Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1875-02-18


start off on new circuit. But, now
that the Venus-transi: spectators
have demonstrated that our planet is
plunging headlong into the sun, it,
seems equally certain that railroad
will shoot straight through the heart
of Grant county. Yet there are so
many things to be considered. Shall
Lancaster connect with Platteville en-
narrow gauge? Shall it connect
with Dubuque on narrow gauge?
Shall it connect with Potosi and a
pontoon bridge to the Chicago Du-
buque & Min nesota? Then the sub
sidies-where are they to come from?
With all the light Of the two last HER
AIDS emitted from Potosi, Ellenboro,
and Dubuque glaring in the faces of
beLolders, little and distant star can
hardly hope its faint rays will be OBJ
served-not ii observers are looking
with smoked glasses. While the peo-
pie in this new excitement are looking
for egress and ingress they do not ap-
pear to think of the northern outlook.
Mr.. Jones's very considerate letter,
moreover, overlooked the Mississippi
river. If Lancaster thinks only of a
way to get out of town and of bids for
its frioghts, while the Platteville route
offers no competition, the Dubuque
project has two routes to Chicago and
the south, and for more than half the
wear third route that cannot be mo-
nopolized. Such freights as can come
and 90 on the Mississippi are carried
cheaper than by rail. And there is
an item of freight that has not yet
been named Nearly all Grant coun.
ty gets its fine Lumber from the Mis-
sissppi You pay three to four dol
lars per thousand, and murder a deal
of horse flesh to get it from the near
est point. With your railroad from
Potosi or Dubuque you could get it
much cheaper and easier. This is
surprising the road to terminate at
Lancaster. But it leads to the sugges-
ton to turn railroad eyes northward.
| If YOU have been much on the Missis-
sippj, at Cassville or above, you have
observed acres of lumber floating
down on most any summer day.
Some Of it stops at Dubuque. Some
goes on to Clinton, Davenport and
other towns. If you have watched
trains leading west from these towns,
YOU have seen hundreds of cars daily
| laden with the lumber of your north
ern pineries. Some also comes all the
way from Michigan on these cars. On
the map, see the Illinois Central road
straight north from Cairo to Freeport,
and extending to Dubuque. From
Dubuque road goes down the river
to ST Louis Great quantities of our
northern lumber are wanted along
these roads constantly, and they both
cross all the roads leading to the great
and growing far west, Now why not
project and build a road from Du.
buque, through Potosi, Lancaster and
on north, up the Wisconsin and over
to the Chippewa and other lumber
countries? Could all the cars that the
road would run carry the lumber that
would be brought to them for ship
ment? That northern country, too,
would afford an additional market for
the produce of the more agricultural
districts, and with the merchants
frelghts going north It would be a
paying road both ways. Such aroad
| ouoht TO invite canitol F"""y man,
farmer or trader who along the line
commands S25. $50, or 800, should
buy shares and not wait to be taxed.
1t would be paying road. The pco-
pie should own it, control it, and
make money out Of it themselves.
Men are some times bankrupted by
railroads, but they always pay those
who control them. One can be nam
ed that within three years brought TO
its owners twelve dollars for each ol-
lar invested. Let us have this road
built, and, inasnuch as it will run up
and down the country and will be
articulated by others reaching across
and around the country as ribs, call
it the "Back Bone Railroad"
PAUL LOCKE
PoTosG, February O.