The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1869-07-01
The RR. to the Missouri.

AA0 4SxSs W t110 m1SSOurl.
Hon. Il. Fl. Trimble, of Bloomfield,
who was present as railroad man
at the recent meeting for consolida-
ton of lines in Keokuk, writes in the
Davis county Republican this article
giving o statement of what was
done:
"Last Wednesday J. Edgar
Thompson; Il. T. Jewett, BENJAMIN
Smith, Charles L. Frost, and other
prominent railroad men met in Keo-
kuk, Iowa, for the purpose of consol-
idating their NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Central, Pan Handle, Columbus, Chi
cago y Indiana Central, and Toledo,
Peoria & Warsaw.
These roads constitute q continu.
GUS line of road from Philapelphia,
Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. It is not
known certainly what arrangements
were made as between themselves,
but it Is known they have united
their interests and power to build a
road from Keokuk direct through
the southern tier of counties in Iowa
to Nebraska City, and thence to Fort
Kearney, where it will intersect the
Pacific. This will constitute great
midland route from the Atlantic to
the Pacific, and will make.one of the
best, if not the very best road in this
country. There are now thirty
miles of road bed in Missouri run
ming from Alexandria toward Bloom.
field, ready for the iron, and the
track laying will commence at once.
1t is proposed TO build this road, 80
far as the Iowa link is concerned,
under the auspices of the iowa South
ern Railroad Company. If Bloom.
field will do what she can and ought
to DO she can secure that road, 1t
is the road she most needs after the
St. Louis 4 Cedar Rapids is compile
ted 10 Ottumwa. The st. Louis g.
Cedar Rapids will give US northern
and eastern connection by way of
the B. & NJ. and the Chicago, Bur.
lington & Quincy Railroads.
We want another eastern connec.
ton, not on the same line, (the G. B.
& Q. interests) but by some rival line.
Keokuk now has two Chicago con-
nections, and will soon have another.
She has q direct connection with N.
7 Philadelphia and Boston. also one
st. Louis connection by railroad with
a certainty of another very soon.
This road will be competing line,
directly and indirectly with the st.
Louis Il Cedar Rapids, and is prefer
able to any other road looking to q
connection with the G. B. & O., or
any line having a Chicago connec.
ton only.
II is supposed that tho citizens
here will not be called on to contrib
ute till the cars run to our point; but
will be asked, in case we want tho
road to Bloomfield and depot here,
to give our obligations to pay GER
tam amount (not yet asccrtaincd)
when the cars run to this point.
We now have an opportunity lof
securing one Of the most desirable
roads in the country, by exertion
and libcrality. The road will be
built speedily; the cars are expected
here by next December; but lot us
not deceive ourselves. We must
raise some money. If we do not do
this, the men who build the road will
leave our town ard build up other
towns and make the money out of
these new towns. This would not
only be fatal to the interests of Bloom
field but the whole county. The
more little towns a county has the
worse it is off. We want one good
town with large commercial and
manufacturing interests. Railroads
make towas,. and towns make the