66 
Transactions Texas Academy of Science. — 1906. 
The capital stock subscribed was $270,000, of which $160,000 was 
paid in. All of this was bought by the citizens of Washington 
County. The Loan Act authorized loans to be made only to the 
companies chartered previous to its passage. This excluded of course 
the road under consideration. By special act it was authorized to 
receive a loan. 26 Under this authority $66,000 was received. 112,640 
acres of land were received, 100,000 of which were located 
in Harris, Liberty and adjoining counties. 12,160 of these acres 
were sold during the year I860. 27 The indebtedness in 1860 was 
$160,000. 
25. Houston Tap & Brazoria Railroad. 
The Houston Tap & Brazoria Railroad w T as chartered in 1856 for 
the purpose of extending the Houston Tap road to Columbia on the 
Brazos River, thus opening up the great sugar producing section of 
the State. The grading was finished to Columbia in 1859, and the 
road was completed to that place in 1861. The city of Houston 
transferred to the company the Houston Tap road, as remarked in 
a previous place. Work on the western division between Columbia 
and Wharton was in progress in 1860 and 1861, but the outbreak 
of the war prevented its completion. 28 
The amount of capital stock subscribed was $380,000, nearly all of 
which was paid. This was almost entirely subscribed by the plant- 
ers along the route. The county of Brazoria by authority of the 
Legislature donated to the company $100,000 in bonds. The com- 
pany was extended permission to receive loans from the school fund, 29 
and it received aid from this source to the extent of $300, 000. 30 In 
addition it received from the State 64,000 acres of land, 35,840 of 
Avhich were disposed of during the year 1860, yielding to the com- 
pany $11,350.00. The indebtedness in 1860 was $411,560.01. 31 These 
sums aggregated $1,202,910.01. The cost of the road was about 
$10,000 a mile. 
26. Texas & New Orleans Railroad. 
New Orleans desired to compete with Memphis, Chicago and St. 
Louis for the trade of Texas. To accomplish this, the Texas & New 
Orleans Railroad between New Orleans and Houston was projected. 
This road was chartered under the name of the Sabine & Galveston 
Bay Railroad & Lumber Company on September 1, 1856. 32 At the. 
same time a charter was granted by the State of Louisiana to the 
New Orleans & Opelousas Railroad to connect Berwicks Bay with the 
eastern terminus of the Sabine & Galveston Bay road at Orange. 
