Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1852-11-10
For the Portage Sentinel.
Franklin and Warren Rail Road.


That Rail Road, with wide, or six feetgauee,
is to be Immediately constructed under the char
ter of the Franklin and Warren Rail Road Com
pany, extending easterly from the village of
franklin, in Portage county, through Ravenna,
Newton Falls, and Warren, to the west line of
Pennsylvania, some where in Kinsman, in Trum-
bull county, and extending from Franklin, west
ward through Tallmadge, Akron, Ashland, &C., to
Gallon, Crestline, the line of the Cleveland
and Columbus road, is matter already settled and
determined upon. The company have liberal
charter, under the old Constitution. The ground
is uncommonly favorable for the location, and suf-
fcient information has been already received, to
show the people along the proposed line, have not
only the means, but the disposition to grade and
bridge the whole line of the road, by stock SUBJ
scribed within the State. Fill up the stock sub
scriptions, then, that the work may be smultane-
ously commenced with the work in Pennsylvania.
This road is intended to connect at its east end
with the branches of Pittsburgh and Erie Rail
Road, (by which branches the wide gauge is to be
obtained and continued through Pennsylvania, ,)and
through these with the New York and Erie Rail
Road, near Olean. Thus extending continuous
wide gauge line of Rail Road from New York
City, through the States of New York, Pennsyl-
vania and Ohio, to Gallon, and connecting at the
latter point, with other great lines of Rail Road
already completed or in state of forwardness to-
ward completion, centering at this common point
and radiating towards the three great centres of
the business of the west-Cincinnati, st. Louis
and Chicago. Among these may be mentioned
the Indiana and Bellfontaine road, with its extern
sion to st. Louis, the Ohio and Indiana road to
Fort Wayne, with its extension to Chicago, and
the southern lines reaching Columbus, Dayton,
Springfield, and Cincinnati, all of which must
necessarily and naturally act as feeders to this
great through line to New York. But to these we
may with propriety add the road extending south
from Akron, ultimately to reach GAINESVILLE. The
Norwalk and Toledo road that must naturally
make connection with this great line of road by
an extension either from Norwalk or Grafton,
through Medina to Akron, thus forwarding another
channel through which the great west is to pour a
portion of her travel and busnesson to this great
thoroughfare; and last, but not least, the Maho-
ming and Warren road that is to place the city of
Cleveland, by the shortest line in connection with
the main line. Thus it will be perceived that this
great project gathers in by its outspread arms, not
only the tide of travel and trade to and from the
first great centres of business of the great west;
but also, from many of its secondary, but still very
important centres.
/ have indicated that this Franklin and War
rem rail road forms link in that great line of con-
tnuous road that is to reach from New York to
st. Louis. But is it to stop there! / may not be
deemed visionary, when say that very few years
will witness extension of this track to Calfor-
MIA and to Oregon, and that this will be the great
national highway that shall pass the tide of travel
and commerce from ocean to ocean, and win her
lantic sea, bound to be shipped to Earope. It is
no wonder that project like this should have
aroused the West and the East to natural con-
sideration of its advantages, and determination
at once to prosecute the work to completion. New
York has deep interest in this work. and capital
lists will understand what the interest is. The
New York and Erie rail road com pany have still
iudicious board are well aware of that. and are
now taking prompt and efficient measures to reap
its benefits. 1t will cost money; but it will be
money well invested. They have already spent
twenty-seven millions of dollars, on four hundred
and sixty miles of road. They can well afford to
spend few millions more, to give them the COM
mand of the travel and trade of the west. A bu-
western territories fill up with active, producing
population beyond; yes, far beyond the reach of
any rational present conjecture.
Who can doubt that the stock in the Ohio link
of this great road must be largely paying stock,
and that it will be absorbed aud taken up as soon
as its advantages are clearly and fully understood!
The way business of this portion of the road, pas
sing, as it does, through all the important business
centres in this part of the State, and comprising
within distance of two miles and half ON each
side of it, for its whole length, a population Of
more than three hundred and thirty to the mile,-
passing through one of the richest agricultural
portions of the country, and embracing directly
on, or in the immediate vicinity of this line, the
most important water-power in the northern part
of the State, cannot fail, alone to pay handsome
dividend upon its stocks. 1t is hardly necessary,
perhaps, to say that the line of this road passes
over nearly the ground Indicated by Col. Clinton,
in his report in 1927, as the route of great ma
tional highway, and that the experimental linerun
by Mr.. Robinson, the engineer of the Franklin
and Warren rail road, is near through the county
of Portage, upon almost precisely the same line
traversed by him and his party. ! mention these
facts as of local interest, because project origin
ating in Hudson, and taking to itself the name of
the Clinton line hasmade some noise in this section
of the country The principal objections to that
line are these: that it is not the line indicated
by Col Clinton, nor that would be selected by any