Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1851-07-24
Oauawka and the Railroad.

Our friend Of the OgWdukd Spectator is assar
ed that his neighborly sentiments towards Bur
lingon are duly appreciated; but at the same tim,
we cannot refrain from a,ltnonishing him that h,
is doing Burlington and the State of Iowa, grca
injustice, if he intends TO represent us as bein.
willing that Illinois shall build the Peoria Rail
road for our benefit without our help. Our cit,
and the region Of country round about, have Civ
en- the most unnistakeablc evidence that they ar,
willing to do their share and bear their portion o.
the burden and expense of the road.
Upon this point it is hardly necessary TO en-,
large, but the Spectator has more than once in
sisted upon il that the people of Iowa have no
taken more stock than will be sufficient TO built
three miles of the road from the Mississippi op.
positc this place to the bluff in the direction Of
Monmouth. We regretted to see this statement
in the Spectator at The time it was first made, bu
we I'D not reply TO it at the time; and now thai
it is repeated with reiteraiion and apparent dchb
Grafton, we are bound to ask the editor wha
ground he has for his confident assertion, that
three miles of rail road across the bottom oppo-
site this place woala cost one handfed aud slit,
ihoustad dollars, or at the rate OF more than fifty
thousand dollars a mile. He must give some rca.
sons 70. his statements, and some figures to usti
fy them, o: acknowledge that he has been mis-
taken, and has done injustice TO the citizens Of
Burlington and of Iowa.
The route across the bottom from the river has
not yet been slrveyed;--no engineer has as vel
made an estimate of the cost of the work TO be
done on it, before laying down the rails To guess
q. 1t, the Spectator thinks, is about as much as
any one can do, who has no practical! or thcoret-
zeal knowledge on the subject. So the Spectator
has guessed; but we think that person who can
guess nearer the mark than the editor has done
this time, would no: soon establish his character,
OF prove himself TO be a genuine Yankee, or the
descendant of one. The estimates of the engi-
ncer must be the test, and we predict that such
estimates will not put the cost Of the road across
the Mississippi bottom al cnc-ifth the sum fixed
by the Spectator.
The people of Olaawka, if they put any conf
dcnce in the figures of the Spectator as 10 the cost
Of filling and grading across Mississippi bottoms,
ought to be deferred at once from th'er enterprise
of plank road across the Iowa bottom opposite
Oquawka in the direction of BluiTuale. When the
Spectator estimates the cost of the railroad oppo-
site this place at S3o,00O a mile, what has it to
say of the cost per mile of the plank road across
the bottom opposite Opiawka? Much Of il dur
ing the late floods, was fifteen feet under wafer
and for assistance greater than three miles. How
does he estimate the cost or cmhunkment in com-
parison with our road? IL il is IL take SI6a, 900
10 build rail road from Burlington 10 the bluff,
what will it take 10 build u plank road from
Olnawka 10 the bluff in Iowa? Would it not be
better for the people OF Oluawka 10 take the mo-
hey tina. would be SO uselesSly spent in endeayor-
ing to bring the trade of Iowa 10 their place over
their contemplated plank road, and pat into the
rail road from Oquawka in the direction of Mon
m onth? They MAJ not a?prehcnd such result
now, bat as sure as they build plank road across
he bottom through Bluii;lale in the direction of
Washington, they will find it tapped at some con
'cnient point and all their expected trade flowing
N the direction of Burlington.
As this BuiIdale and Washington plank road
$ the great indncement Oluawka offers TO the
Railroad Company TO induce them 10 construct
he main trunk Immediately 10 that place, would
rot be well for the Spectator TO say as little as
possible about the cost of making roads across
Mississippi bottoms? The company might be-
ONE little inquistivc, and like to know how il
5 that Oluawka. that refuses to subscribe dol /
ar TO build railroad eighteen miles TO Mon
mouth, is going 10 raise money TO build plank
Dad across the Mississippi bottom costing. &C
ordinS TO the 'gucss" of the Spectator, near Gf-
y thousand dollars mile
We rather think, too, that it will be .:news" to |
ne Railroad Company that by making Oquaw-
"a the terminus of the road, they will slap the
cry centre of the best gra,n-growins regiorfof |
owa, seeking to find an easy access to market by
way Of Oluawka, on Tie completion Of the O.
r,awka, BluiIdale and Washington Plank road.'
Ne hope the Spectator is not holding out any
ase hopes TO the Railroad Company. It would
e decidedly wrong TO induce them 10 bring the
Dad TO Oluawka in expectation of Gndn. there
he centre of the gran-srowing region OF our
tate, with plank road leading to BluTlale and
Washington, and ''hundrcds of thousands of bush
Is of grain pouring int" Oquawka TO find access
market" and then grievo'.sly disappoint them.
We think the Company would rather see the
henderson county bonds for 100000, that the
pectator speaks of, than hear this swelling talk
boat the Buiidale plank road. They would run
he risk and bear all the loss of selling them at
'scount. Let Oluawka and Henderson county
ring along The bonds;-a small subscription is
hat the Company wish, and not so many prom
cs. Give us little action and not SO much talk.
Peoria aud Burlington Railroad.
We are glad 10 learn from the last Peoria Re-
iblican that the Railroad Company, through
nsow Peters, Esl., have succeeded in purchas-
g Of the Governor Of Illinois, the track and right
way from Peoria 10 Pennington, for the sum
one thousand dollars, and all obstacles 10 he
instruction of the road are now removed. We
'py the following letters from the Republican:
Springfield, July l., 1851.
o RHdolphus Rouse:
Have closed the contract with the Governor
npans to pay one thousand dollars in State in
b'edness-will procure deed from the Govern
before return. OWNSLOW PETERS.
r Rmlolphus Rouse, Peoria:
Dear SRI have completed negotiation with
,V. French, for a conveyance OF the Peoria and
arsaw Railroad track, or right Of way from Pc [
ia TO Pennington, as suggested 10 yo1 in my
eSraphic dispatch this afternoon. / have the +,