New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-06-26
THE RAILROAD ADVANTAGES OF
ST. LOUIS.
A Remarkable Exhibit.

ST. LOUIS.
A Remark able Exhibit.
| IRON the St. Louis Democrat
Thirteen railroads now center at st.
Louis. -Four more are in progress, and
within the coming year will be at least
partly constructed, while the great bridge.
to be completed soon after, will afford ready
transit from each to every other. The
work done already secures to st. Louis a
commanding position in the commerce of
the West.
Eight roads now reach this city from the
eastern side of the river. The Decatur road
is just finished, by connection with the Great
Western, Lake Shore, New York Central
and Hudson River, all under control of Van.
derbilt, gives complete through route from
this city to New York. The Indianapolis
and st. Louis also completed, gives direct
connection with the Pennsylvania Central
and its associate roads, forming another
| through route under one direction. The
Erie road has just opened splendid Office
here. and with the Atlantic and Great West
ern and Ohio and Mississippi forms a third
through route to New York. The officers of
the Baltimore and Ohio, having recently WIS.,
tied this city. are making some arrange
ments to secure control of another and indie.
pendent route to st. Louis so that we shall
| soon have four distinct and complete routes
to the East, each under one management.
We need not say that the prospect of early
| completion of q bridge at this point has
| given great stimulus to the efforts of rail-
road men to perfect their connections with
this city, and the results are already seen.
| Reaching northward on the east side of
| the river, we already have four roads, not
counting the Decatur road already men
toned. The old and popular Chicago and
Alton runs forty trains day. The Jack
| sOnyllle road now gives connection with all
the roads of Northern Illinois. The Rock
| ford and Rock Island, in operation already
to Beardstown, will soon be extended much
| further, giving us the shortest route to
! st. Paul. And the Illinois Central, running
| through trains over the Vandalia road, both
| to Dubuque and to Chicago, forms fourth
| and sharply competing northern line. There
is still talk of fifth. diret to Quincy, but we
do not know what its prospects are. Reach
| ing southwark, we have as yet complete only
one route, the Illinois Central, via Vandalia.
The City OF Cairo has just voted large sub.
scription to complete the Mobile and Ohio to
that city. and this entire route. under one
management, will remain vastly important
one to our city. 1t will soon be materially
shortened by the completion of the Belle
vile road to Du Quoin, when the through
trains of the Illinois Central will take that
course to St. Louis. This road, completed
Quoin in the fall,
Projected and in progress toward the
South are also two other roads, the st. Louis
and Cairo, under direction of the powerful
Chicago and Alton Company, and the New
Albany Road, promising connection with
the very important routes running east and
south from Louisville. The Du Quoin Road,
also, when completed to Paducah, will give
us direct connection with the long line ex-
tending thence to New Orleans, by route
very short and practically consolidated. So
much for the east side of the river. Count
ing the Illinois Central via Vandalia as one
route, though in relation to this city it is
practically the same as TWO distinct roads,
sending through trains by one to Du-
buque and by the other to Cairo, we have
now eight roads reachiEg St. Louis, and
three others projected.
On the west side, similar progress has been
made in extending our communications.
We now have five distinc, routes, though
two of them are under one management.
The North Missouri West Branch, running
direct to Kansas City and then connecting
with trains for Omaha, Atchison, Denver,
and Fort Scott, is essentially distinct route
from the Iowa line, reaching already to
Bloomfield, and presently to connect at OF
tumwa with the Des Moines, the Burlington |
and the Cedar Rapids roads. The Missouri
Pacific, having.changed it gauges and passed |
iutO new uau'Seueut, CUuutCt5 uiI6Ctis |
with roads st Kansas City, and has branches |
already completed or in progress to Boon |
vile, Lexington, Clinton, and via Pleasant |
Hill to Lawrence. The iron for portion !
OF the road via Clinton to Fort Scott has re-
Gently been forwarded, and work seems to |
be progressing well, though We do not know |
how soon it is likely to be completed. The |
Joseph and st. Louis Road which,
when last heard from, needed but
few days work to finish it. The
third great road, on the west side, reaches
from this city. tosSpringfeld, will be opened |
in July we believe, to Pierce City, and
within the year will approach the borders
of the State. The fourth, the Iron Noun
to be extended to Memphis. road south
ward through Arcadia to Batesville, and
Little Rock, has, we understand, just been
put IN such shape as to secure its vigorous
construction. Beside these four companies,
or five great routes, there are projected the
Keokuk and st. Louis, the st. Louis, Chilli
Gothic and Omaha, on which work is being
that place is expected to be laid this season,
and the Usage Valley Road. directly west
ward through Franklin to Fort Scott. Still
another, southwark through Salem to the
White River and Little Rock, reaching most
important mineral deposits, has recently,
we are tOlo, Deen put IN sucn shape as 10
secure its speedy construction.
Beside these, there are many other roads
and branches which promise important ben
efits to this city which we cannot now emu.
One, however, is so essentially
st. Louis enterprise that its progress can
never be overlooked. Both from Denver
eastward and from the terminus of the Kan
sas Pacific toward Denver, men are build
ing railroad at the rate of mile or two daily,
and before September it is expected that
through trains may be run from st. Louis.
via Kansas City and Denver, to Cheyenne,
there uniting with the Union Pacific. Great
as this enterprise is, however, we hope it
will neither delay nor prevent the speedy
of the road southwark through
Colorado to albuquerque, there joining the
Atlantic and Pacific, and proceeding thence
on the great thirty-fifth parallel route to the
Pacific. Since Congress has thrown aside
all objection to the granting of land, and
has SO literally endowed two distinct routes
on the extreme northern border, it can no
longer refuse with decency to give facilities
to the construction of this Central Road by
the best route of all yet surveyed. We be-
lieve the whole system of grants and subsi.
dies vicious and dangerous one, and if it
is to be continued, the Central and Southern
States have right to some share in its ben.
efits.
This review of the present railroad COM
of ST. Louis shows that won
derful progress has been made within two
years. This city, SO long almost isolated.