The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1860-05-19
KANSAS RAILROADS.

KANSAS RAILROADS.
1t is conceded on all hands that Kansas
must have railroads. system of railroads;
and it is also generally understood that every
hamlet 1--WE beg pardon-city,) in the Ter
ritory is to be the center of said system
We do not propose, in this article, to break
lance with any of our neighboring "cit-
les" on the question of rival railroad inter
ests, but to offer few suggestions on tile
subject of railroads in general-and first,
with regard to the great Pacific Railroad
That it will pass through Kansas, few will
deny. The advocates of both the extreme
routes are giving up the contest; a contest
in which they are obliged to fight against
nature, and in which the elements conspire
against them. If the central route is adopt
ed, it must necessarily pass through Kan
sas. If we take map of North America,
and trace the 38th parallel of latitude from
east to west, we find very near to it, on one
side or the other, the following prominent
points Washington, Cincinnati, st. Louis,
Jefferson City, Great Bend of the Arkansas
River, Pixies Peak and the neighboring
mines, the Cochatope Pass, the Washoe
Mines, Carson Valley and San Francisco
The two great rivers leading eastward
from the mountains are the Platte and AR
kansas. The former rises in the South
Pass; the latter in the Cochatope Pass
1t is conceded by all mountain men that the
latter is the best pass yet discovered. East
of the mountains, then, there is no trouble.
the road following the course of streams
nearly the whole distance from st. Louis to
the mountains, with only the slight grade of
our sluggish Western rivers.
But it is said that after crossing the
mountains the road must bear either to the
north or south, on account of the Great
Desert. This may OF may not be so. 1t
is but few years since the "Great Ameri-
can Desert" covered what is now Kansas,
the Indian Territory, and portions of Ne
braska, New Mexico and Texas. But this
terra incognita" is moving westward with
the Indian and the buffalo, and will, with
them, finally disappear entirely. The va
rious expeditions which have been fitted
out for the purpose of explorations west of
the Rocky Mountains, have either failed al
together, or the observations have been so
superficial as TO be of little value to prac-
teal railroad men. Capt. Gunnison would
doubtless have demonstrated the perfect
practicability of straight central road, had
not his brilliant career been cut short by
death. With these facts before us, who
will say that nature has not marked out a
great highway across this continent? With
the Pacific road running the entire length
of the Territory, dividing it equally north
and south, the rest of the system is easily
supplied. A road running up the Kansas
River as far as Fort Riley, thence south
west to inlerseet the Pacific at the Great
Bend Of the Arkansas another from Leav-
enworth south west, crossing the Kansas
River road at Lawrence or Topeka, thence
on to intersect the Pacific a. or near the
center of the State another from FIT. Glib
son north west, following the course of the
Neosho until it intersects the Pacific roal
at or near the center of the State. Witt
these roads built, eastern Kansas, or rather
the State of Kansas. would be well supplied
with roads for many years to come. In The
course of time road from the Great Benz
of the Arkansas southeast, following the
stream to. Fl. Gibson or Fl. Smith, woulC
be needed with perhaps few short eros.
roads in different parts of the State.
! These main roads nearly ali follow streams
where they can be built the cheapest. ant
where the densest population. and the heav
lest freighting business will always be found
A few words with regard to our eastern
railroad connections and We will close thi
article. already too long. Our neighbour
in Missouri have just been startled from I
thirty years sleep. by clap of thunder il
the form of veto to bill granting Stat
aid to their trunk roads. We hope tha
they are at last aroused to a knowledge O
the fact that favorable position and gres
natural advantages are not all that is re
quired to make wealthy and powerful
Stale. New York and Boston have for ma
ny years been expanding their energie
westwardly. gathering fresh strength iron
every city they reached. until they are con
nected in interests with Buffalo, Detroit
Chicago and St. Joseph. and through them
with the whole great Northwest. Neithe
do they stop here. This same line of inter
ests is even now reaching to the South-wes
and West, and will never be satisfied unit