The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1869-08-19
THE STREET RAILWAY TO CAMDEN.


menced the survey Of a route for street
railway line between Camden and Rock Ia.
land. The work has been satisfactorily &C. |
complished, and the result been somewhat
considered. 1t was found that the best
route between Illinois street Of this city,
where iniersected by Eagle, and with the
stores of Camden, is triae over four miles
and half in length. A grade can be OBJ
tanned at as low a. eighty feet to the mile
The estimated cost Of the necessary grading
il set down at $4,000. and $500 additional
for the culyerts which will be required The
track is designed TO cross Rock River on
the regular wagon bridges, and to facilitate
travel. double tracks will be laid across these
structures. In order not to interfere with
the passage Of teams, q different rail from
that now on our streets will be used. 1t is
known as the tram rail, and is generally in
use in oil large cltes. II furnishes an iron
projected base on which wagon wheels can
travel with greater ease than on the most
perfectly macadami2ed road.
The length Of the road is somewhat great
er than was anticipated. However, as 1t is
t proposed to use steam street care, this vii.
: occasion no impedinent. Two Of these
cars will probably be purchased. They are
known as the Woodbury. Steam Street Cars,
A, and are manufactured in New York City
= This car seldom gets out Of order, 1t is
8 claimed, and will ascend grade OF 300 feet
a to tho mile, with great ease. 1t will seat
forty passengers, carry over hundred, and
b draw two or three ordinary horse cars filed
with passengers. It will run hundred
|. miles day, at q cost for fuel, oil, conductor
+ and engineer, not exceeding eight dollars
y about one.hslf the cost Of doing the
), same work with horses. 1t will run around
% curves of thirty fee, radius without abrasion
l., to the rails, though no curves Of half that
=; radius will exist on this route. 1t is more
manageable than cars drawn by horses, and
r. of course makes better time. 1t does moi
frighten horses, or make more objectlona
ss BILE noise than horse cars the machinery II
= out Of view, and there are no toothed gears
bells or whistles, and no pulling noise o
visible escape Of the exhaust Steamer,
essential items. In the winter the cars vii
= be warmed by steam, an advantage over on
or horse cara. The cost Of one Of these car
3D. is somewhere in the neighborhood of $4,000
:, BY using these steam cars, a large freigh
"' business can be carried on between Cam
20 den and our city. Thus, for instance, Goa
'u can be boated down Rock River TO Sears
-: Mil, and then loaded into tho freight car
on the switch track. The passenger ca
- will come whirliug ont of Camden, run
down the switch, hitch on to the coal car
~ and dash across the fields to Rock Island
" making the otherwise tedious distance in
pleasant and expeditions manner 1t il
calculated that one hundred and twenty ton
Of coal day can in this u4anna- be brough
to our city during at least seven or eIgh
months in the year. Good coal veins ar
ne located, we are informed within three hun
bred yards Of Rock River at many points
:. and will thus be rendered much more aoces
sible than at present. In addition to thi
prospect for regular freight business, eac
+. of the mjlIers of Camden propose to buy
the freight car and use it to the extent Of on
trip DAY to Rock Island, at the very leas
., The contingent business in the freight lin
Wv III Lao, L, ,,,s,In.nb1a II
w sengers, there can be no doubt but that tn
cars will always be crowded. Farmers wi
rst come to Rock Island to trade, not now :
ME the habit Of doing so, and to that end vi
leave their teams a. Camden and come
on the cars. There will be the usual ever
'H day moving back and forth, and during tn
~ hot summer months, the cool fisheries
VI Rock River will attract excursionist
enough to more than pay expenses. W
al. have no hesitancy in avowing our belief tha
en- the stock Of this line will be at a high pr,
;et MUM within a year after operations con
mence. Everybody will then want some G
i! in the family but the manifest, cheaI
GU est, and best way s to come down with III
3D. greenbackS and toko it at the start Their
lie is not q street car line west of the Atlsnu
ocean that does not pay big dividends
~ Next week Mr.. Ben. Harper proposes
II visit our capitalists, merchants, and otht
49,, interested and well.to.do people, and "taI
business to them. He will ascertain no
n,unb stOnl will bo Sn .nrihnd and If on
Oh citizens respond literally, will endeavor t
w, have the road completed and in running OIL
ed der before winter sets 10. We hope t
it chronicle successful reception of til
project.
Certain Of our citizens may be incline
9" to receive it with degree of di.
trust which it does not merit, on the groun
that some astute genius once proposed /
- deed the macadamised public road betwee
this city and Camden over TO the Compan
Tvs which should build the car line. TIL
rs. onion, if we do not very much mistake, Sc
,al onded this suggestion on the funny hypothC
w. sis that the road was of very little AGO."
and was very little used and hence shouI
ho c;r,r o,,,or 20 -onesoever should NUT
S. %. -. .-pudence enough to ask for it. A
$3.50 fears in this respect are idle. It cannot b
80, supposed that the people of Rock Islam
~ would entertain for moment any such
~ proposition. Neither do we think Couuc
can ever be gotten together in this cit
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