The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1874-04-24
CINCINNATI, ROCkPORT AND
SOtTE-W isSTEitN RAIL
ROAD.
Its Conception, History, Present
Condition ana Future Pros
poets.

Y Condition and Future Pros
! poets.
For some time prior 10 the year 1859
the good people, over three thousand IN
number Of TIE pretty and cnterprising
Town of RocApOrt, IA spencer county,
were becoming yearly more and more
rcstive al The necessity OF living COM
pnraiively detached from the active
world. The nearest railroad eastward
Was the Nrw Albany and salem, about
one hundred miles distant; Tie nearest
Westward was the Evansville and craw-
iord,yiiic, about thirty five miles oil.
Her merchants made trlp> OF "A week In
duration 10 Cincinnati or Louisville by
river and sand-bar navigation. 10 bay
goods and sell their famous tobacco, tie
staple OF the vicinity. Material Tor The
construction OF highway was scarce;
the only communication with Hunlins-
Durgh, Jasper aud the numerous towns
oi Tie Inferior was By mud roads, which
we're generally awful.
/ Tobacco. hay. timber, slaves, coal.
grain, Wool. could only be got 10 the
,Iiyci over iAe iiozcn roads oi winter, OF
The ptchcd ones ot midsummer.
\ luis state OF thugs not being consis-
tent witii The culture and enterprise of
lthi- bcauiIiu. little CITY, some Oi let
ilcading spirits resolved that tockport
should have ra.lroad cut-lot Eoith-
lWaid TO Tie Ohio aud Mississippi rail-
road. How ihis was 40 be done was one
lot those events OF the future which "
was lcN with ;he tuiuIc to he determined.
" itli tie making ot the resolve the en-
,tcrprise was commenced. he next step
Was the iling with the Secretary of
lSlate. on the Goth day OF August, 1859.
loi articles OF association of the Rock
pori aud Northern Central Railway
Oiupany, 10 run nom kUckport north
ward through the counties OF Spencer.
iDunois, Davies and Greene to IIc vi
emily of " oFihington.
Public sentiment was made To take a
decided form by ille voting of liberal
lcash aid which moLey, however, could
lnot be paid ill the road was running
Liberal. individual aid was also promi-
I-rd and the right 0f way secured.
The merchants OF Cincinnati. with
whom tiie RUckrcri people dealt. were
asked for help which they consented To
give. provided Tic road was made 10
lun eastward fnin Jasper aud ia the
interest 81 Chcinnnri, 10y conueciing Z
,Mith the Olilo aud Mississippi railroah
lM Mitchell. Ia Tie meantime Mount
Vernon sad ieald 90 the Cincinnati pro-
4o.u 4nd oAei,d to give liberal aid }.
! ihe ror,d were IA a. 40 ran there. To ac-
conn ,i-h dis an u-~urlilcu WAS iur,n-
ed a4d atticic- filcd with Tie Secretary
lot state on tie I'LL day of June. lo7l
liOr lne or.auiA.uor oi the tinciuhAtl
.and -uunh-uestern Hallway Company.
: The supremacy ot the Ohio river had
Hong been o bitter bone OF contention be-
ltwern Iincinuaii ana Louisville. With
iine building uf road from Mitchell Ia
Mount Vernon. tnc Cincinnati mer-
ci,ani- saw that BY the tapping OF ihe
DllO ~ tar 81. about two hundred MUGS
uc.uw Louisville. they wOald Toe able u
araw a great deal oi river trade ia thcil
liasur. cspcriAiy ia winter. aud ia pe-
r.od> of iow water. when the river l.
not naVigable a. high as Louisville, and
during which period il j. almost AWAY
D navigabic al Mount Vernon The com
lpany having conceded the requests %
= Cincinnati ia the above particulars shs
subscribed and paid iur al par. $4,000.
o ui stock IN thc respective enterprise,
which on the ~ day OF October. 1871
!. were consolidated under the common
name OF the Cincinnati, RockpOrt anC
/. Southwestern Railway Company OF IN
diana.
81 The proposing. discussing. and ar
+ ranging Vi he above preliminarics o
IS course consumed much time, and IL wa
not Until unit. the autumn of 1871. thu
work on the road was commenced il
earnest. by contracting with Mcssrs
lilannams & Cobb. for the grading. ties
= trcstle work and bridges OF The roa'
a. from Rockport 10 Jasper. The trestle
y work MAS well done. the cuts and iill
were made Oh sufficient capacity for
broad guagc road. Timber being abun
daut along tile line, the bridges aud tres
ties were made OF unusual strength; oN
i cellcnt depot grounds and whariag
were secured at Rockpor; in short es
he erythiug which was done was we'll done
.s.f With good sense not often used i
sw The construction OF new railroads, tll
management suspended all cNpenciturt
cycn 10 the salaries OF the officers. whc
the ready money became exhausted. an
- ~ q consequence the company has a
he WAYS been lree from floating or a boi
To ded debt.
nc During the summer of 1873. arrange
~ mvnts Mcre made Tor bonding the who
" line in such manner as to secure III
ni completion of the whole road durin
nd ihe VA OF 1874 aud 1875. Incident
,lc the failure OF Jay Cooke * CO.. and Il
panic which followed, this arrangcmeI
Jailed TO be carried out. Since then n