Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1864-03-04
= q sest..I. - 40 ~
BY JOHN MAHIN.

TERMS OF susscRIPTloM.e
Tss Tss eop:. SoG. :.. adG.y Is 90
IxvAH1AStx IN ADVANCE.
Inscriptions rseesissd Tor months at yearly rat,
RAT9e OF A0V1RTt8lNo
1'as.rstis lines or l'''') i,.:'r'i0n' . 90 90
1": s ,,. ,-s%s'i' :SsSS
T" 3''' 1 year, 15OO
A libsrsl dsduetie. made on larger advertisements
All transisnt advertising must bs paa for itadveaes
Daily, per >nnuA, --SoVV
-. 80 ------- w
The Great western and Atlantic
.-a Railroad. ,
A short time ago we had occasion to
speak of this contemplated great National
thoroughfars in connection with the prospect
for the location Of its western terminus oppo-
site this city. Since that time We have taken
some palma 70 inquire further into the matter.
That tho road will eventually be built there
.canSbe no question. The company is com
posed of some Of the leading business men Of
the country-men who never take step with
out due consideration who, when once con
vinced Of the practicability ola scheme, and
embark in it. never give up on account of OBJ
staclss-energetic, persevering capitalists that
will soonor or later carry to completion this
long contemplated project. That such road
will pay, and pay, immense dividends, there
can be no question. Who can doubt that .
broad gague route extending, without break,
from Jersey City, N. j., to the Mississippi
river, would prove not only Of immense bene-
fit to the country Al large. but great source
of profit to the stockholders. ~2
The line is already far advanced, and
the most serious obstacles surmounted.-
It consists of the Erie road from Jersey
City to Salamanca, on the Allegheny, thence
nearly due west by the Atlantic and Great
Western, proper, through Chataqua county,
N. u, aud parts Of Warren, Erie and direct
IL across Crawford county, Pennsylvania, into
Trumbull county, Ohio, and so to its cross
ing of the Cincinnati and Cleveland road at
Gallon, to which point the road is notc com:
pleted and trains running regularly.
This road was organized thirteen years ago,
by Mr.. Marvin Kent the present President
of Franklin, Portage county, Ohio, who con.
ceived the idea Of connecting the New York
and Erie with the Ohio and Mississippi Rail-
road by q broad guage road, thus forming
one continuous broad guage route from New
York t, St. Louis. he encountered many
difficulties, but manfully overcame all. and
the read was pushed steadily forward, under
the direction Of MI. Henry Doolittle, prac-
tical and experienced railroad man, the cap
ital being advanced by Mr.. James McHenry,
heavy capitalist OF England, and Mr.. Kent.
In 1860 Mr.. Doolittle died, when his partner
surrendered the contract, and the work was
re-let to Mr. McHenry, who contemplated re-
suming work early in 1861. Fresh Difficult
ties arose, however, which necessitated an
other delay The necessary arrangements
were, however, perfected, when the cloud of
war raised by the seizure of the mail steamer
Trent, by Commodore Wilkes. again brought
matters to a stand, 50 that work was not
actually resumed until the spring of 1862.
One year thereaf.er-a year Of tremendous
civil war, enormous armies and scarcity
of labor-the cars we're running through
from Salamanca, New York, to Akron, Ohio,
distance of 200 miles, 140 of which had
been constructed mainly through heavy tim
Der, a display of energy and efficiency which
has rarely or never been surpassed. The
road will be rapidly constructed through to
Cincinnati, to which city it is expected cars
will be running early next summer. At Ak
ron our road, the Fort Wayne and Platte
Valley Rsilroad) commences, running in an
air line directly west through Tiffin, Ohio
aud Fort Wayne, Indiana, to Lacon, Illinois,
at which point it crosses the Illinois river.
1t was expected that the road would cross
tho Mississippi at New Boston, but that poin
has been abandoned. This road has beer
steadily but quietly p, progressing for number
of years. Much work in the way of grading
has been done along the entire line. The
breaking out of the war caused operations to
be suspended, butiwe learn that work will bt
commenced again early in the spring. There
is, therefore, but little doubt..that eventually
the road will be finished. When it is. it will
be the grand trunk line of railway between
the East and the .West-the Atlantic and
Pacific Asiwe stated before, the line is al
ready located to L,con, Illinois, where il
crosses the Illinois river. The Mississippi
crossing has, not a. yet been determined on
If there is an effort made, Auscatine can Sc
cure this. We are directly on the line west
with connections with the great Pacific Rail
road oia Omaha. This will be most i'm.
portant consideration in the location Of thu
western terminus. Keokuk is making effort,
for the location, and on pretty good ground'
that Of being, the greater portion Of tn
year, the virtual head Of navigation. -
But we believe with proper efforts we ma!
secure it. We trust our citizens may awaker
to their true interests, and stir themselves il
this matter. itrequires no prophetic eye t.
see the advaptage to accrue to whatever poin
may become. heliterminus of such grea
National highway. It would at once be tn
central point between the Pacific and Allan
tic, the bridge where, the golden sands of tn
one would meet the products Of industry o
the other, and of agricultural from the Grea
Northwest Ita advantages could not be over
estimated. 81. 10 s.aIga Yds aa9
Wessall have more to say on this subjec
hereafter. n the meantime we hope our cit
izens may take the matter in hand. bi
- T-e~Dt---, n' gu
eWH ~nr,a &c.. 4. >>AI