Iowa capitol reporter. [volume] (Iowa City, Iowa) 1841-1855, 1853-07-13
The Protected Railroad around
the Rapids.

The substance ofthe bng report of Mr. O'Sul.
| Ivan, consulting engineer Of the Warsaw and
Rockford railroad is contained in the follow
ing recommendation
| "For the above reasons, hastily stated, /
would recommend thai you start your enter.
prise as road from below the lower rapids
at Warsax .Seanuah6 u1nnluxapids at
Port Byroa ~. cohnecsing en-
route with the Burlington and Rock Island
roads. BY direct line or short branches at or
near their crossing of the Mississippi river,
and thence as nearly as may be an air line to
Evansville, tee Southern end Of Fon du Lac
road This will bring Galena within 225 miles
| of Warsaw, Rockford within 900 miles, Chi
cago within 275 miles This course, touching
the river at several places. will draw local
trade from Iowa, while there will be left be-
tween your road and thu. Anst 81 900
square miles. From the draw
fair amount of local busih |om the
several eastern railroad connections, and from
Fon du Lac road, continued to Green Bay, you
must receive large through business. This
business may safely and easily be shown to
give fair profit on your investment, but at pres
pen. will confne my attention to What con.
slider the first division ofyour road, viz from
Warsaw to Port Byron. ludlng both rapids"
We learn from thl keokuk papers, says
the Warsaw (IH.) Erpre that Major Floyd is
about to make surv of the Eower and
Upper rapids, prepara to letting out the
contract for their improvement under the late
appropriation made by Congress 1t is in con-
temptation to blow out the rocks and make
channel six feet deep atw wafer. Ifthis be
attempted, twenty years and ten millions Of
dollars wi II be required TO complete the work.
We ground this opinion ITO the knowledg We
have practically Of the hu!ure of the rock strata
which composes the bed. of the Mississippi in
this vicinity. At the lower part Of this city,
the shore is rocky aud very fiat. These
rocks lie in horizontal thin strata, and between
each, is layer Of blue clay We have fire.
quenty seen many attempts made to to blast
this rock. When the charge explodes, it finds
vent IN the seam OF clay. and scarcely any exc
cution is done by it, D. S. Wittre spent
large sum of money in attempting to sink
we'll at the lower Mill; and from the cause we
have stated, was compelled to abandon it, If
the rocks on the Rapids is of the same nature
as the rock we have spoken of, an ago will be
required to remove them by any known process,
The former attempt to improve the Rapids was
upon the same plan as that now proposed. A
vast sum was spent and no perceptible good
effected. The traing sum now appropriated
will not be printing tathe amolht which
will be required, if no more practicable q
scheme of improvement - that of blasting
out rocks is discovered ii not be sufficient
to procure the necessary dPparatus and machi-
nery.-St. Louis Int.
JuDGE WiLLIAMs.-We i've had the pleas
ure, during the past wee Il perusing letter
from our old felow.c s. of Democratic
memory, Hon. Geo. H. Ans He was at
| Panama on the Sd ult kiyes graphic
description of his journe L His mule threw
HIM into five feet mud id ming the Isthmus
| but he was $50 crooked int they could mt
get his handsome couif knce clear under"
/ His health was good, and both he and his wife
""u P"Sseo '"e UP thus Far, eaiciy anu IA
good spirits.--Dispatch. Sal
WpEAT.-We understand that the farmers
in this vicinity commenced cutting their wheat
gu Friday. The grain is large and full, and
Of the finest quality.-Louisviilc Journal j une
10. IL
TThe farmers in ,his&icil,y are now bu-
| sy harvesting their winter wheat and rye, both
OF which crops are nnusally abundant and Of
superior quality.--R l. Republican.