The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1874-02-19
'som tho NsrshaU Pra;,;s Schooner. :

buslnsss It ean do-Pssspsot Of vuo.
cess.
F'o" the Aar.hau Prasris Se1eost,.
The Company was organised in 1sb.
1873, and IN enabling sst authorizing tho
towns and counties contiguous to IL line
to vote bonds in aid Of it, construction,
passed BY tho Lesislsturs Of that ysar. The
inoorporators are oil Minnssotians, intsrss-
cd largely in property, and Business along
the proposed line and many Of them are
practical railroad men acquainted with oil
Of the difficulties Of suoh enterprises. That
they have faith 10 st least . good reason
Why it should rscsivs tho careful attention
Of the people who may DO called upon for
cid, and who ere to receive the benefits
arising from its construction. No one
should hastily condemn before studying
the subject in al Of ito relations ~ . bust
ness enterprise, ~ . general benefit to tho
State At large, in ito influence upon freight
rates on other rail roads, and in the bone
fits to the immediate localities through
which it may pass.
It Is not our intention to specify in de-
tail all Of the COED to be obtained by such
road, but merely to touch upon . few Of
the moro important results the people Of
each locality can readily invsstigats ito re.
lstion to themselves, and enuuerats in
their own minds the numerous local and
general benefits.
The great dnal object 10 to connect the
nsvigsble waters Of Lake Superior At Do
luth with those Of the Missouri ct Yankton.
OF the success Of tho read ~ the shortest
through line between these two import
ant business centers, it il only necessary
to state that bushel Of wheat OK other
produce 10 worth - much or more st
Duluth than ct Chicago, that Lake frsights
are ~ cheap to eastern markets, that
Yankton 10 one hundred miles nearer than
to Chicago. and that Yanktoa now 10, and
in the future IL to bs the business center Of
moro than two hundred thousand square
miles Of territory Of tho Missouri and ito
tributaries, uavigabls large part Of the
year, and that 1t IL bscsming the auelsus
Of the railroad system Of the Upper Mis-
souri,. IT. moro immediate object, and the
one which interests us the most, IL to fur
nish . great and convenient market for the
great lumber districts, and to supply tho
lumber necessities and furnish . better
grain market to tho Southwestern part Of
this State, and to these two objects 10
would respectfully call attention more in
detail.
We will suppose this line to run YER,
nearly ~ follows: from Yankton to Duluth
by way Of Marshall, Redwood Falls,
Litchfield and st. Cloud. Turn to . rail-
road map Of the State, that published in
the r. B. Commisslonsr's last report being
tho best, and draw = line between the
points indicated. The first important fact
apparent is that there is no parallel COM
pet,ng road, and the next il that 1t outs
directly across the six great roads built Or
in process Of building, which permsats the
State, and with the advantage Of distance
in its favor, as to Lake navigation, over
every ono from seventy to two hundred
and fifty miles. From these facts it may
be reasonably judged that it, construction
would have more effect in largely reducing,
and in regulating the general freight rates
in the State than Ill Of the legislation that
can be placed upon our statutes. From
Litchdeld to Duluth 1t passes directly
through the very heart Of the best and
most extensive forests Of hard wood and
pine in the northwest, tho greater portion
Of which is At present practically inaoess-
sible. Thie section is also supplied with
the finest water powers in the west, and
with its material resources only needs the
market that this line would furnish to de-
velop towns, cities, and manufacturing in
terests, and instead Of being annually
SKINNED Of its timber to make rich tho
e'veF e'''eo o7'- - tina profits would be r.
tanned at home St. Ciouu "a s.,,h
Rapids have oil Of the resources Of another
Minneapolis, and the building Of this road
would secure what alone they need, mar.
ket for their productions, and place them
practically in command Of tho lumber trade
Of the Mississippi, which Minneapolis now
controls. They will alss in common with
Meeker, Renvills. Redwood and Lyon
counties secure . shorter competing line
to Lake Superior and by tho connections
Of this road with tho different branches Of
st. P. & P, the h. & D., and the W. & st.
P. R. Re, secure additional outlets to st.
Paul, Minneapolis, tho lumber regions Of
Minnesota and Wisconsin, and with Milwau,
kee, Chicago, and the eastern markets, for
a. this road is organized under tho general
laws Of the State, and its freights subject
to such conditions o the Legislature may
impose, it cannot be used to discriminate
in favor Of, or against, special roads, mar
kets or men. Its building would ,mmedi-
atsly quadrupis in value the timber lands
between st. Cloud and Litchdsld, for from
this source oil Of the fuel and ties and
timber for tho construction and annual r.
pairs Of two hundred miles Of road must
b drawn. At Litohheld it would oeeasion
the investment Of capital in agricultural
and other manufacturing enterprises, r.
duee the value Of pine lumber BY one half
Of the present freights from Minneapolis,
give the benefit Of two lumber markets, odd
materially to the value Of oil the wheat
marketed there, and render doubly pros
Porous An already prosperous and
growing town. From Litsh6eld to
Yanktoa would bs opened an an.
limited lumber market squlriue At least
an average Of enc hundred millions Of feet
Of pine lumber yearly, ana which raised
nearly two millions Of bushels Of wheat for
market in 1873 and IL fully capable Of
raising . surplus Of ton times that amount.
From Meeksr, Kenville, Redwood and Ly.
on counties tho distances to Milwaukee and
Chicago, where railroad snd business COM
binAtions compel their wheat to 10. and