Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1865-03-08
i nAHa1na6AD MEETING. s
0sr 6s~sh vvssssrn Cea.ecsasns.

In compliance with the announcement by
Mayor Lowry Of this city, many citizens
of Davenport interested inthe construction
81 Rullpeeds; M q The Oounail sChanber
.last evening v listen To ahs ss1nAs&s Of Col.
Geo. Gillaspy and DR.. Heinsey, of Ottumwa,
concerning our prospective Railroad connec-
tions With the South Western portion Of
Iowa and st. Louis.
The meeting was organized by calling
Mayor Lowry to the chair ard appointing
ID. n. Richardson and Edward Russell Sec
retarics; and Col. GiIlaspy Was called upon
to aedfcss the people. 10.
The gist Of the speakers remarks were as
follows: Ottumwa is city Of some $500
inhabitants, located in Wapello county on
the Des Moines River, at the junction Of the
Des Moines Valley Railroad and the Bur-
lington Il Missouri Railroad. Otlumwa is
ninety miles north Of point on the Missouri
State line to which the North Missouri Rail-
road is located, and is the objective point in
Iowa at which that road is to be extended.
That townis SO miles from Washington, the
present terminus of the Mississippi 4 Mis-
souri, X. r. Now the question to be determ-
ined in the minds Of the Davenport public
was, whether they would prefer to have the
N. & M. Road extended, (when the Compa-
ny owning it should be ready to do so) to
Ottnmwa, 3s miles distant, where there is
alreadya junction OF two roads enjoying .
thriving trade, and has good pospects Of soon
having direct communication with st. Louis
by rail or to have it extended to Fairfield
in Jefferson county, a thriving prairie town
but % miles distant from the NJ. & NJ. ter
minus, and way station on the B. M.
Railroad or, to Oskaloosa, another inland
town with railroad communication at pres
cnt, aud farther distant than either Ottum-
wa or Fairfield from the VI. Il NJ terminus.
Upon this important question he wished an
expression from the citizens Of Davenport.
He did not come to make any promises to
build the road, nor did he expect any thing
of the sort from the people CT Davenport
but wished merely to have the matter thor
oughly agitated to the end that Railroad men
would see the demand and the benefits aris-
ing from such connection, and eventually
fill up the gap between the now existing
roads, giving the people of the South Wes
tern part OF the State room to operate, as
well as those of Davenport. At present their
communications with the Fast vin The B. &
NJ, and the G. D. 4 q. Roads were made
quate-being short Of rolling stock and hsv-
ing no Bridge across the Mississippi River
htuc6 tie desired connectioE "a - 49,
The meeting was next addressed by L. 5.
yiele. DR.. Hensey, E. E. Cook, c. c. Alvord,
Austin Corbin, James. J. Lane, John L.
Davies, DR.. I. J. Saunders and others.
Mr.. Cook, while not speaking for the NJ.
NJ. Railroad Co., Of which he is Secretary,
gave it as his private opinion that even if a
road were built from Washington to Fair
field, or from Washington to Oskaloosa, and
turned over to the NJ. & NJ. Road, it was
matter of serious doubt in his mind whether
the Company would care to run 1t for what
could be made, for tho plain reason that the
NJ & NJ. terminating at either Fairfield or
Oskaloosa could not possibly command bus.
mess enough to make running expenses !;
but were the connection made between
Washington and Ottumwa, he could see
very clearly how such road, coming as it
would in direct competition, with two roads
already forming junction there, and pros
pectively connecting with the through route
to st. Louis, might be made to pay. He did
not consider the Fairfield scheme at all feas-
ible-not even worth candid consideration
that, Railroad corporations were like men in
one respect at least-they were not going to
incur any heavy expenditure being con-
vinccd in advance, that it wouldn't pay
Every speaker was of the opinion that
Ottumwa was the proper objective point for
South Western Railroad connection; but
inasmuch as We were in courtesy bound to
hear our Fairfild friends, apublic expression
was deferred until an adjourned meeting to
be held on Tuesday evening, the 2lst inst,
at which time the people Of Davenport are
requested to re-assemble.