St. Charles Republican intelligencer. (St. Charles [Charles City], Iowa) 1856-1857, 1857-03-05
Cedar Valley Railroad.
From the Ninton Eagle.

Mr.. ED1ror AS many of your citizens are
DESTROYS of obtaining correct information in re-
card to the operations of the Chicago, Iowa
& Nebraska Railroad and being personally
acquainted with some Of said company, l re-
quest the use of your columns briefly to state
what know, and what l have seen.
The Eastern terminus of this road is at Gin
ton, on the Mississippi river, Il town chat has
scarcely parallel in western energy and pros
pcrity. Fifteen months ago the present site OF
Clinton was a corn iield-now there is popu-
lation of over twelve hundred, with one of the
largest if not the largest hotels, in the State,
saw mills, foundries, machine shops, and car
factories erected or under contract for erection;
all of which is to be attributed to the cons:luc-
ton of the Chicago, Iowa & Nebraska Railroad.
There are now fifteen miles of the road COM
plctcd, over which the cars pass daily, and
twenty miles nearly ready for the Iron, which
is now being laid down. There are two first
class locomotives on the track, and twenty
cars-onc locomotive and the cars having been
brought across the ice this winter, feat suIti-
, ccnt to disturb the ashes of De Soto himself
The iron and ties are purchased for the road to
Cedar Rapids, which is now under contract and
the work of construction being prosecuted with
vigor by energetic and responsible men.
A preliminary survey has been made to the
/
the most feasible and economical routes to be
found in the West. At one point there is an
air line of twenty-sevcn miles, and on the whole
route there is not over ten per cent OF curved
| line: and this amount will probably be reduced
on IL final survey and location of the road, from
Cedar Rapids north.
The c. l. & n. r. Il. passes through one OF
the most fertile regions of Iowa. possessing al
the elements Of great prosperity and wealth
soil, water and timber. Already the price o.
real estate has more than doubled i'll Clinton
county and Cedar Rapids feels new impulses
Of prosperity bounding through all her various
arteries of trade.
! The completion of the road to Cedar Rapids
is now fixed fact and the qucstson ar.
rises will the citizens of Benton, Black Hawk
Bremen, Floyd, Chickasaw and Mitchell coun
ties unite their efforts and energies to push for
ward road already placed to Cedar Rapids
beyond any uncertainty, and thus open fol
themselves great eastern outlet for their in
creasing wealth and the extensive pine region.
of the North, or will they allow it to divergt
| in another direction, where inviting fields OF
promise stand ready to receive it! Or vii
they throw away their support and energies.
on ether partially developed and projected
routes!
The C. /. & n. r. r. is not prosecuted by s
monopoly of landed estate. 1t has been COM
mcnced and prosecuted thus far by individual
cntcrprise-by men of sterling integrity and
well known responsibility. 1t must be extend
ed by iadtoidual enterprise, and now will the
people of the above mentioned counties say the
work shall go forward, by extending to it q
hearty cooperation, and generous stock sub
scription!
1t is well known fact, that among Other
benefits, railroads create large advance in rea
estate, by atiording good markets for produce,
and inducing "a large emigration Thus if the
stock taken were never to yield dividend to
its stockholders, yet the other advantages men
toned which they would derive from the loca
ton of the road would more than counter bal
ance the loss they might possibly sustain by /
large stock subscription. But the presumption
is, that from the cheapness of construction and
the large business the Road will do, the stock
will Immediately yield liberal per cent OF
| the investment. A sTOCKuoLDER.