The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-02-23
Estab blished in 1040.
Northern Pacific Railroad.

Northern Pacific Railroad.
THE grand enterprise Of tho ago
having been preceded By the, Union
Pacific road, is perhaps on that 40
count not 60 much noticed by our
people, and . large portion of them
Fliste but very littlel i,iss Of tho i'm
ihense land subsidy given il and its
present progress. The right of way,
four hundred feet wide, through the
public lands, ID given the Company,
and niatorisl Of timber and stone
sufficient for use in it's construction,
from tho adjacent lands. The land
grant consists of twenty alternate
sections, forlevery mile, upon each
side of the road through the Terri
tories, and ton sections through the
States. This grant comprises an
area Of land larger thanlis contained
ir the six New England States. As
fast a. twenty-five miles of the road
areoompleted they are to be examined
by government commissioners, and
when approved BY them patents for
the land are issued. This grand
work was commenced last summer,
and is now steadily progressing.
Two. hundred and fifty miles, 1t il
expected, will be completed by carly
autumn Of this year, and The entire
road, by the terms of the charter, is
70 be completed in 1877. Its, how
ever deemed entirely feasible to finish
the road from three TO four years
earlier than the limit namcd in the
charter. This road has it's Eastern
terminus at Duluth on tho chain of
Lakes, and also with branch to st.
Paui, giving it a connection thero
with the trade Of tho Mississippi.-
Z " n u
lts Pacific terminus is on the Puget
Sound, Washington Territory, with
. branch to Portland, Oregon. This
line is said to be the shortest across
the continent, making the distance
BY rail from the lakes to the Pacific
coast from five to six hundred miles
loss than At present. Besides this it
is affirmed and not denied, 30 far as
wc know, that the climate is much
milder on this route than on the
Union Pacific, and far less trouble
from snow, and that this difference
IN climate arises from the fact that
The elevation above the level of tho
Sea lie so much less, which good
deal more than componsates for the
difierenceinthe latitude Of tho roads.
This seems singular to the casual
observer, but the facts demonstrate
The truth of the, statement, II is
said that At Puget Sound the wealth
or is scarcely severe enough a. any
time to form ice to be put up for
Summer use. JustNow it is . moot
cd question what particular point
will be made the terminus on the
Sound for this road, and jolly time
is being had among speouIators to
fish out the lucky locality. some OF
the most fertile agricultural valleys
of the United States lie. along this
route, and the construction of this
grand national highway is to people
in the next ten years with the ever
lasting go-ahead Yankee aud the in
dustrious foreigner, millions of acres
which are now an unapproachable
wilderness. So rolls with vast wave
like rapidity over uncle Sans broad
acres IN these latter days: the happy
prosperous teeming millions of this
land Of freedom, where untrammeled
liberty il given to enterprise on tho
part Of every body. Judging from
the achievements of the past ten
years, we dare not allow ourselves
to fix any limit to the progress Of
the next ten, for we feol that the
half of the reality cannot now be
guessed by tho livest Of Yankees.
The Oskaloosa Herald says, that
Mr.. Joy, will connect with his St.
Louis Il Keokuk railroad, which oar
people know Wolf, Carpenter 4 Co.
are now constructing, with tho
Central Iowa Railroad. at