The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1870-01-19

correspondence.


CRAT-H our memory serves US, We be-
heve we promised to drop you note oc-
casionally, and keep yourself and numer-
Gus readers posted on matters and things
| pertaining to the above enterprise.
After leaving Canton, our Transit man,
Henry Cock, commenced shooting from a
point near Housels barn, running up by
Mr.. Ranks, bearing little south of west
as direct as possible, for Rochester. This
| place, you well know, is situated on the
bank Of the Tuscarawas river, and IS sur
rounded by one of the richest agricultural
| districts in the State, the Ohio Canal pas
sing through it, makes it perhaps the best
market for produce in this section of coun-
try. We were much surprised, indeed, to
learn the great amount of grain and other
produce taken in at these places, Bethle-
hem, Navarro and Rochester, and shipped
to Massillon, Cleveland and other points,
| all of which go to show the citizens of the
above mentioned places the great necessity
of having railroad facilities, and if the
| old saying, Where there's a will there's
a way" has any force IN fact, you may
rest assured the main artery of the road
mentioned above Will pass through these
places These places, how ridiculous to
an outsider, three villages IN so close
proximity that a sober man might enter
house in Bethlehem and find himself in
Rochester. Come, gentlemen, march into
line, and step to the music of the Union.
| Let consolidation be the watchword and
your name be called Navarro. We feel
like making a quotation here from some
work, speaking Of the old hero, klngHen-
ry of Navarro, but we cannot bring our
memory to bear upon it, so we will pro-
eeed on our way to West Lebanon; but
/ Il
| element IN our composition, we must wait
to say our host of the Stahl house, drove
up in front calling ont, carriage in waiting,
gentlemen step IN, wrap yourselves in
Buffalo robes, and in one hour or more
Will set you down in West Lebanon. Mr..
! Waddell and your humble servant thought
this very kind, very kind indeed, and
have only to say, that in due time Mr..
! Stahl made good his promise. We were
| accompanied thus far by our old friend E.
Raffensperger, who takes a very active
interest IN this railroad project. But as
we wrote you before, all the people here
and round about are wide awake on this
| subject, having paid over their portion of
survey expense, are ready and willing to
do anything when called on, to secure the
road, making this city a point. We re
manned over night at Lebanon, and awoke
the next morning to find the eoldest day
| of the season. Even now. when we look
back and see our boys, staff, Transit, our
chain and level men working then way
up the Mt. Eaton and Lebanon valley,
we almost feel like taking something to
warm US up for them We felt like hold
ing up for change, and used our most
persuasive powers, but all to no purpose.
The boss, A Waddell, was invincible, ex-
-,
the survey of this line as soon as possible.
Well, here we are now at Jefferson, a
village some seven miles beyond Wooster,
where we will leave our corps for the pres
ent, and talk to you a little about our
road bed, its angles, grades, cuts, fills,
bridging, &c. We see no necessity for say
ing anything more than we have already
about the locality or business prospects of
this contemplated road We will speak
of the coal, minerals, business prospects,
&C., if needs be, at some future time
The grade between Canton and Roches-
ter viii not exceed three feet to the mile; !;
from thence to- West Lebanon not over
four feet to the mile, and running from
four to six miles, stretches in air line from
this place to Edinburgh, a station on the
Cleveland & Evansville road, and on to
Wooster thesworks will be some consider
able heavier, but N1ll not be anything
like so heavy a the work on the P Fl W
road entering Wooster Our survey comes
into Wooster by way Of Apple creek, near
Robinson's NH, about one mile south
east, and leaves thelcity in a north-wes-
terly direction, crossing Killbuck some
three miles out of town. In looking back
and taking a retrospectige view over our
road or route thus FAR, we feel q, little to-
wards it as the 1rshman did to his quarry
Ethe stone came ont of it. so smooth, so
nice, and 50 square, that blind man cod
law them. The fact is, should our present
survey be adopted, we Will not have much
more material to move than viii be re-
quired for road bed between Canton and
West Lebanon. The only work of any
moment Will be crossing the Canal and
Tuscarawas river at Rochester, which is
Job too small to consider, when taken in
connection with the massive structures of
the B & o and P & Nee roads, in fact
there is no impediment in the way of ma
king a first class road over our present
survey, commencing at the Ohio river and
running to Wooster, and We feel confident
In being able to report a route lust as ia
vorabIe on to Fol,-aes So far We beat the
Ft. Wayne in distance, gaining between
the Ohio river ard Canton some fourteen
miles, between Canton and Wooster three
miles, making seventeen miles shorter
from this place to Ohio river. and we feel
quite confident we can shorten the dis
tanee a good deal more IN proportion, by
crossing at Smiths Ferry and running a
hge 70 Pittsburgh by way Of Hookstowp
Sweenys run, Traverse, Raccoop, Potato
| Garden, Charters Greek and Pittsburgh,
these places are on an air ine between
4 = u
1 be as well to make the Pittsburgh and
Smiths Ferry survey the subject Of future
remarks, as our Smiths Ferry friends are
determined to hays the survey made in a
short time. q rr~7z ~, 60
Friend Mac, We see IN your last issue of
the Democrat, a paper, styled Paul's epis-
tie to the Gantonians, de-, copied from
the Akron Daily Beacon. Father Paul
thinks that SO far as Canton is concerned
] We VII as well and as cheaply get the in
dependent outlet we need by building a
/ braLch road to Akron, OF running a
switch up to Mogadore, and hook on to
! the main line, running from Baltimore to
Akron by way Of Pittsbnrgh, and you
| seem to term this condeseension a cool
specimen of lofty assumption; far.from it,
dear sur, you do not understand qold Por-
tage keounty as well as we do Let US
unite. Let US work together in common
cause. only change the working a little
Have our neighbor, Akron, complete their
contemplated road running into our city
Their road is already surveyed, officers
elected and all things ready to commence
opera ions Don be losing time, Mr..
Pau, m making surYeyss but 90 to work
on the Clinton and Akron road, you can
have i finished by the time cur great
thoroughfare Is completed, running from
Baltimorsgtq Canton and onto Toledo and
Chicago. We are quite anxious to see
the road running from this place, toEAkron
eompleted,I It opens ups7a saRaSassNh Nhieh
!, aboundeth. with butter and! cheese and
shertens the distance to Cleveland besides
accommodating such of our citizens as are
! engaged IN running, IN your place. branch
! es OF our large agricultural works see
When next We Write our note viii hai
Il from shelby ssdsl5ltE lLl tas ,zllsszsl . H.
ts1si5 H-l sr-i3 lsza- ASA s. lVrsIs &C l-sss =
i oyEETgRE William don't Tella-Fri.
day aN-apiDo