Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1867-10-18
The Extension ofthe ID. 81
Ea @. RnilroAd.

Considerable interest has been exhib-
tied In railroad circles for some weeks
past and more particularly since tie
leasing of the ID. q 8. G. Railroad by
the Illinois Central company, with ref
erence to the completion of the former
road through to the Missouri river.
Hon. Plat Smith, of Dubuque, who, it
will be remembered, resigned the Vice
Presidency of the d. a s.. G. r.. r. last
summer, has recently written a letter
to prominent men in Fort Dodge i'm
answer to their inquiries regarding the
prospects ofthe extension of the road.
Mr.. Smith, states that about a year since
he became satisfied that the old COM
pany would never build any more road.
Their pledges, written and verbal, were
explicit and emphatic on that point up
to very late date, and when oil hopes
of extending the road, had died out, he
resolved to sell out his stock and get up
a new company to occupy the abandon
ed ground. Mr.. John /. Blair, Mr..
Duncombe, Mr.. Smith and Mr.. Walk
er compose the new corporation, known
as the Iowa Falls and Sioux City com.
pany. They propose to go on and COM
plete the road through to the Missouri
river at their own expense, asking the
State to grant them, when the read is
completed, the remainder of the Dubu-
que 4 Pacific lands, between 1000
and 10000 acres. This land grant will
be forfeited to the, United States the
middle of next May. In the mean time
the old company have been moving
vigorously in the matter of extending
the road as they 80 agreed when the
Illinois Central leased the road. Bids
for the contract Of grading the road
were accordingly called for and the
contract for the grading of the road from
Iowa Falls to Fort Dodge has been
awarded to Douglass, Brown q Co.
The contract specifies that the grading
shall be completed by the first Of Oct.,
1868 and it Is undoubtedly the inten-
ton of the old company to push the
r5ad as fast as possible across the State.
Hence the clashing of interests, as both
companies are determined to secure the
land grant. 1t will be a subject for the
action of our next legislature and will
doubtless cause lively railroad fight.
1t will be seen that the old company
have the advantage In possession, but
as to which willsucceed, the future on
ly can determine. Mr.. Smith, in his
letter, above referred to, says: Let
the State by law take possession of the
Land Grant; let the Legislature memo-
rialize Congress for an extension of the
grant; let the law require the road to
pass through Webster City and Fort
Dodge, and such other restrictions al
may be desirable; let the law give this
company the grant in case they com.
plete the road to Fort Dodge by Janu.
airy LIST, 1869, and to the Missouri river
within two years thereafter, and pro
vide that failure Of either condition
shall forfeit all right to IL, and let the
people give them aid by word and deed
in securing us the grant, and they are
as certain to have the road to Fort
Dodge within the time and to the Mis-.
souri, river within the time, and to be
on great through Pacific route, q the
time is to come. -
| We await the result Of the present
railroad war and rejoice with the poo.
pie of Northern Iowa ts.at the road ID
to be completed at an early day.