The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1869-02-05

engineer Of the above road, from
which VIC take the following ex-
tracts, and to which we would in
vito the attention Of our readers.
"My survey has been completed,
and estimates made on one hundred
and eighty miles of line, reaching
Cresco from Davenport. The re-
suit is entirely satisfactory. The
expenses of grading, bridging and
tieing will be comparatively light.
Probably no line of road iu the
State Of the same length, has the
same uniform, good grades as this
has. Every thing is favorable to
making q first class road. / see
you have in Cresco some genuine
friends Of this onterprise-those
who believe that the road should be
built. and as speedily as possible,
and built to Cresco, and that it
will be of great advantage to the
town. There is another class who
live in hopes that tho project will
be a failure, maintaining that q
junction Of this kind will be an alb
solute damage to the prosperity Of
the town. At the same time they
say if the road is to be constructed
into Howard County, we must by
all means bring it to Cresco. Now,
l do not mean to argue the point Of
injury in consequence of . ajunction
or crossing, but so far as my ex-
periencc has gone, 1 will not hesi-
tate to labor very hard to secure
this line to Cresco, without the
least fear Of injury. I admit that
all crossings or jusctionsl do not
make large towns. Neither do al!
functions make small towns. On
the contrary, as rule, they are
large places, and made 50, to =
considerable extent, in consequence
Of their having double railroad con-
nections. Look at the important
towns in Illinois that have been
killod--ovcr the lcft--hy this kind
of railroad connection--Froep0tt
Mendoza, Dixon, LaSaHo, Bloom
ington, Decatur, Centralia, Gales
bsrg, and others too numerous to
mention. Tneso points Rlay not be.
all analogous to Cresco, bat most
Of them are. Freeport has no wa
ter power, and is an unpleasant
location, but surrounded by fine
farming country, with triple rail
road connections. and contains 10, :
600 population. l knew Mendoza,
when a single box car constituted
all the depot, and nearly all the
town. 1t was the centre Of fine
farming country, destitute Of fuel.
The Illionis Central brought fuel
from the coal fields of LaSalle. A
double railroad connection was in
itiated in its infancy, and strange
to say, did not kill, but immeasur-
ably augm rented it's growth. -
You all concedc that this limo
will be Of great benefit to the farm
er, by giving competition in the
way Of transportation to the mark
cts. That which benefits the farm
er benefits the town. The few with
whom l converscd when last in
Cresco. that the low price of wheat
made every body feel: poor. and
that immediate action should be
postponed on this account. 1t has
been suggested by our President
that this is the very best argument
in favor Of immediate action. When
wheat is worth So per bushell the
farmer does not feel the cost Of
transportation as he does when he
gets 70 cents and knows it is worth
= dollar in Chicago. I regard Cres-
co as fine, healthy location, and
it would be eminently attractive
with the proposed railroad connect
ions, for people with ample means
who do not wish to enter into active
business. There are many towns
where large manufacturing inter-
ests have sprung up without water
powers. This Of course, in Crcsco,
depends on cheap fuel. and fuel is
just what wc propose to furnish.
Ask citizen Of Howard county
what would be the most conducive
to the quick development Of the re-
rourses of the country, and he would
tell you at once, give us cheap fuel
A large extent of her territory can
not be available without it. Coal,
at price not to exceed $6 per ton,
can be furnished by this limo at
Crcsco. Davenport must, and will
have q north west outlet, end they
do not care to interest themselves
in less number ef miles than reach
and make the St. Paul connection.
Years may elapse before they would
push it on, if satisfactory arrange
ments can be made with tho pres
cnt line. You will see by . glance
at the map that q little swerve is
required from direct limo to make
your point, yet I am satisfied that
this is not against you, provided
tho proper effort ismade, and I do
not believe it good policy, or prop
er for the city Of Cresco to ask tho
farming community to take tho in
itiatiye in this movement. Her
leading property holders should
move, and that at once. You viii
see by the resolutions passed at the
last meeting, that the Company is