The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1868-02-06
Annual Report of the Vice
President of the Hooking
Valley Railroad Company.


Valley Railroad Company.
COLUMBUS, O., Jan 28, 1868.
TO the Stockholders:
Immediately following the or.
ganization of your Company, Con
the 10Th of Dec, 1860 o survey
Of the route for your Road was
commenced, and the entire line
from Columbus to Athens, with
several alternatives lines, were
surveyed during the following
three months, and line from
Athens to connection with the
G. & |. Q. r. r. at Columbus was
secured with a maximum grade of
26-4O feet to the mile, and q favor.
ablo curvature. 3.tF4
i x x
During the surveying Of the line
the work of procuring the right Of
way was pushed forward with dill,
gence, and by the 1st of May near.
ly all the rights of way between
Columbus and Lancaster, that
could be procured without .appro
priation, were secured, and an ap-
preparation OF the lands in Frank.
lin county, which could not be pro.
cured upon satisfactory terms, was
made and settled. Alta meeting
of the Board of Directors on the
I'd day of May (the entire line bav-
ing been resurveyed) it was de-
cided to advertise for proposals un-
til tho 22d day of May for the
building ofthe road, which as you
are aware was done, and on the
22d of May the Board met and
opened the bids. Quito q large
number Of bids were made on the
various sections and divisions, and
some FIVE bids for the entire road,
two Of the five Offering 10 furnish
the iron and complete the entire
work. After carefully considering
oil the bids, the Board were unani.
nous in deciding that it was for
the interest Of your company to
accept the bid Of Messrs. Dodge,
Case & Co., for the entire road,
and accordingly contract was en-.
tered into to that effect, they a.
greeing to do all the grading, ma
sonry and bridging, furnishing the
tics. iron rails (56 lbs. 10 tho yard)
frogs, switches, chairs, turn. tables,
water stations, cattle.guards, road
crossings, &c fer r754 miles of main
line, and eight miles of side track,
making in all S31 miles Of rail for
$800,000 in cash, and $4,000 in
bonds Of the company at par. .
The work was commenced in
June, and has been pushed forward
with energy the entire grading
from Columbus to Lancaster being
nearly completed at this time. The
work in and about this city has
been delayed on account Of ex.
treme Tow water in the canal, the
contractors getting the stone for
the masonry for the Scioto river
bridge and canal bridge at a point
eight miles below Lancaster. They
have now succeeded in getting
stono enough 10 complete the
bridges across the canal and Scio-
to river, and will, by spring be en-.
abled to complete the work so as
to connect with the track Of the L..
M. & G. & X. r. r. from which
they can receive the iron to- com.
menco laying track as soen as the
ground is settled in the spring.
On the LIST of December the work
on the 1st Division being so we'll
advanced, part of the Engineer
Corps was taken off and sent to Lo-
gan to lay out the work between
Lancaster and Nelsonville, so that
the rock work could be carried for.
ward this winter, with the view of
having the work so advanced by
spring that the grading on the I'd
Division Lancaster to Nelsonville)
could be done in advance Of the
track reaching Lancaster, and
thereby continue laying tho track
without delay until we reach Mel
sonville, the centor Of the coal
fields, which point it is necessary
VIC should reach if possible by tho
1st of next October, in order to be
prepared to do a coal business the
coming fall. feH
The work on tho third division
(from Nelsonyille to Athens) can
be commenced during the summer
and completed in advance of the
track reaching Nclsonville so as to
continue laying the track directly
through to Athens. The works u
procuring the right of way from