
the meeting of March 18, the board received the contract and
ordered Briscoe to arrange for two thousand lineal feet of
ground sill, altered to three by ten inches.'02 These sills ap-
parently were intended to uphold the ties placed eight feet four
inches apart. William Plunkett Harris and the firm of Richard-
son and Moore each contracted to deliver one thousand lineal
feet, at seventy dollars.103 At least three hundred ties were
delivered, for on April 10, Briscoe paid one hundred and fifty
dollars to Birdsall.q
On February 27, the board authorized Briscoe to hire an en-
gineer to begin at Harrisburg on March 5 and to survey a route
to the Brazos River selected by William Plunkett Harris and
Richardson.0o" Harris and Richardson reported on March 18:
The undersigned, a committee of your body, who were directed to lay off
the route of the Railroad to the eastern border of the Brazos timber, report:
That they commenced said work on Monday, the 9th inst., and ran a
random line to said timber, at the point at which the Houston and Rich-
mond road intersects the same: the true line runs from said point to the
most southwardly visible point of timber on Bray's bayou; thence to the
point of timber known as Thomas's Point; thence to the west end of
Brazos Avenue, in the town of Harrisburg; making the distance 22 miles,
513 varas.
Said line is, nearly the whole distance, on hard, firm clay; and crosses
one branch of Bray's bayou, about 25 feet in width, and 5 feet deep, which
is the only irregularity in the surface. The whole route is near Bray's
bayou, into which it will be easily drained: and though a level was not
used, we are satisfied that no grading is necessary, and have the assurance
of the engineer, that the superstructure will be as easily laid as on a
graded road.
Your committee have secured land at the western bank of the Brazos
river, one mile above the town of Richmond, for the construction of the
road. By calculations from actual surveys, your committee have ascer-
tained the distance from the end of their survey to the Brazos River, to
be a little over eight miles, which will require grading, but will be prob-
ably as easily graded as any other route across the Brazos timber, and
will make the whole length of the road 30 miles.06
101Contract in Looscan Papers.
102Journal of the Harrisburg Town Company, 96-97.
03Briscoe to Supervisory Committee of the Stock-holders in the Harris-
burg & Brazos Rail-Road, March 18, 1840, in Looscan Papers.
104Ely & Agry to Briscoe, April 10, 1840, in ibid.
105Journal of the Harrisburg Town Company, 96.
108Morning Star, March 20, 1840, 3, col. 1.360
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 47, July 1943 - April, 1944, periodical, 1944; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth146054/m1/409/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.