Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1865-09-22
The Grading of Fifteen Miles of Road
to be Contracted at Once!

to be Contracted at Once!
Last Tuesday was proud day for the
people ofthis portion of Iowa, it being the
occasion of breaking ground at Cedar
Falls ON the Iowa Central Railroad
AS was BETTING the inauguration of so
important an enterprise the day was
made one ofjubilee and rejoicing. The
grand celebration surpassed in interest,
enthusiasm, harmony, and all the neces-
sary adjuncts of complete success, that
of an established holiday or public an
niversary that the people of the Cedar
Valley have ever heretofore mingled to-
gether in concentrating.
On Monday evening, when most of
our people were in their beds, the loud
boomings of cannon spoke the coming
day; and again at the first glimmerings
of light in the morning the echoing
peals of the glad gun awoke our citizens
from morning dreams and morning
maps to thepresence of q day than which
no more important in its relation to the
prosperity and growth of our city had
ever dawned. AT an early hour people
of the country commenced pouring in,
and by ten o'clock, the hour for form
ing the procession, the streets were
density crowded with men, women,
children, teams of horses and teams of
oxen, and all manner Of conveyance.
The procession was formed on Main
st. under the direction of Chief Marshal
J. NJ. Overman and his Assistant Mar
shall Fitzroy Sessions. The order of for
nation was as follows:
Band.
Spade Phalanx.
Artillery.
Wagons with Flows and Scrapers.
TWO trains of cars with fifteen bells.
/ Carriages with Speakers and invited guests
Citizens in carriages and wagons.
Citizens on foot.
The procession contained one hun
! drcd and three teams and about fifteen
hundred people. 1t was about q mile
in length, and presented very fine APP
pearance. There were many banners
with appropriate inscriptions, scattered
through the long line, and some of the
pithiest and best Of the notices we took
down on our note book. Here they are !:
hands and vowed eternal friendship"
THE New Trinity-Iinnesota, Iowa end
Missouri" 7
-, The Direct Route to all parts Of tho Old
world is the Iowa Central ria st. Louis"
THE strongest ties between the North and
south are the Iowa Central tieS.v
Cars. -
ave prefer Depot to n Sand-Hill Station. ~
I'VE are rather a quiet people, but the lev
/, ol, Chain, and Dollars Will tell"
THE Roads that pay-New York Central
trail" "
On one wagon was a represeI tation of
q train of cars on the Iowa Central road.
painted on canvas by Simeon F,leisch.
The engineers hair was standing
straight out behind, owing to the ve,sc-
ity OF the train, and the fireman was
franticaily piling in the wood. NJ. Gan
nor was conductor. One could read on
the cars, Iowa Central and North Mis-
souri, Express" and plainly see the
Union Depot, Cedar Falis,' stand
ing hard by. S. A. Bishop was con-
duetor of another train; but his was
composed Of dirt cars, loaded with bells
for new locomotives and lot of import
ed news and peanut boys, the stock at
home, surprising as it may seem, having
been exhausted.
Reaching the ground the procession
passed under handsome arch, bearing
the inscription:
"This is the day we Welcome our Friends
and Break Sod for our Enemies"
The ringing of bells and firing of
cannon and beating of drums ceased,
and Peter Melendy announced that the
great event of breaking ground on the
Iowa Central was about to take place.
The crowd gathered. thick around the
little square that was to be graded and
tied, and the engineer drew his lines
and told theanxious men where toput in
their shoveis. Gathered thus the crowd
waited for the President of the road,
Hon. David Morgan, of Oskaloosa, to
throw the first shovelful. Mr.. Nor
gan mounted q box, shovel in hand, and
said:
Six years ago Hon. J. B. GrinnelI call
ed a meeting for the purpose of forming
@ company and commencing the original
surveys ON a north and south road
through Iowa. Work on the road was
stopped by the rebellion, and the COM
pany lost its franchise. On the 9Th day
of January last the Iowa Central Com
pany was organized, and it was the
proudest day of his life that he was now
privileged to inaugurate the great en-
terprise that Company had in view
Provision was now made by which iron
and rolling stock could and would be
secured. There was no county or town
along theiine more entitled to the honors
of that occasion than Black Hawk and
Cedar Fails. He would proceed to COM
mence work, which should never cease
till the entire line was completed. At
ter he had thrown the first shovelful,
the stockholders and friends were invit-
ed to throw dirt for the Iowa Central.
AS the President then threw the first
dirt high in the air, three rousing cheers
echoed the great event.
Flowing, scraping, shoyeling, hoeing
now becamelively andgeneral. "Shovei
and fall back" was the word; every
body wanted it to say that he threw
dirt at the ground-breaking of the Iowa
Central. Even our friends from Water
loo, who had come to see the great en-
terprise inaugurated, took hold of the
shovels. Judge Couch was particularly
distinguished by greeting of Iusty
cheers, as he let the historic dirt slip his
shovel and fly into the sir. Forty feet