The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1852-01-24
RannIt of the President,

HajirOdd Go.
| GrNrrEMgN -Abou. thirteen months ago, th,
| Rock Island and la Sale Railroad Company Wa,
organzed
The suggestion Of capitalists and motives o
commercial interest Induced the Company to ap
| ply to the Legislature for an amendment to then
charter TO authorize the continuance OF the road
/ from Peru, by way Of Ottawa and Joliet, to the
city Of Chicago, thus making continuous line
Of frailway under one organzttion, from the city
of Chicago, to the head of navigation on the
lllirois river, thence to the city of Rock Island
at the foot Of the upper rapids of the Mississippi
NOW generally known rs the only feasible point
where that stream can be brdged, from its
! mouth to the Falls Of St Anthony.
| Th. Legislature in the amendments whIcli they
made to our character; changed the name of the
! ICorpofation, to the Chicago and Rock Island
! Railroad Company required additional subscrip
tons oi three hundred thousand dollars to be
increased and certain tolls to be paid to the
Illinois and Michigan Caual upor conditions, that
1 the Trustees Of the Bondholders should grant Il
| the Railroad the right ofway through the Canal
| lands. by the first Monday in June last
I The act oflhe Legislature to amend our char
| ter, became law on the 1th Of February, was
assen,cd to by the Company on the 18th day o
that month, the requisite amount of stock taken
and the Company re.organized on the sth day
of April last
The surveys Of the Road from the CITY ot
Rock Island to Peru, were commenced by Rich
ard i, Morgan, Chief Engineer, in December last
and had progressed heatly to completion by the
lst Of April.
| a large Engineer force, under William Ieryis
/ appointed Chief Engineer in April. and Nessrs
| Bray ton, Reed and Henry, assistants, commenced
operations on the line Of The Road from I'eru to
Chicago, about the middle of April. Every ef
fort was made, to have the whole line ready fnr
contract, by the 2Gth Of June, and n meeting o.
! the Board OF Directors was called in Chicago at
that time, with the expectation Of letting it but
the Engineer Corps had encountered unexpected
delays from high water and their work was no,
quite finished. The Eoard of Directors there
upon determined to refer the subject Of making
contract for building the entire Road, to the
| Executive Committee, and have that portion o
the line beteen Peru and Rock Island revised
and Strengthened and the road bed raised above
the overflow Of the streams, which occurred dur
ing the progress of the work, and was the highcs,
ever known since the settlement of the country.
The surveys and estimates were completed in
August, and the Executive Committee met
Messr. Farnam and Sheffield of New Haven by
appointment IN New York on the 95h of that
morth On the 9th ofSeptember contract wa.
concluded with those gentlemen, for the cons,ruc
| tion and equipment of the whole Road, including
all cost, except right Of way, station grounds
fencing and Incidental expenses.
| The terms OF this contract were made known
to the Board of Directors, at a meeting held at
! Rock Island on the 18th Of September last, and
received their unanimous approval.
ti,ot, ,s.Ih - 0...1
have commenced and prosecuted the work in q
manner highly creditabIe to them, and which W.
were authorized to expect from their character
for promptness and energy and permit me ia
say, that 1t was fortunate for U.s. tina, men Of such
pecuniary and personal worth were induced tc
embark in the enterpriye and We must endeayor
so to fulfill the contract on our part, that the
work may be completed at the earest practic-
| able period. Prompt payments on the part Of
the Stockholders will secure them = Railroad
one hundred and eighty miles long, in two years
| from this time
Mes.rs Farram and Sheffield have under let
the grading and masonry of the Road from Chi
cago TO Ottawa, eighty FIVE miles, and in a few
DAYS will conclude contracts for the same work
| rs far as lndian-town. a distance Of one hundred
and twenty miles. A contract for building the
bridge across Rock RIyer the heaviest work on
the Road, will be concluded IN few days. En-.
gagements ale also made for the iron for the
whole road. Ten thousand tons sufficient to
finish it 10 Peru to be delivered next wear, and
the balance, the yer following. The track is al
ready laid as far as the junction with the Nor
thern Indiana Road, fix miles from our depot in
Chicago, aud about eight hundred men are labor.
ing OIL the line between that point and Ottawa.
Sufficient force will be put upon the Road to
finish it to Joliet, forty miles, by the first Of
August, and to Ottawa eighty five miles, by the
first OF 0ctober
In June last, contract was concluded BY the
Chicago and Rock Island Railroad with the Nor
thern Indiana Railroad, by which, the latter came
into the city Of Ceicago under our charter and
complete commercial connection to the mutual
satisfaction Of both parties. has been made be.
tween them. AS soon as our Road is completed
passengers can 20 from Rock Island " Chicago,
IN six hours to Toledo, in fourteen hours; to
DuukIrk, IN twenty four hours; and to New York
IN iorty'two hours. BY way Of Cleveland and
PIttsburg, passengers can 60 from Rock Island to
Philadelphia and Baltimore, in forty hours.
Immediately on tho the passage of the &c, Of
February 9Th, 1851, amending the charter of the
company, encloSeda a copy of 1t to the President
Of the board Of trustees of the Illinois ahd Mchi
gan canal. and received from him reply that
matters of such grave import to those whose IN
terest lie represented required serious delibera.
ton, and that he would refer the subjsc, to his
associates at their next meeting.
The first Monday in June has passed, and the
Trustees having failed TO assent to the terms of
the churter, our obligation to pay tolls to the
Illinois and Michigan Canal, cases, BY the terms
OF the act of incorporation.
lna lnap m al ii, dh.