The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1860-07-10

Nj. 4 w. R. r. OrplcE,
Carthage, Ill, July 3, 1850. !

Ihe StoCkholdcTs OF me h7fassfpp4 ana
1 Wabdsh Railroad:
AT tho close OF the year present YOU q
brief statement of the amount Of work done
| on the line of road during the year, and some
other matters that may be Of interest to you
as stockholders, and to others who desire an
early completion of our road.
Work was commenced at Carthage, in june
| of last year, and has been continued without
| interruption to the present time; and at this
time there is q larger force employed on the
| work than at any other period.
The loss OF crops for several years, rem
dering it difficult TO make collections, made
| it necessary that the contractors should OBJ
serve due caution and not work beyond the
available means of the company. No set Of
stockholders ever evinced a more willing spir-
it or did more under the circumstances.
The total estimates Of work done by Buell.
Co., as shown by the report of the Treas
urer, as credited on bis books, amount TO
Sl25 ,9S9 90, all OF which has been paid ac-
ording to contract.
We thus commence the new year free from
any claim from the contractors for work al
ready done, consequently every cent paid by
you hereafter can and will be faithfully used
in carrying forward the work.
The Engineers report shows that to June
1st, ls6p,--tbat date being the CLOSE Of the
ear,--4wenty five miles of grading has been
done, including the heaviest work en- the en-
tire road.
From Carthage to Bushnell is ALL miles !;
distance graded TO LIST of June) rs miles !:
yet to grade l6a miles. This distance is
chiefly prairie work-can be done with "a
pidity, and is not so expensive per mile as
the work done last year. There is no doubt
but the entire line will be graded from Car
thage to Bushnell before next winter.
There has not only been twenty fve miles
of grading done the past year, but a large
proportion of bridging and culverting has
also been erected, or the timbers on the
ground, already framed, together with the
pur chase of cross ties wherever they could
be obtained along the line.
The distance from Bushnell TO Canton is
3 miles; distance graded 24} miles, leav-
ing I miles to grade. The heaviest work be-
tween Bushnell and Canton-incuding ali
the trestle work on Spoon river bottom and
the grading of Spoon river buffs-is done
A Il the culverting is in between Spoon river
and Canton-le miles-or the tmbers on
the ground.
The total distance from Carthage to Can.
VIII ~ - GIrbhboC kbuucd w uiits
dis ance to grade % miles, with sufficient
complete the grading and large proportion
Of oulverting, &c.
The 1T miles Of finished road from War
saw to Carthage has, at q very heavy expense
TO Messrs. Buell. Il Co., been placed in good
cradle towards repairing and keeping in good
Aa~t hnr rff,y,r stank ~
engine has been remodled, and will soon be
placed on the track as good as new.
AS to the prospect of an early completion
OF the whole line from this place TO Canton,
| will only say, that il is to be very reasona-
bly, expected from the following reasons -
The line Of our road 10 one Of great import
anoe from it's connections, both at it's eastern
and western termni Starting from the thr-
wing city Of Warsaw, place largely engaged
in man al acturing and other sources Of bust
ness and wealth, and from a point opposite
the city of Kcokuk, at the foot Of the great
or lower rapids of the Mississippi at the
bend of navigation during considerable
portion of the year; and connecting at Keo-
kuk with two important lines OF railroad,
nov in process of rapid completion into the
int srior of the State of Iowa; and being the
on direct eastern outlets for the vast trade
that must coon be brought to keokuk by
those roads, AM the State line road, now be-
ing constructed from Pennington ON ghs Fl.
Des Mones II. r. west through the border
counties Of Iowa and Missouri, it will at once
be seen that our line is to be the outlet for
all the business accommodating at Alexandria,
Mo-, keokuk, Iowa, and Warsaw, ILL.,, oil of
them on the Mississippi river, and within
space OF 1--WE lies and at the "gaten to the
Des Moines Valley, the very garden spot of
the fertile and rapidly improving State of
Iowa.
At Bushnell we cross the Quincy and Chi
cago road at Canton We cross the Jackson
vile and Savanna, for which road the iron is
now being shipped from New York; and pass
ing over the Peoria aud Hannibal road we
reach the city Of Peoria on the Illinois river,
making connection here with the Illinois Riv.
or road, direct TO ST. Louis, with the Bureau
Valley and Rock Island road for Chicago,
and tho Peoria and LogaDsport road, the di-
rect eastern line for New York and oil east
ern cities.
We are not only necessary link in the i'm
portant system Of railways just referred to,
bat the certail completion OF your road NAV
justly be argued from the great amount OF
local business that must be done by it. From
Carthage to Canton, as already shown, is
seyenty-three miles. Three-fonrths OF the
way is through prairie, yet the line does not
pass over single quarter section OF unim-
proved prairie land, but either through
solid body OF highly improved farms or re,
served timbered lands. There 10 no portion
OF the State Of Illinois more highly cultiya-
ted or more fertile than the portions of Han
cock, McDonough and Fulton counties
through which the line of road passes.-
Groves Of timber and quarries of good stone
occur at convt nient distances along the line.
50 as to greatly facilitate the Improvement
Of the county
Soon after crossing the western border OF
Fulton county You pass through what Mr.. |
Worthen, our State Geologist, is pleased to
style 'the finest coal field 10 the State OF H. |
linois.o The beds Of coal are Of easx aneasa |