The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1869-05-21
" A!hany and st. Louis Railroad


Gle ,ron the New Albany Ledger. in re-
card 10 the observations of the recon
npi;erinr party who went over two oil
Ire proposed lines. and We desire TO cal
attention 10 one or two mistakes. and
also DO fact thst the NEST practicable
-outo ,ies no. between either of these
tw, but vet north Of 10th OF them. And
"A, do r,t ID This in 4 captious spirit forl
wherever rho road il finally located. III
will he Of immense hencfi TO the entire
people OF our county. and therefore 81
should MD IL 20 the full extent OF theii
ahiliiy. without regard o location. so Il
goes through the county. But lrst III
proportion as il is properly located. VII
/; become source of profit to stockhoid-
crs and people and also offer advantages
asa part OF great through route from
rho Pacific 10 the Atlsntic. First. as tol
The local trade Il ere is not enough on
either route at present 10 pay railroad.
and the business which Is 10 pay the rail
road is to be built up ter ii is compile
ted. and the capacity of the country
through which tie northern route would
pass, is acknowledged by all acquainted
with both. 70 he superior 10 that of the
other route.
Next. w hat is an Air Line road? Ger
t2inly ono which Is. as near as practlca-
bic. straight between TWO given points
which in this case are New Albany and
Mt. Carmel and consequently presents
US short line for rail transportation as
practicable. Mr.. ST. John informs us
that the value 10 a through route of ev-
erv mile which road can be shortened
i. estimated at $500. These seem like
large figures. but We presume they are
correct. Then no small amount of mon
@, should induce the projectors of an air
line road to vary from straight line
How is il with either of the routes al
ready examined To understand il, it
should be borne in mind that Mt. Carmel
i in a direct line nine miles north of
New Albany. Is il much of an air line.
then. 10 start from New Albany and go
six miles south To Corydon. when en-
deavorinc To get north. or to Wyandotte
Cave. a half mile further south vet. and
then have to get back north, as the Ledg-
er states. over heavy grading to Grants
burg. and as il does not state. over toler-
ably heavy grading to the line of Dubois
county. TO say nothing of the other heavy
grading in Pike county on this route, or
of the IL miles of heavy embankment
from Princeton TO the terminus. This
route will be at least IL miles in length.
The other route, after leaving Mt. Car
mel runs six miles north out OF the way
TO Petersburg, without, II seems to u.s.
any prospect of commensurate advan-
,age for an air line, as straight line
could be made on about the same kind Of
surface: and then after getting near JAS
per they strike off through a broker
country. most OF which will require
heavy grading, six miles south of I
straight line TO Midtown, when by sim
plv keeping on a straight east line they
would have level valley to go through
neatly the whole Of that distance, an(
save considerable travel in the bends ne
cessary to be made in going through .
hilly country. while they have just q
heavy grading as they would furthe
north to get into New Albany. Thi
route cannot be made under l06 miles.
Now we consider better and shorte
route than either of those named, can b
found north of each of them. We hav
been over a good portion of it, and knoy
II would be OF much easier grade, tn
only heavy grading on it being where W
would get out of New Albany. w
would get out of the city in the diret
ton Of Mooresville, running about tw
miles north of Byrnville, in a beautifl
valley reaching clear to Blue river, whic
we would cross at the old Totten farm
where no serious obstacles are presente
q distance of not over twenty-fOur mil,
from New Albany, and about three mill
north Of Midtown. Here we come I'M
another teautiful valley, known far al
wide as the Stroud valley, up which v
continue several miles, passing north
..pringtown, until we are are near u
old Providence Baptist Church in 0
ange county, which has stood there f
over thirty years. About this point '
would attain our entire northing, al
from there would strike due we
course to Mt. Carmel, distant about
miles. which would be nearly a bee lir
through body of table land, with n
more than three small rises to cut throu,
the whole distance. This route wou
pass on the south side of Newton-Ste'
art, the north side Of Jasper, the sou
side Of Ireland, north Of Winslow, crt
Patoka river near Wheeling, make I
town Of Patoka point, and reach
Cirmel in about lOi miles from N,
Albany, while the grading Of it will l
cost nearly so much as either Of I
routes spoken Of. We spprehend if
Directors have the interest Of New !
bany, with her liberal subscription
100000 to this road, at heart, they v
cause this route to be reconnoitered