The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1875-12-17
EMPORIA NEWS.
NARROW GAUGE.

20 solve the important problem OF
cheap freighis than any other thing
proposed, that we shall continue to
give arguments in their favor
when we deem them of sufficient
impos 4Ece 30 Jay Deiore the pnbiic-
Fae raat.es IS one OF parl.cn az
i..aarsaae jas, NV . Empocis. IL
l-N uf ne rev ept rpri-es being
Ga .4.t. GA i- that e.. po.a.
aian j. IA l,e u.s. III t'ci ii,
..s Jn, "a.rnw gauge S, atem oi
rods 4nich viii certaisls be al ,p..
ed =. ittin 4 vcrs iew years WILL al
III. s.tne line make itself an ius or
eAnt city. Who doubts but IN - il
she narrow gauge rom here 10 the
Arkansas could he speedily built,
aud thea The other end f:oin here to
Kansas City. were constructed,
where a connection would soon be
found with one of these roads to
St. Louis, and also to the north
west, but that there would draw
other projects 10 this point, and
make us the necleus for other roads,
the construction ofwhich would fol-
low at no distant day.
But the object of this article Is
more particularly to call attention to
the extent TO which narrow gauges
are now being built, and the inter-
est which they are attracting among
railroad people. A gentleman In
tthis city has received letters from
two large railroad iron manufacto-
ries in Illinois, in which they state
hhey are now changing their ma
.chinery SO as to accommodate the
demand for narrow gauge rails.
These roads can be built At q cost
which makes the investment In
hhem desirable. In fact, they are
,the only roads that can be made to
pay, with but very few exceptions.
James A. Whitaker, Esq, of Chica-
,go, q gentleman who is largely in
nerested in property on the limo Of
proposed road in THE section, writes
TO 9 citizen of Emporia as follows:
"Since saw you in EmpOria I have
been to Denver, Colorado, and took
some pains to inspect the workings
of the Denver s. Rio Grande Mar.
row Gauge Railroad, which found
ID DING q very prosperous and large
business. The coal cars carry eight
.tons, and the cattle cars from
twelve to fourteen beeves. The
passenger cars are comfortable and
roOmy, and the whole arrangement
seemed to me to be just SchGt Is
needed IN country like Kansas,
where an expensive road will net
pay. 1 trust you will do all in } our
power to get one south from Empo-
ria and east Ella the Marias des
Cygnes Valley and Ottawa to Kan
sas City"
MARROW GAGUE IN ILLINOIS, AND
now 1uEY BUILD THEM.
A dispatch in the Chicago Times
o. November 30jh gives the follow
ius .8sticuiars of the inaug uraiion
Ola narrow gl&Ge enterpri IN
tha, State. L. viii be seen tntt the
plan oil raising the Incaus and bull
ding the road ia similar TO that
adopted at meeting in this city,
soma weeks ago, to wit: The roads
are built aud owned by the people
along the line of the road. These
roads cost SO little as to be within
the reach of any ordinary cOmmu
nifty to raise the money To build
them. We have no doubt but that
the proposed road through this city,
ifput on an honest basis and prop
erly managed would pay big per
cent, and that the money could ca
ely be raised along the road to
build IL.
The dispatch says: A convention
was held on to-day, In this city, of
parties interested I'm building q
harrow-ga1ge railroad from Bur-
lingtou, Iowa, to connect with the
road now bnilding from Rantoni,
ILL.,, east 70 Gilpert. Large delegA-,
lions were present from Burlington,
Monmouth, Bushnell, Bloomington.
,Rantoul, Prairie city, Pekin, and
tother points, and considerable in
Kerest was manifested. Mr.. B. j..
clifford, of the Rantoul, Havanah
und Eastern narrow-gauge, made .
statement Of the condition, business,
aud prospects of that road. About
80 miles of the track is completed.
1t is paying expenses, and has .
bonded debt of only 1000, all
oIuned by local subscribers. 1t has
cost, equipped, but 5000 per mile
The entire amount IodS raised bH To-
cal subscriptions, and the road so0s
built for cash. Hon. j. II. Gear, Of
Burlington, stated that the Burling-
ton and Northwestern narrow
gauge with which the projected road
would connect, be built entirely by
aocal subscriptions for cash, and
would cost even less. He believed
ahe day of standard gauge roads
was past, and the question of cheap
transportation was TO be solved by
the narrow gauge built and OtnRed
by the people along the line. Short
addresses were made by Hon. G.
Lerere, of Canton, DIR. j. +. Rog-
ers, of Bloomington ID. P Phelps,
of Monmouth, aud others, all ar
ging the importance of pushing for
ward the enterprise, either by way
of Monmouth, Bushnell, Havanah,
and RantOul, or by way of Canton,
Pekin, Bloomington, ana RaDtoul.
Delegates from Monmouth announ-
ced that they had already organized
a company, known as the Burling-
ton, Monmouth aud Illinois Rail-
way company, to build the road by
way of Monmouth aud Havana,
and the company would build by
chat ronte. Caution delegates were
prepared to say that subscriptions
and graded sOad bed were availa-
BILE TO build the road from Canton
60 Pekin, and subscriptions had
been made TO build from Prairie
City To Canton. ~ committee on
resolutions was appointed, which
reported resolutions indorsing TIE
prof t5aS, recommending that
IL % bujit TO- caen tbat.it DC l"ea
led On rue route paying the mes
money, AID recon me nding con
mIttee To organiz- the company