The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1858-12-23
The Ottumyya Connection.

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ald
DEAR SrR:-The people of Burling
ton read, with lively interest, your
article in relation to the building of a
branch road from your fourishing city
to meet our road at Ottumwa, or Agen-
cy City, and also the very cogent and
sensible comments of the Iowa States
man. ~ u. -. +.
Several of our citizen set out for your
convention, held last Saturday, but
compelled to return, after getting be-
yond Fairfield, because of the impos-
sibility, in the condition of the roads,
reaching your city in time.
Figures show that connection with
the B. & NJ. r. Road, from Oskaloosa,
will place you from % to 81 miles
nearer Chicago, than if you had an
air line road to Washington.
But the only available route from
Washington to Oskaloosa, will increase
the distance above an airline some Is
miles, as we are informed by engin-
GERS.
Your connection with this road will,
moreover, constitute link of the two
great roads from St. Louis and from
Keokuk, thus furnishing you with the
best facility for reaching the lakes, the
east, and the south.
A connection with our road is, then
for you, the only natural one, since it
connects you with all the great marts
OF commerce by the shortest and
cheapest route, and because of the
small cost compared with the proposed
road to Washington.
We have all along felt that you
would come to this conclusion when
our road should be in actual operation
to the Des Moines. This very day the
cars would have been running to Agen-
cy, but for the calamitious weather the
past fall, which has effectually stopped,
for weeks, the laying of iron, although
every thing was in readiness, and you
need not now be surprised, if we cele-
bfate New Year at Agency. ....
But the chief object OF my letter is to
bring to your notice another consider
alton of greater Importance, ofpossible,
than any of the foregoing-a consider
alton which is overlooked in your pa
per, and but little appreciated, even
here. allude to the certaisty of a
complete connection, in few months,
of Burlington with New Y ork and Phil
adelphia, via Peoria, Logansport, Fort
Wayne and Pittsburgh. The cars are
now running as far east as the Chicago
branch ofthe Illinois Central and much
work has been done between that point
and Logansport, and recently several
roads east of that point have raised the
requisite means to ensure its early COM
pletion in the spring.
This route is shorter to New York
and Philadelphia, than any road from
the Mississippi, by III miles, it is
said, and 60 miles shorter to Albany,
N. Y.
This road runs nearly on parallel
of latitude, in its general course, with
but slight deviations, and must soon
become the grand trunk road from the
east to the far west. Our road is q
natural link to the mouth ofthe Platte,
on the Missouri, and to Fort Kearney,
ifthat shall become the starting point
for the Pacific road.
Your people cannot secure so advan-
tageouS an eastern connection in any
other direction. To realize the impor-
lance Of this road to Philadelphia, it is
only necessary to lay down a line upon
the map. The certainty of its speedy
completion has already alarmed the
jealous fears of Chicago, who feels that
all Iowa ought to pay toll to her, before
going east.
That your people will weigh well
this matter, and act wisely, in time, is
our sincere hope. There is no one
here, who can, by authority, make any
pledges Of assistance; but l have no
hesitation in saying that your road is
graded and tied, that the Influences
are here which can and will, procure
the iron.
Respectfully your obedient servant.
HENRY w. STARR.
Important Decision.