Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1875-09-02
Excursion on the Narrow Gauge.

Wier, John Schreiner, Geo. UT, W.
P. Stone, ]. j. Barber, G. N. Holford
Lewis Holloway. T. Mills, Andrew
Richie, Jno. Willis and w. J. Baltic
made trip from Platteville, over
the narrow gauge to Galena. The
cars started at two O'Clock, p. M,
and arrived at Galena at 4:1O, the
distance being thirty miles. The
stations on the road are Elmo, nine
miles from Platteville; st. Rose 10
miles; Cuba City, IL miles; Benton,
10 miles; Gilletts, 10 miles, and
Bells, % miles. The train stopped
at all of these except Gilletts' Elmo
is the place formerly called the June
ton. 1t is where the wagon road
from Galena divides, ono fork Lead
ing TO Plat'evile AMI the other TO
| Belmont The hotel there is kept
| by Mr.. Whittum and be is the land
owner. He has cut it up into lots,
and there is prospect of lively viii
Iage. Mr.. Calvin, of Galena, has
built grain house. There is store,
smithshop, new shoe shop, two
dwellings and depot. St. Rose is
an old place and has a store, smith
and wagon shop, run by q wide
awake man; a church, q saloon aud
three or four dwellings. Cuba City
has depot, grain house, a neat
wagon makers shop. by Mitchell
Brothers, two story store nearly
ready for occupancy by Mr. Schmoll,
of Galena, and two story hotel,
ready for lathing to be kept by Mr..
McCrea. Benton has a small depot
the old village being one-fourth mile
over the hill. Gilletts and Bells are
flag stations. For eighteen miles the
country is unsurpassed ole for farming.
Benton is q mining town. The road
most of the way Is very crooked.
Near the state line there is tunnel
$50 feet long. TIE depot at Galena
is within few stops of the Illinois
Central depot. The tracks are side
by side and whom freight is to be
transferred from one road to the
other the cars are run beside each
other so that the transfer is the
same as moving through door from
one room to another.
The road is built just like COM
mon gauge road The rails are the
same shape and weigh 80 pounds to
the yard while the others weigh Sc
pounds. They are placed three feet
apart-the others five feet. The ears
are 40 much like those of the COM
mon gauge road that short distance
off one would not notice the differ.
ence. Tho seats in the coaches are
arranged the Same, but they are
shorter. Two men can crowd into
one, however, and since tho intro
duction of pnll-baoks go can two la
dies. Freight cars IRE considerably
shorter than the othcrs. The en-
CINE which led our train weighs
thirteen tons; there is no deman d
for heavier loadA than they can draw,
and probably would not be if the
road was extended TO Lancaster.
The motion of the cars is as easy as
on tho wider roads 1t seemed to be
the unanimous opinion of tho party
that narrow gauge railroad would
carry all the freight lancaster would
furnish, and that the speed and
safety of its cars would be satisfac-
tory AS to whether that particular
road, extended Lancaster, would
satisfy the people the opinion was
not unanimous.
A meeting of consultation was
held with the company at Galena.
The Lancaster people learned defn-
ately that neither the people of Ca
lena nor the company could give
dollar towards the extention of the
road in this direction. They were
very anxious to have the extension
made, but Lancaster would have to
give every dollar of the money TO
built it. The company said, if Lam
caster would raise $780, 900 cash and
qiUe it to them, and give them the
right of way, they would grade and
tie the road, and then, if they were
allowed to mortgage the bed
for 1925 900, they would iron it, and
when completed they would enter
into terms for running their cars
over it. In other words their offer
was just what any person in the
world would make to run road to
Platteville or anywhere else; that is,
that they shsll be paid good fat
profit for the work of building and
then engage to use the road pro-
vided that would be profitable. The
writer of this would like a contract
to build road from here to Alaska,
and another to build one from here
TO Cape Horn on such terms. The
iron for twenty-five miles of narrow
gauge road can be bought, trans
ported and laid for S10O. 900. There
is already a company organized here
Of as good men as could be picked.
| IT.. the people want this road they