St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1859-08-18
Our Railroad interests.

UuT kdllG0du lntclCotS.
We find letter in the Dubuque
Herald, dated at Cedar Falls, August
9Th, and written by Gen. J. W. Smith,
of Dubuque, from which we extract
the following:
J.B. DoRR, Eso.-Dear Sir: | have
noticed two or three articles in the
Herald lately, which have gratified
me very much, not only on account OF
the pleasing facts set forth, but also
that the magnificent enterprise OF the
Dubuque & Pacific Railroad has finally
struggled through alive to point
where you could speak in favor of the
plan of working and encouragement,
as to the men who are to manage it.
Truly these are words of cheer, and
none more so than the fact announced
in your Thursdays morning paper,
which reached here this morning, that
Col. r. b. Mason is to take the place
at last, which the strong and intelli-
gent friends of the road wanted him
to take in the fall of '57, and which if
he could have had it then, the road
would not have suspended work, and
now the cars would be humming from
the State line of Minnesota, to Du-
buque ready to grapple with the i'm
mense loads of produce under which
the earth is now groaning, and lay 1t
down in Dubuque, the merchants pur-
chasing it to replenish their diminished
stock along it's line. l say these are
words of cheer, and if you could have
heard the rejoicing in this town when
it was announced that Col. Mason
was to be the active man of the road,
you would have been happy, and en-
couraged in your duty, when so few
words in your paper produce SO much
pleasure.
But | sat down to write about
another matter, out of which you can,
or ought to, make half dozen arti-
Giles of interest to many of your read
ers, to-wit: the Cedar Falls & Min
nesota Railroad from Cedar Falls to the
State line, and the Minnesota part of
it from St. Anthony to Iowa State line
l suppose you know that it is a fact
that Mr.. VIM. II. Sessions. from Wor-
cester county, Mass, Zone of the most
successful Railroad managers in the
country has been at this place with
nearly 100000 already provided to
grade and tie this road from this place
to the State line Every dollar neces.
sary to fit the road for the iron, is full
ly pledged, and he has staid here du.
ring the whole time, with spade in
hand to strike as soon as it was known
that the Dubuque & Pacific would be
finished to this point. Until then il
would he useless to do anything But
this is not all. The people of Min
nesota are anxious now to take hole
of some one of these Railroad enter
; prises, which will give them winter
communication with the rest of the
world, and the Cedar Valley & Min
neapolis Railroad being already large
ly graded, thus could unite their re
naming strength on this project bet
ter than any other from the fact that
it sweeps down through the centre o
their beautiful State at a proper dis
lance from the river, developing tn,
whole State, and opening market tc
all. Look then at this splendid enter
prise, and see, what it would do for the
Dubuque & Pacific Railroad it will
do for Dubuque. With that enter
prise, which they can even now &C
} complish, with all their prostration
Minnesota will be central as an out
} let for o long time, the line Of tn
. road, and ours, will be settled. an,
) when any other opening East is want
! ed, we can well afford to let then
J have it, for we shall by that time b,
; So strong that nothing could hurt us
The country alone would make it ;
paying road.
Now please take up these facts, q
speak what know, in this letter. and
awaken our people, and the people
of Minnesota, to the Importance o
this plan so feasible now, SO practical
and one that will enrich us all. Dom
you publish this letter, because it il
not in shape for that / should bt
ashamed to see it in print, but yor
can make several interesting articles
for your paper out of what | have SO
roughly and hurriedly thrown togeth
en-
1t appears that Gen. Smith, togeth
err with others, has been looking into
the affairs of these railroads, and the
Herald says he is not to be deceived
in his Investigations. The Dubuque
and Pacific road is under contract tc
be completed to Independence this
fall, and next season will undoubtedly
be finished and in operation to Cedar
Falls. The Herald sums up as fol
lows:
The Dubuque and Pacific is com
pleted to Nottingham 40 miles, and
provision made in the Root contract
to extend it to Independence. The
means to construct and equip the Ce
dar Falls and Minnesota Railroad are
provided, say IS miles to the State
line. The Cedar Valley and Minneapo
lis Railroad, from the State line to
Minneapolis, is largely graded, and is
now in the hands of men who will
build it. This road is about 1870 miles
long. But there is still link of some
80 miles from Independence to Cedar
Falls to be constructed to complete
this line of 800 miles, distance equal
| tn tho ontira lapnfh nf tho nubnoua
& Pacific to Sioux City. And this
line of Railroad traverses from Du.
buque to Cedar Falls 100 miles, from
Cedar Falls to the State line IS miles,
and from the State line to Minneapolis
100 miles, a country well settled, fer
tile, and Astounding in all the elements
of wealth.
| Advi,.as from Salt T.ata ~ tho l0tl