The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1870-09-07
THE nARAI RAILROAD.
The Ceremonies OF Breaking Ground
Yesterday.


At a little after nine CLOCK Jes'el
dav morning, the President. Secretary
and Board of Directors of the Evans
Vile & Carmi Railroad, with several
o;ty and county officers, and large
number of other citizens, assembled
at the Sherwood House corner, and
about half past nine the whole com
pany in carriages, with WaIren's u.
Band at their head, proceeded down
First Street, Fulton Avenue and
Water Street, through Independence
to Ingleside. where they partly organ
lied by calling Hon. John A. Reitz
to preside, and requesting the repre-
sentatives of the press to act as Sec
retaries.
Mr.. Reitz. on being called to pre-
side, declined to make a speech. He
would not speak of the importance of
this Road; that was already well un-
derstood. He would only conaratu-
late the people that vigorous work was
now begun, with a prospect of speedy
completion. With these remarks he
introduced Hon. w. +. Parrett.
Judge Parrett said that the object
for which they were assembled was a
novel one in Evansville. This was
the first instance of the kind, and he
hoped it was the beginning of new
era in the history of Evansville, bet
ter time, when ground breaking for
new roads would be bereft of novelty.
As to its Importance, we all knew it.
As to the Importance of railroads IN
general, it was incalculable and could
not be over-estimated.
In this progressive age, when in a
few years we made the progress which
ages have failed to produce, railroads
became the great civilizing influence.
Buckle and Sir Herbert Spencer said
that they were but the second most
powerful means of civilization in the
world, By their increased means of To-
comotion and transportation alone,
which became a means of interchange
of thought, and led US to adopt the
civilization and Improvements of
others.
The Judge referred to bis own ex
perience in tho matter Of railroads,
and said that before ten years he was
prepared to see Evansville shelter
within Ter limits a hundred thousand
souls.
Major Blythe Hynes was next
called upon. He said that, although
in no sense a railroad man, he fully
appreciated their Importance and the
Importance cS this occasion. 1t was
now twenty years since railroad en-
terprise that amounted to anything
had been commenced, and during
that time, the city Of Evansville
seemed to be asleep, while all around
were wide awake, and putting forth
their arms of railways toward the
laughing grain fields and the rich
mineral fields. The situation of Ev-
ansville is second to none for a great
city. 1t is the natural depot for the
products of a large portion of the
States Of Indiana, Kentucky aud Ilh-
nois, and should occupy the same rel
alive position to these States that Chi
cago does to the Northwest, Cincin-
natl to the region surrounding her,
or st. Louis to the West. With the
land Of Illinois, throbbing under its
golden burdens, waiting for US to
relieve it Of its treasures of grain;
Kentucky, with its treasures of agri-
cultural wealth, and the land to the
north of US, with its rich coal and
minerals awaiting the agency of rail-
roads to develop them into sources of
immense wealth to Evansville, why
should we not realize Judge Parrett's
predietion2
Apart from mere material progress,
the agency of railroads was of value
almost equal to the printing press 10
the development of civilization and
the preservation of peace. Had there
been bridges across the Ohio in three
different places, and railroads con-
Meeting the North and the South, the
great rebellion would never have
come to pass, and when the North,
the East, the South and the West
were thus bound togsther, then, in
deed. would we be a united nation.
He concluded by a hearty congFatu-
lation on the commencement of the
work, which under the charge of the
contractors, he predicted would speed
lily be completed.
Mr.. Hiram e. Read was then in
troduced, and read the following al
dress:
Ladies' and Gentlemen:
Most happy am to greet you here to-
day TO celebrate an enterprise so 1raugnt
which Won. / and posterity have Vital In
teresk. That which has been needed so
long is now about to be contaminated, and
to think that in a few brief months we
will pass, almost with lightning speed from
& Southern Illinois Railroads.&c. very
thought is electrifyiHg. Our hearts swell
with pride as we see our ctty's gigantic
strides towards greatness. And would
you have them less? Not Railroads are
indispensably necessary TO our growth,
commerce and prosper1ty-they are the
arteries through which the commerce of
the world must pass-to sever these arter-
les that connect with the heart, the pa
tient dies To clip the arteries of com a cree
our cities die. DO you wish TO be con-
nected with a dead city? No. Then go
with us aud advocate that which deVel-
opes the resources of our coIutry-gtves
life and animation to manufactures and
commerce: that tnfuses life and enterprise