Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1867-02-23
PACIFIC RAQLROADs.

OF the various Pacific Railroad scbemes
sefcre the public. two are certain Of success
and an immediate paying business. The
are the road from Chicago TO Omaha and
Salt Lake City, in which eur own city and
vicinity is directly interested.) connecting
with the Central Pacific, Of California, and
including also the Missouri Pacific. This
road and its connections arc beginning 81.
ready to add TO the wealth and population Of
Iowa, and IL pretty we'll known to our read.
sss The other 10 the Atlantic and Pacific
railroad. which Vas chartered during the
last session Of Congress This road, BY its
charter, 10 10 start at Springfield, No, and
run in . direction . little south Of wes.s
crossing the Arkansas whore Il 10 still nav,'
gable. to the Candian river, 10 Indian Terri
tory thence westerly TO Albuquerque, on
the Rio del Norte, short distance below
Santa fc thence along the s5th parallel
north latitude, crossing the Colorado at the
head Of navigation. and going into Caliior.
mia in the vicinity Of Los Angeles thus, i
is claimed, making = shorter route by 500
any Other route II Is most sinsularly di-
rect and easy Of construction, lying. for the
most part ia the valleys of streams and is
obstructel by no mountains other than the
low rangea bordering the valley Of
the Rio del Norte, and lies entirely
south Of the snow belt, and will
show at no point grade exceeding
seventy feet to tho mile. Another very
important consideration 10 the feasibility Of
tapping the road by means Of the Arkansas
aud the Colorado rivers, thus making. In
clading the tcrmini, six points from which
90 build the road.
This road has recently merged into it The
Southwest Pacific Railroad. formerly known
as the Southwest Branch Of the Pacific.
which 10 TO run from 81. Louis TO Spring.
hsld, Missouri. and is already completed to
jerome City. ON the Grsconsde river, 1877
miles from 81. Louis. and tho work pro-
grsssing rapidly beyond. Tho course Of
this road in Southwest Missouri lies through
tho best agricultural and mineral lands Of
that highly favored section Of country, aud
No predict for i. an imm ediatc and Incrsas>
ing business.
The lead region Of Southwest Missouri,
sone of the best mines Of which are on
land belonging to the company, hes long
boon known rs one Of shs richest in that
mineral in the world, and sufficient trans :
poriation is all that is needed for these mincs
10 compete with those Of foreign countries,
even without tariff. Iron orc Of the best
quality il found in abundance, and from OK
pcri.ncn,s recently made it is said TO be
proved that Southwest Missouri eau pro-
ducc equally good iron to Scotch Pig for =
less price than the cost Of tsanSp rtAtion
alone OF foreign iron { ON the Atlantic coast
to this CITY, and il Is not impossible that
tie West may compete with England in the
iron trade ia her own markets with iron
shipped down the Mississippi and across the
ocean or hy the Lake. to Canada
The present outrageous tariff il . hind
Race 10 such enterprise, paying rs it does
enormous honnties for the most expensive
means of mining iron and thereby prevents
ing the necessity u the skill and capital in.
vested in that branch of industry seek ing
20 compete with foreign manufacturers.
But il the Eastern iron manu- saciursrs W i'll
not nike hold Of this matter the Pacific
Railroads.. bound as they are by their ohar>
ters to use American iron, wiil, end thereby
give an additional impetus to the work Of
developing the resources OF the West and
tho completing II our Pacific Railroads.