Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-01-03
Correspondence Of the Free Press and Times.
From Chicago
CHICAGO, December 10, 1872.


completion, the greater portion Of which
are erected and enclosed, and the sound |
of the hammer is heard within temporary |
weather blockades in all parts Of the burnt |
district
very important meeting of representa- |
tyes of the leading railroads of the coun-
try was held at the Sherman House yester-
day. Among those present were Colonel !
Thomas y. Scott, who is president of more
than dozen roads, including the Pennsyl-
yania, Fort Wayne and Pittsburg J. n
Mccullough, general manager of the great
railroad corporation Of the world-the
Pennsylvania; Hon. II. o. Jewett, Member
of Congress elect from Columbus. O.; Mr..
Gather, superintendent of Adams Ex-
press Company George Webb, Of the Pitts
burg railroad 5. S Merrill, general mana
ger of the Milwaukee < St. Paul railroad,
and scores Of other representative railroad
mandates The object Of the meeting seems
to have been to effect a better mutual ar
rangement for the entry into this great rail
road center the city of Chicago-of many
of the score Of roads centering here, and to
procure, if possible, the right of way within
the city limits of a few other roads Prom
inent among the latter is the Milwaukee <
St. Paul, which is extending their line
from Milwaukee to Chicago
The residents Of Chicago seem to teel that
their streets are quite sufficiently obstruct-
ed by railroads already, and strongly op-
pose any increase in their number Every
month if not every week brings to light
some new enterprise Of this kind, and yari-
Gus expedients are resorteI to to gain entry
here. The '' Chicago and Pacific" which
enters the city near the northern limits,
failing in every other attempt, finally as
sembled u large army of workmen and by
force Of numbers laid a track into the city
during The hours IF Sunday. \ mob tore
this track up on Monday, but it was relaid
at once. and trains are now running over
it, but how long they will be permitted, re-
mains t, be seen. Th. road crosses two
divisions Of the Northwestern and the latter
road with its usual spirit n envy,
at once laid down several short tracks
parallel with their old tracks, thus
forcing the Chicago and Pacific to cut
their rails into short pieces The meeting
Of yesterday. resulted in completing ar
rangements 10 build next year Grand
/ Union Depot on the bank Of the Chicago
river, opposite the present site Of the Briggs
| House, which Is to be used by the following
road and their various divisions the Pitts
burg. Fort Wayne and Chicago, tine Chicago
and St. Louis, the Pittsburg, Cincinnati
| ami St Louis. the Milwaukee and St. Paul,
and one other The Pennsylvania Company
could not effect a satisfactory arrangement
with the Northwestern, and has now Joined
with the St Paul road, and if rumor Is cor
rect. this arrangement extends beyond mere
right of way into Chicaso. The Pennsyl-
yania Company j. not represented by any
lines into Wisconsin or Minnesota, and
connection in that direction seems eminent
Is desirable The Pennsylvania combina-
tiou- are not content with their present con
troll and operation of over 5000 miles Of
road, and their extensive interests in other
line- Of as great OF greater extent, but they
require for their perfect satisfaction q
uorthwestward connection, and Pacific
road of their own, and this, Col. Scott ex-
poets they will have in the southern Pacific
within two years Within few days Col.
Scott has received adyce~ from the Missouri,
Kansas and Texas and the Houston and
Texas Central roads showing that only
twelve miles remain 10 be built before an all
rail route viii he in operation from Kansas
10 Galveston.
some little excitement was occa~ioned
this week by the resignation Of Col. Frank
4 Eastman, formerly OF Vermont, from the
postmastership Of Chicago, and no little
surprise a, the new departure from the civil
service reform. in the intelligence that Gen
Macarthur Is likely to succeed Eastman in
stead Of the present esteemed Assistant
Postmaster, Colonel Collins : Squires,
whose promotion Colonel Eastman urged
upon the government. While Colonel East
mans resignation created some surprise
ployes of the post office here. and the cause
assigned by Col. Squires, Is mainly dis
satisfaction at the recent ruling of the Post
Office Department, holding postmasters re-
spOnslble for losses of regiStered letters The
postmaster of Chicago i required To give
$500, 600 bonds. while his salary is but 81 600;
registered letters TO the amount of thousands
of dollars pass. through this Office
daily. and of the 800 employees TWEEN
ty-fiye are in the registry departme
Col. Eastman claims that no possible care
or precuution can prevent the theft, loss,
mislaying or miSdirection of an occasional
letter, Il, no system has ever succeeded in
entirely avoiding errors or losses in the
transmission Of mails But who shall be
responsible for the contents of a missing
letter? The government discaims all LA
bility and now points TO the postmaster in
whose office the registered letter was last
traced. During Col. Eastmans admins
tration of nearly four Years, registered let
ters to the amount Of about s. 900 have
been lost in the Chicago post Office, the
largest sum being $1,000. The govern
ment has insisted upon Col. Eastman :
liability. The Colonel refuses payment,
taking the ground, with very high legal
advice, that since the principal in the case,
/. e. the United States, is not liable, there
I
man contends that it Is preposterous that
an officer with a salary Of S4 600 a year
shall be at the mercy of any thief or gn0-
ramus, whose dishonesty or stupidity in a
single instance may wipe out all the prop
erty the officer possesses Maintaining this
position Col. Eastman refuses to make 10
from his own resources the 81, 900 loss, and
the government, taking the side of the loser
against him, Col. Eastman has resigned
with true Vermont spirit, as was his ex-
pressed intention if, after an interview at
Washington, the authorities insisted on hi.
liability.
The season for amusements il at its height
in Chicago. with Charlotte Cushman al
McNieker' ;, where this greatest tragedienn,
impersOnates - Meg MerrilieS,' next week
to be followed by Queen Catherine - il
Henry the VIII and Lady Macbeth" Lydia
Thompson, at the Academy of Music Mr.
LawlOr as Mark Antony" and Mr.
Mordaunt as - Brutus;' adding to these
s attractive bills at HOoley's Opera House
e Myers Opera House and Nixon's Amphi
t theater, Chicago may well be said to hay'
- more than gained her former prestige by
way of amusements as well as business
Burlington is quite hOnorably represented
) among the business men of this city, as
{. will attempt to show in my next letter.
J.S.H.
n The LAST Boz Nor. Mr. Evarts, VIII,
r has been here with Gen Gushing to settl,
up the accounts, etc, of the Alabama
Claims Commission at Geneva, said som,
: very good things which received circulation
and the following has found its way into
y print Gen. Garfield was at dinner party
r where Mr.. Evarts and Senator Casserll
; were also guests, and he undertook to tel
;, the latter how constituent of his, con
r nected with the press, came here, anC
the Senator from California The Journal
e istic stranger entered the reporters gallery
5 to find much younger SOl0n talking, anc