Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1875-03-10
DiG'eren &C in favor


of Narrow Gauge. $207,92S
Now, / fearlcssly assert that q mar
row gauge road has capacity fully
cQual.to all the freight that will be Of
fared for transportation on this line,
and the interest saved on the capital
necessary TO build it will more than
pay for handling the freight at the ter
minus. Mr.. VIM. j. Palmer,presiden
of the Denver and lilo Grande Narrow
Gauge II, II, says on this subject: q
quote from railway statistics furnished
by Gov. Carpenter, in accordance with
a resolution of the l4th General As
sembly) "The cost of transshipment
OF freight from the narrow gauge
road at Denver is of course heavier, as
the line is so short. Its relative impor-
lance will be reduced as the line ad-
vances; also as the business becomes
large enough to warrant especial pro.
visions for facilitating it without any of
these arrangements, and with labor at
50 90 per day, the cost of the Co., at
Denver has been TO cents per ton for
coal, iron, lumber, &c.,; and Is cents
cents per ton for miscellaneous mer-
chandise. 1t can probably BIO reduced
hereafter 80 per cent" This fully dis.
poses OF the only objection to mar
row gauge road. 1t is easily within
our reach, and will do all any road can
do for us, while the amount necessary
to complete a wide gauge is entirely
beyond our means. Again, take the
history OF the North and South roads
in Iowa, there is not one of them but
what is or has not been in bankruptcy
aaid some OF them a number of times,
To my certain knowledge. The Bur.
lfngton and S. Western, Iowa Central,
Des Moines Valley roads, none OF
them are able to pay the interest on
their bonds. to say nothing of their
subscription stock and there is not one
of them that has had business enough
To tax the capacity of q narrow gauge
road, and had they have been so con-
s7rucied, they could have better served
the people, having less interest to car.
~, they could ifaul cheaper.
But how can we induce Ottumwa to
i.ai.e her quota-of the amount neccssa.
~ TO finish it, as some of her folks are
opposed to pushing it farther North.
znow all her leading business men are
anxious TO see 1t go Nor!h,and it is on.
ly the small retail dealers that oppose
itand will tell you how we can bring
them Ii Sigourney, Lancaster, Steady
Run ana Benton townships make up
their quotas, which they can easily do
and Ottumwa then refuses, let us run
3 short, marrow gauge plug" IA miles
10 oar County itne, and it will bring
within radius OF Z miles of that sta
ton, Highland, aud COMPETING Town
ships, of Wapello Co, and White Oak
Township, OF Mahaska Co., and Steady
Ran and Benton, of our OWN Co., from
3 to l0miles closer TO that station than
Ottumwa, and will throw nearly all
the trade of that territory into the lap
of SigOurney, which Is now almost en-.
tirely tributary to Ottumwa. This
makes q territory of $50 square miles
of as fine prairie farms as the sun eve.
shown on, comprising rural popula-
tion of about 5000 people, producing
3,765 bushels of wheat, l,037, 1876 BUSH
els of corn and 225,22 bushels of oats,
(see last census of Iowa) to say moth
ing of hogs, cattle and other minor
items. DO you suppose they will al.
low this, the richest section tributary
to them to form another connection |
and transfer their business to another
field when they can retain their fair
share off by simply doing what is
right to this section of country? No,
sir. If this alternative is presented,