The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1865-03-16
From the Davenport Daily Democrat.
Railroad Meeting---Our South
western Connections.

Mayor Lowry OF tnlS cUy, many citlIenS OF
Davenport interested in the construction Of
Railroads, met at the Council Chamber last
evening to listen to the remarks Of Col. Geo.
GiIlaspy and Or. Hinsey, Of Ottumwa, con-
corning our prospective Railroad connection
with the South Western portion of Iowa and
ST. Louis.
The meeting was organized by calling
Mayor Lowry to the chair and appointing
ID. n Richardson and Edward Russell Sec.
retaries; and Col. Gillaspy was called upon
to address the people. -a.
The gist of the speakers remarks were as
follows: Ottumwa is city of some $500
Inhabitants, located in Wapello county on
the Des Mones river, at the junction Of the
Des Moines Valley Railroad and the Buring
ton & Missouri Railroad. Ottumwa is north
of a point on the Missouri State line to which
the North Missouri Railroad is located, and
is the objective point in Iowa at which that
road ia to be extended. That town is 3S
miles from Washington the present termi-
nus of the Mississippi & Missouri R. R.
Now the question to be determined in the
minds of the Davenport public was. whether
they would prefer to have the. NJ. & NJ Road
extended, (when the Company owning it
should be ready to do SOY to Ottunwa. SO
miles distant. where there is already juno.
ton of two roads enjoying thriving trade,
and has good prospects OF soon having d.
rect communication with ST. Louis by rail;
or to have it extended to Fairfield in Jeffer-
son county, a thriving prairie town but 25
miles. distant from the M & NJ terminus,
and a way station. on the B. & NJ. Railroad;
or. to Oskaloosa, another inland town with
railroad communication at present, and farth
er distant than either Ottumwa or Fairfield
from the NJ & NJ. terminus. Upon this i'm
portant 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 anything of the sort from
the people of Davenport; but wished merely
to have the matter thoroughly agitated to
the end that railroad men would see the de-
mand and the benefits arising from such
connection, and eventually fill up the gap
between the now existing roads, giving the
people of the South Western part of the
State room to operate, as we'll as those of
Davenport. At present their commnnica.
tons with the East via the B. & NJ, and the
G. B. & Q. Roads were inadequate being
short of rolling stock and having no bridge
across the Mississippi river-hence the de-
sired connection. a-'
The meeting was next addressed by L. S.
Viele, DR.. Hinsey E. E. Cook, G. G. Alvord,
Austin Corbin, James T. Lane, John L.
Davies, Dr. T. 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
road were built from Washington to FAR
field or from Washington to Oskaloosa, and
turned over to the NJ & NJ. Road, it was
matter of serious doubtin his mind whether
the Company would care to run it for what
could be made, for the plain reason that the
NJ. & NJ. terminating at either Fairfield or
Oskaloosa could not possibly command bus
mess enough to make running expen ses
Washington and Ottumwa, he could see
very clearly how such a 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 t o
incur any heavy expenditure being con-
WINGED in advance, that it wouldn't pay.
Every speaker was Of the opinion that
Ottnmwa was tie proper objective point for
South Western Railroad connection; but
inasmuch as we were in courtesy bound to
hear Our Fairfield friends, public express
ion was deferred until an adjourned meet.
ing to be held on Tuesday. evening. the 21st
inst, at which time the people of Daven-
port are requested to re assemble.
A Railroad to Otilamwa.
We were waited upon yesterday by Hon
G. Gillaspy and DR.. j. G. Hinsey, of Ut
tumwa. They called on a number Of citi
zens, and were, We believe, favorably re
ceived by ALL
Our citizens have always been anx,ons for
railroad connection with the Des Moines
Valley, and for many years looked for the
extension of the Washington road to Oska.
loosa, as promised by the M. & NJ. Co. when /
they obtained our county bonds for $3.50.
600 and city bonds for $3.50, 900 more But
onr hopes have been deferred until we are
heart-sick and almost discouraged, so far as
reliance on the promises CT this company Is
concerned. ANY project, therefore, offering
US the advantage of this connection il vel
coined. The proposed road to Fairfield we
thought good thing. but road to Ottum- |
wa Is better, as It will afford direct connec-
ton to St. Louis by the North Missouri
road.
We understand that Convention will be |
called at Ottumwa sometime som to pu. |
this project in tangible shape, and that our
citizens will be invited to send delegates |
there. They will no doubt respond, and
give the enterprise all the encourag cement in
their power.-Muscatine Daily Journal.