The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-06-09
2allTOad 20 Southern IlllnOIs--The
Best ROute.
Editors Journals:


| sec by the JOURNAL of June I'd,
that a company has been formed IN
Evansville for the purpose of build
ing railroad from that city to Cairo,
Illinois, and thence to Paducah, KY.
Surprising that the object of the pro-
iectOrs Of this road is to place Evans
willie in a position to. command the
trade of Southern Illinois, [ regret to
see business men take a step in an
enterprise which can only result 10
disastrous failure. The road pro-
posed not only will run through the
toughest and poorest section of
Southern Illinois, but what is worse.
will, when completed, be so crooked
as to be unavailable. It is, in fact,
Il regular right-angled route. Start
ing at Evansville, 1t caroms on Cairo
and pockets in the mouth of the Ten
nessee river. 1t strikes me the pro-
posed route will create a derisive
smile on the face Of every intelligent
railroad man who Hooks at it.
If the trade of Southern Illinois is
desirable and the real object of Ev-
ansville; why not build her road d.
rectly through that portion of the
State that does now, and will con-
'tinue,i to offer the greatest. induce
ments? To determine this, let any
.pna take county map of Illinois and
make out route which would pass
through the greatest amount of rail-
road paying territory, and at the same
time furnish the greatest number Of
railroad connections. Also a route
which would furnish the best err
minus. h
If we look at the railroads already
completed and In operation, and those
in process of construction, we find the
following facts: The o. s. NJ. Road
crosses the State from East to West,
aud the Illinois Central from North
to South, intersecting each other at
Sandoval. This seems to set apart
that portion of the State lying south
of the U. u Nj. and east of the Illinois
Central % the natural and legitimate
trade of Evansville, it being the near
est large wholesale market to that
sectiOn. $500 500
Heretofore Evansville has controll-
ed this trade by means of the Ohio
aud Wabash Rivers-an uncertain
and dflatory channel of commarce.
There was a time when her trade
reached 4 larger scope of country, but
the construction of these two roads
/ has enabled Chicago, st. Louis and
| Cincinnati to successfully rob her OF
much that she ought to have retained
] But these roads do not accommodate
all of Southern Illinois, whose peopie
are alive to their own interests. and
| demand better outlets to their pro.
duce. They have accordingly several
new roads under contract for this pur.
pose. Do all or any of these point
! towards Evansville, the nearest and
most natural market for their pro.
ducts2 A'0t5oRe. The Shawneetowu
/ & Edgewood and the NATION, GRAY
vile q Mt. Vernon Roads will, unless
check mated, take from Evansville the
last Vestige of trade remaining to her
/ in that part OF Illinois, from which
/ she has heretofore gathered such rich
/ harvests. = Add to these the Vineen-
mes x Cairo Road, now under contract
! and soon TO be completed, and the
/ people of Evansville may easily see
| the desperateness of their situation
THE latter road not only proposes to
take from them all their Southern
Illinois trade, but portion of their
Indiana customers.
Now, in view of these facts, what
ought Evansville to doY Build a par
allel road to the Vincennes and Cairo
road, competing with it and the river
ior. the products of the poorest sec
ton of the State? Or SO build as to
avail herself Of all the roads now
completed and under construction,
and make them feeders to her pros
perltyH 1t strikes your correspond
ent that the latter is by far the wiser
course. But how can this be done?
by building road direct from Evaas-
s'tte 70 GrayUttte, and Mt. Vernon, III
nois ana 81, Louis. Such a road-of