The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1858-09-03


railroad from Princeton, Gibson county, TO
this place, TO connect with the road already
graded from here to Albion, twenty miles to
the west of US. The chief difficulty in the
way TO satisfactory arrangementfor carry
ing out your project, was the obstinacy and
impracticabIe disposition of the holder of
the cid grade be.weca here and Albion. q
am happy to iaforn .yon that the bed Of this
sidroad has passed into cnterprising and
responsible hands, who are anxious 10 turn
TO some use. Now, think, is the proper
time to recall public attention to the inn
portance and value Of the work to your
city. | see by the columns Of the Journal,
that your community is enjoying high de-
gree Of prosperity, and that n few capitalists
are expanding more in bailCiing This season,
than would I've required "a secare to you
connection with the finest region of Illinois,
and which would add a large per cent. to
the value of the whole zeal estate Of Evans
vile.
You are aware that there in IN excellent
Railroad from st. Louis TO Bclleville, Ills.
You are alSe acquainted with the fact that
a Railroad is under construction from Belle
Vile, to interscct the Ilhncis Central Road,
at a point nearly due West from US From
this place to the point where the Bellevillc
Road will strike the Central Road, is about
% miles, twenty miles of shis Is already
graded, as tar as Albion With this grade,
completed and paid for, there will he but
little difficulty to raise the money to pro-
cure the iron fog it, la the three Counties
West Of ~, through which the remaining
portions of the road arc to he built, there
are $50. 900 acres Of swamp laa1s belonging
to the coaxtics in which they arc located
These lands the ceuptieS proffer to appro-
pirate to the construction OF the road. 1t
the road shoxId I've undertaken, these lands
would be worth from Sd tn 50 per acre.
They would bring, at moderate estimate,
to any company that shoald build the road,
| half a million of dollars. The country
through which the road would pass, Is all
level prairie, over which there would he
scarcely cut or fill exceeding five feet !;
the greater part of the way, but little more
than ditch OH each side of the road bed
would lie required. ana not engineer,
but have had a good deal experience ia run
ming lines a. surveyor, and ara accustom-
ell to observe the features "a a country over
which pass.
II has appeared to me that the fund that
could be derived from the lands would be
ample, under good system of management,
to grade aud bridge the line from Albion 10
the junction with the Central Railroad a
distance of ~ miles. All that il would be
necessary for the company to provide would
be the mcans to procure the iron. This line
completed, we shcald have a continuou.
road from this point to st. Louis, through
better region of country than that through
which the Ohio and Mississippi Road runs
1t needs but some enterprising, energetic
man to push il through. The farmers along
the route, feel that the road would be 81
great benefit to them that they would
make every effort to aid in the construction
of the road. Every man within five miles 81
the road would have his lands doubled in
value. They are now cut off from access tc
a market, except by hauling over long and
muddy roads, which costs half the value o
their produce by the time it reaches the pur-
chaser.
Now to connect your city with the import
ant avenue of future trade, all that would
be required would be road from Princeton
through the Wabash bottoms to this point
distance of only ten miles. From my
knowledge of the bottoms, believe could
point out route for the road on which the
highest grade required would not exceed
five feet. With the steam excavator, which
| observe by your paper, is in Use on some
of the roads in Northern Ohio, the road lie.
tween here and Princeton could be built
rapidly and at small cost If the road
have described, should never do more than
the local business from here TO the Central
railroad, and though il should never pay d
cent of dividends on the stock, it would b,
good investment for the citizens of Prince
ton and Evansville, and for the farmers on
the line.
think it very important that somcthin;
should he done Immediately to start tn,
project and secure the fine body of swan,
lands which the counties arc'now disposed
TO appropriate to the enterprise, and which
may, if the matter be deferred, be diyerte,
to some other object. Will you say some
thing in Your columns to awaken the atten
ton of your citizens to the subject. Their,
are no others more deeply interested in th'
affair than they. The people OF this region
and for long distance to the West of u
are inclined to 20 to- Evansville for their
supplies. But the difficulties of gettin.
across the Wabash bottoms in the winte
and spring are 80 great, that a great maul
prefer TO 20 up to the Ohio Il Mississippi
| Railroad and thence on to Cincinnati