Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1866-12-05
For yba Go-sFt.

= tance. We refer to the Middle Crsal-
Railroad. Much has been already writ
. Ten, and great deal said about this en-
terprIse, but have our farmers, the class ot
al otnerS 70 be benefited by this road.
( thought about 1t, or are they ALLOWING
; others TO think for them, and quietly we
lad almost said Iazily, waiting for others
to act for them. What benefit will Wa
derive?" they will ask. +" We are dojng
, very well; better than our fathers did be-
: lore us; we can see the immense adyan-
tage 1t Will be to the iron interests of this
portion of the State, but how is il going
To help US, except as a convenience for
tfdNeIiH9; ana perhaps save US Il little
hauling"
Let us look at this Our farmers wont
their land lined. Coal is cheaper and
better than wood for burning lime. if the
cost OF transportation is not so great as to
prevent its use. Let them count the cost
of the coal they have hauled in wacons
Tor that purpose, then deduct at least
twenty-five per cent. difference between
that mode OF transportation and a Rail-
foaa, ana The amount of which that sum
Is the interest they can well afford to sub
scribe toward buildinga road. This is one
item only.
The farmers are told, and very trnlv
that when this road is built they can find
as good market for their grain and for
everything that they produce to sell, at as
good price, and at much less cost of
transportation, in the Wyoming and Sha-
mOkln valleys and coal fields as thpv
now have in Philadelphia. But will they
want these markets? We think not. We
have been assured within few days past
! by some Of the leading capitalists and iron
! masters in the State, that the day the
| completion of the Middle Creek Railroad
| became .fred fact, that two first class
! furnaces, and probablYa q rolling mill, will
! be erected at once at or near LewistOwn.
! other furnaces and manufacturing estab-
| l!shments will spring up, as by magic;
! the ore-beds III this vicinity are rich and
! lneXhaustible; give the manufacturer an
! outlet for his productions, and way to
! bring fuel cheaply to their Ore-beds and
! capital is as certain to centraliZe at this
! point rs water to seek its level. What
| better market will the farmer then want
than this? MifIiin and Snyder counties
cannot supply the produce to meet the de-
mands of the manufacturing interests at
| this place, if this road is completed
Have the farmers ever thought of the
immense tax they pay on every plow, ev-
cry wagon tree, every horse shoe, on ev-
cry nail, and every agricultural implement
| that they uSc;-and this too when iron
and timber, the material of which they
are composed, are lying at their very
doors? Why should iron ore be dug out
OF the ground here, sent perhaps to Har-
risburg or some distant part of the State.
rolled into iron, then Transported to some
still more distant place, manufactured
into the implements which the farmer
must have, and then brought back to the
point from which the ore started? Does
the farmer who uses these articles not
KNOW that he, the consumer, has to pav
for all of this unnecessary TRANSPORTATION? |
The true principle of manufacturing j. 10 |
locate as near the raw material as possible |
1t costs but little more to transport a ton |
OF nails than a ton Of iron ore, and it re- |
qures many tons of ore to make one ton |
OF manufactured iron. Build this rail |
road, and thus enable the manufacturer !
to get fuel cheaply to the rich ore beds i'm |
this vicinity, and we predict that Lewis |
town, with her line water powers and |
other natural advantages, will at 10 dis |
tant day rival Pittshurg. The consumer |
OF the article manufactured will reap his !
share OF the amount saved in manufactur-
ing.
Another fact for the farmer: We have
not an acre Of land within ten miles OF |
this railroad that will not be worth. five
years from to-day, if this road is built, at |
least double its present value. Your tim
bered tracts, which are now almost value
less, will then be of immense Value
Nothing that you can raise but YOU will |
find q ready market for. You Will be in
direct communication with the outside
world, from which you are now complete
ly shut out, and the only thing which
will surprise you will he that you did not
build the road ten years sooner Do not
let our old men say that they have got |
along very well so far, and can do with
out a railroad the little time theV have to
stay here. We are not living solely for
ourselves, but for our posterity, and our
country. If you never yourselves enjoy
fully all of the benefits to be derived from
this road, your children, and your chill
dren schildren, will reap the rich reward,
and will thank you for your enterprise.
Ne could adduce many other potent
reasons why the agricultural and all clas-
scs should come forward at once strength
en- the hands ofthe few enterprising men
that have started this great project, and
build the road; but space will not permit.
What we have advanced are not theories
that when put Ill practice will prove fall
Iacious; they are facts, upon which the
lamp OF experience sheds light, broad
and clear as the MONDAY sun. Not
railroad built In the State but will dem
onstrate them to be so.
We may in our next issue show some
of the benefits that will accrue to the
mercantile and manufacturing portions of
our community, to the increase in the val
he of real estate, and to the saving in the
article of fuel alone to every citizen by
the building of this road.
We urge upon all to come forward and
subscribe literally to the stock of the
road. Not as gift, not as money thrown
away, but as a safe and paying inUeSt-
ment! If our people at home will at
"':%n ;"isa money to I,r|'('c this roa-t, there
VIII be no trouble in negotiating the
bonds Of the company for the purchase of
the superstructure and equipment Do
not wait for others to act for you in this
matter. Don't wait for your neighbor to
subscribe; think and act for Yourself
and not adopt do nothing policy, which
might consign this enterprise 10 q Rim