The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1869-06-17
ROCKFORD, ROCK ISLAND AND ST. LOUIS
RAILROAD AND ITS CONNECTIONS.

The Chicago Rairoad journal Of u lat
date contains the following interesting arti
Gle on the Rockford, Rock Island aud St
Louis railroad and its probable connections
luusual efforts are being made at this
time to bring into notice the Rockford, Rock
Island and ST. Louis, and the Burlington,
Cedar Rapids and Minnesota railroads. -
These roads, It seems, arc virtually one.
Hon. George Green is the president Of both,
aud the latter looks to the former for an
outlet to st. Louis from ats terminus at Bur
lington, The Rockford, Rock Island and
81. Louis was very successful last year in
dIsposiDg Of ils bonds, and has but one sec
ton of the road which ought to pay very
well OF ItseIt.-perhaps better than the rest
vii, This section extends from point on
the Fulton line Of the Chicago and North
western, near Stirling, down the Rock river
valley toward Rock Island to Cleveland, a
distance Of forty,two miles Cleveland is in
the midst Of valuable coal lands, an exten.
slye area Of which is owned by the railroad
company. There is no coal on the North.
western railroad, and it is reasonable to
suppose that this section of the road will
have q very heavy coal traffic especially
when 1t is extended northward to Rockford.
where 1t would find railroad transportation
By very direct lines to kenosha and Mad
SON. and other points on the different divis
IONS OF the Chicago and Northwestern and
Milwaukee and St. Paul roads.
But the efforts of the company seem now
to be directed chiefly to the southern exten-
SION. Subsidies have been voted by Rock
Island and Moline which secure the extern
sion of the road to these places. The por
ton of the southern division of the road
below Beardstown is located, and as this
town Is almost exactly south Of Rock Island,
the route will he heightened if the road i:
extended farther west along the Mississippi
below Rock Island. But If the line is made
direct from Cleveland to Beardstown it vii
leave Burlington thirty miles to the west
and it will be necessary to build branch
to that place in order TO connect with the
Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Minnesota
road. This connection it is proposed &c
make at GAINESVILLE, where the former road
is to cross the Toledo, Peoria and Warsaw
road.
At present very little produce is sent to
st. Louis by the part Of Illinois north Pt
Quincy, and the river gives an outlet for all
that may offer during great part Of the
yeat. If the new road can maintain con.
neet.ons to the east as well as to the south,
1t VIII be able TO carry freights in either di.
rection, according to circumstances. A
great market At each terminus is a great
advantage to any line: but certainly cen.
nectiOns should be maintained with ONE
great market, and at preseu, it does not an.
pear probable that Northern Illinois will
send much grain southwark, and If !, does,
1t will seek the nearest point on the Missis.
slppi rather than place so far south as s..
Louis
The Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Min
nesota railroad, which is the western branci
Of this great north and south line, ia t.
complete q road through from St. Paul t.
Burlington aud thence to St. Louis. Thi
road is to extend in a northwesterly direo
ton from Burlington through Wapello, Yves
Liberty Cedar Rapids, Vinton and Water
loo, to Mankato, Minnesota, where it vii
form connection with the St. Paul gnC
Sioux City railroad the Mnnesot,
Valley-wh,ch will give it an outlet to St
Paul. A great par. Of the grading betweer
Burlington and Waterloo $50 miles, is com
pleted, and this part is to be ia running or
der this year. II is intended To- have III
grading done on the rest Of the road in tina
time. The distance from Burlington I
Mankato is $50 miles, to St. Paul al
miles, And the whole distance from St, Psu