The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1874-12-18
THE NAIeIsOWGA UGE RAILROAD.

IHA NANAOU -Ud OGI1 H11LLOL1D
We are pleased to see the narrow
gauge question receiving so much at
tention from the surrounding papers.
Let us keep the ball rolling until the
people are thoroughly informed IT'S to
the advantages Of tile narroW-gauge
system and are convinced Of their I'M
mediate practicability in regions like our
own. The Baskerville Vindicator, in
It's last issue, again refers to the subject
as follows
1.-The Window Reporter, jackson
Republic, WORTH1NGTON ADVANCE,
land i'll fact all the local papers north
and west OF us are discussing the FEAST
.Dllity Of narroW-gauye railroad projects.
The WORTIIINGTON ADVANCE began
;the discussion, and suggested IL narrow
gauge road connecting Wortilington
with the cO:rl mines at Fort Dodge. Of
course it is all talk, but the same kind
'ot talk Has peOpled the prairieS Of No.
'blessGounty with Il thrifty and indus
'trl1tS class OF settlers, and will, if
backed by the proper effort, give them
direct rail communication III almost
amy ,tlMEctiOn.
"The Window Reporter thinks that
one OF the best routes for Il narrow
gauge road is from Fort Dodge, Iowa,
up the Des MOines River, and that it
would pay almost Immediately after
construction, i'll the transpor alton Of
the single item Of fuel, as the whole of
Southwestern Minnesota is treeless
prairie, dependent upon the Big Woods
Ut Central minnesota for fuel. which
must soon become exhausted.
And that is the keynote of the
whole question. Cheap fuel we must
have. No town or country can become
prosperous without it, and it is one Of
the strangest phases Of the whole mat
ter, that, with an ineXhauStlble supply
of coal, gypsum and building Stone,
with the richest part of two States in
need of all three commodities, Fort
Dodge shonld make 10 effort to increase
her facilities for supplying the market y
The Vindicator says truly that the
same kind Of talk has peopled these
prairies with a thrifty and Industrious
class, Of settlers. "Talk " means SIM
ply stating the advantages of a locality,
aproject or an enterprise of any kind,
and is always the necessary forrunner
of action. And "talk' will set the
narrow-gauge from here to Fort Dodge
on foot.
And now comes the Rock County
Herald. and being duly convinced of
the Importance and feasibility of mar
row-guage roads, deposes and says:
"A first class route for Il narrow
gauge railroad runs from Fort Dodge.
Iowa, via Jackson, Worthington and
l4u Verne to Sioux Falls, u. r., where
it would tap the Pembilla road from
Sioux City, whose construction has
been comnenced. Soon this road might
lie pushed Oh across Southern Dakota
to the Nilsson ii River as settlements
lncreased-in fact were it built in ad.
vance OF settlers, they would immedi.
ately till up the land. One great a,lval!.
tage of such route would lie to bri; q
the Chicago grain market to the doors
OF all the farmers Of /; large productive
region. and another great advantage
would he to bring the people of tile
same region into direct communication
with the coal mines of Fort Dodge
The Importance Of abundant and chell
fuel to a timberlcss country cannot b'
Overestimated.
''Sucl a road we must have. It j.
essential to Il proper development o
Southwestern Minnesota and Southern
Dakota and even if the people along
the line were required to prepare til
road bed, except bridges, they coult
we'll afford to give the labor. E.et Ii
turn our energies toward accomplish
ing a work SO. generally needed"
And the Sibley Gazette wants a mar
row-gauge also from Fort Dodge t
Sioux Falls, passing through sibley ant
Rock Rapids. It says: ~. 7 -:s3 = =:
'',Worthington and Spirit. Lake ar,
agitatfng; the matter of Il narrow gaug.
railroad from Fort Dodge to Sion,
Falls, by way Of those two places
Sibley and Spencer lie on more direc
and better rOnte. Why not have mar
rOw-g,l,ge railroad from Fort Dodge t,