Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1874-12-10
THE NARROW GAUGE.
proposal to Build a Narrow Gauge From MIL
yankee TO the Mississippi River.

| The people of Milwaukee, Elkhorl
and GAINESVILLE are now discussins
the feasibility of building a narrov
gauge railroad from Milwaukee te
the Mississippi River. The rout.
proposed passes through Waukeshs
County 10 Elkhorn in Walworth
thence westward through Rock
Green, Lafayette and Grant conn.
ties to the river. The GAINESVILLE Ga.
sette, speaking of the project, says:
The success of the narrow gauge
railroads in Iowa, and in the Terri.
tories west of the Missouri RIVER
has stimulated other sections to init
ate efforts for the building of roads
OF this character to compete with
our main lines and to meet the want
of sections Of the country not vet
supplied with railroad facilities.
There is large section OF country,
rich in the agricultural resources and
Astounding IN mineral wealth, in the
southwestern portion of this State
which would prefer to carry its trade
TO Milwaukee if railroad connections
were furnished that would enable it's
citizens 10 do so. which of necessity
has been driven to Chicago. There
Is section of country from MiIwau,
ee on the east to Monroe in Green
County ca the west, lying betw sen
the Milwaukee & ST. Paul and West
ern Union Roads, which would be
greatly benefited by having a com
peting line constructed within their
reach. Through this section of the
State, and reaching out westward to
connect with the system of narrow
gauge roads in Iowa, it is proposed
to build road of this class. The
route, as far eastward as Elkhorn, is
designed to be upon the line of a
road that was chartered more than
twenty years ago, and on which the
grading was nearly completed from
Milwaukee to Elkhorn, distance OF
40 miles /; but which was abandoned
after the panic of 1857 had put an
end for period to railroad building.
Thence westward to Sugar Creek
and Richmond, following the line be-
tween Johnstown, Bradford, La
Prairie, and Harmony, to GAINESVILLE,
and from there through tier OF
towns in Rock, Green, and Lafaye to
Counties to Platteville, in Grant
County.
The projectors of the road say i:
"there is not town on the line that
cannot build the narrow gauge
through its own territory and thus
own and control it," From this
statement we infer that the main re-.
lance of the company for construct
ing the road bed is upon local aid.
If such road can be honestly built
and economically managed, and it
can be if the people will take hold of
it and retain their hold and manage
it themselves, such q road, through
the most fertile section of the state,
will be a great con, enience and can
be made profitable. Besides it would
have the effect to reduce freights on
both the other lines and 10 that way
can be made an advantage to ali
classes of the public. With such a
road running across the state the
monopoly of the elevating business
at Milwaukee can be broken down
and in that way large saving can
be effected to the farmers of Wiscon-
sin, There are any number of cap
i:alists in Milwaukee who would
build elevators and do that branch
of business for one cent per bushel
whereas, the elevators owned by ex-
listing roads charge two cents. With
the advantage of the grading of the
old road bed already alluded to which
doubtless can be secured for nom
inal sum, such road can be built to
this city and equipped for a much
less sum than the old roads assum e
that ten miles of their roads have
cost them. AS a competing road,
therefore, this line would be worth
to the public much more than its
cost every five years. When ex-
tended acre So the state so as to COM
mand the resources of section not
now adequately provided with rail
road facilities, besides accommodate
ing at cheaper rates than they now
pay, the local business alone, which
now goes elsew here, would be an i'm
portant item to Milwaukee and
would make the road paying enter
prise. We have no doubt of it's sue
cess. The cost of building the road
to GAINESVILLE would be so ligh. that
once here it's progress westward
would be assured,