The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1852-02-05
THE BURLINGTON FIRE BRAND.

system Of our neighbors below. When th
roads from Davenport to the Bluffs an
Dubuque % Keokuk we're projected, the
aashed. When they began 10 make SOM
progress they ridiculcd. A few weeks be
fore The last session OF the Legislature, th
| Burlington papers talked Of Railroads q
"humbngs,n ..chimcras."
i A Convention was held 3, Iowa City !
! year ago last Deer. The Burlington folk
we're there; they thought our project wor
Thy Of help, they even thought that the,
might some time ioin us at Fort Desmoines
and they modes,ly slipped in hgh-sound
ing memorial for grant Of land TO |
branch Of our Road from Fort Desmoinei
to Burlington.
And then there was a change-iront.-.
Railroads are not humbugs when they 6,
10 Burlington; they are just the thing
Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars are
jpu, into Railroad from Burlington 70 PEG.
ria, across the drainage Of the country
with tunnel under soft ground, crossing
5 mile bottom Of the Mississippi, reach
ing the Illinois where it must be hridged
to 60 East, reaching the Mississippi where
| il canno, be bridged and having no eastern
nor western Railroad connection.
But projects are easily made and the
|.lsrgesl" town in Iowa is not wanting ID
men to start them.
First, they were going 10 cross ihe Hi
nois at Peoria by bridge or boats, and
connect with the Central Road at Bloom
ing,on, and 60 thence by PERI 10 Chicago,
where ,hay would get an Eastern connec
ton; and then they would be the great
Western ,hosoughfare. But some man
puts scale on the map Of Illinois, aud he
measures the distance from Burlington to
Peru BY Galesburg, on the cestral military
trac, Railroad, and from Bloomington BY
Peoria to Burlington. and he finds that it is
so miles aearer 10 Burlington from Chea-
90 by way Of the Rock Island and Gales
burg read, than it is by the Burlington and
Peoria Road, and it is 80 miles nearer to
The Mississippi al Rock Island on the latter
road, than to Burlington by Gslesburg
Tha. project will not do, says Burlington;
we started 10 Kill this Rock Island Road.
this makes us mere feeder TO it.
Little Red travels long way froa, home.
He starts a sew project every day. He
tells them. start road from Lafayette to
Burlington and barrel Island on the Mis.
souri,. and this is to be the great liue TO the
West.
We always understood tha, the Wabash
was nayisabe even above Lafayette; no
matter. says little ..red rover" Burlington
lis great place and am great stors
teller. s.My mind" says Charles Chatter
box us capacious enough for seven giants
sixty feet high, why not punch bowl and
a whole tea board
Morgan has fixed OH, boat to carry en-
gines, tenders, cars, passengers and freight
across the 5 mile bottom aud the Missis
sippi, and what's the use Of stopping al 1
dozen such rivers as tie Wabash and ILL.,
nois! lie. US take them at jump, and
We will go to barrel Island and get south
Of the Platte and secure the commerce Of
that great stream. True il is so shallow,
that it will no, float dugout, and we have
TO cross il to get to the south pass; ihst il
nothing. Have We not got across foer
navigable streams. the Wabash, Illinois.
Mississippi a, 5 mile bottom, and Missouri
at barrel Island; crossing the quick sand
bars Of the Platte three quarters TO milo
and half wide is a mere circumstance.
We are bound TO be below the mouth Of the
Platte anyhow; its great commerce We
must have. We can't lose the business
Of the Indian canoes.
But here is another difficulty says the
other party, you hava no Eastern con
lnection. What DO you mean by Eastern
Railroad connection? was asked Of Us By
n Burlington paper. Well, we will tel
you. We mean that none Of the greai
Railroads from Boston, New York, Phia
| del pha, or Baltimore are seeking 10 con
meet with you at Lafayette, and Lafayette
Itself l. not seeking to connect with you
but with Rock Island at Peru. All ,hl
Railroads the other way from Lafayette
20 TO Indianapolis and Cincinnati south
And we will tell you, neighbor, anothe
thing relative 10 connecting Lafayett
with the East, and that is, that all efior.
% get charter for RAILROAD for that pul
pose have heretofore failed. II would ru
lparallei with the Wabash and Erie Cana
and if you will trouble yourselfto asceriai
who are the Trustees Of that Canal, 20
will find them not only stockholders bu
Directors in the Toledo and Rock Islam
\ Roads.
Well, this is depression. This mas