The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1876-10-09
From TIE Burlington EgeninQ Journa
CAUGHT AT LAST.
9. Is. " (ol. WINS the PrlZe.
Sale of the Rockford, Rock Island u
g. St. Louis Railroad to the Chicago,
Burlington u Quincy Co.---How it
Affects Burlington and other Points.

According to the Rdilaody ReUieao of
Chicago, the Rockford, Rock Island and
st. Louis railroad, as it was called until
| recently, and as it is more generally known
| by the public, has at last passed into the
control of the Chicago, Burlington 4 Quin-
cy 20. The negotiations have been com
pleted The sum agreed upon between
the c., B. 4 q Co. and the owners of the
r., K. |. Il ST. l.. road as the purchasing
price is Sl,750.OOO. The actual transfer
will be made some time this week, after
which the purchased road will be an i'm
portant branch of the Chicago, Burlington
and Quincy. and its future prospects will
be much brighter, since it will Immediately
come into possession of the advantages OF
an organic connection with one of the best
managed roads in the United States. How
it will be operated, or what will be its con-
nections with the other lines of the COM
PAW have not yet been made public. This
much seems certain, so far as Burlington
is concerned, il will make our principal St
Louis connection via Monmouth. 1t will,
also, forever put an end to the agitation in
Cralesburg of short line to tap the R.. r.
|. II St. L.. road for the purpose of obtain
ing competing outlet Galesburg's only
chances now lie in the direction of mar
row gauge, and we doubt very much
whether her citizens have enough energy
and grit to undertake anything of the kind
There is enough wealth there to build two
or three narrow gauges, but thus far it is
very sluggish in manifesting its enterprise
in that direction.
This new purchase will also leave Mon,
mouth without a competing road, and
Judging by the past, we presume it viii
stimulate that sprightly city to push for
ward with renewed diligence its rojecr OF
, a system of narrow gauge roads.
There was a report that the Chicago &
Northwestern was TO take the northern di-
vision of the r. E. |. & st. l.. road
! Whether this is part of the arrangement
we are not informed, but doubt very seri-
. ously whether that corporation has any
: surplus funds in its treasury to spare fol-
: that purpose. So far as the ageIinc
a public is concerned the transfer to the G.
b. d y, will meet their hearty approval
4 Ii means first-class road, under first
1 class management The RdtlaUdy Gdzett
i has lengthy article upon the subject
e which will interest our readers, and from
which we make copious extracts:
This railroad is by itself one of the poor
est properties of the kind ever constructed
!, in a wealthy and populous state. But i
} has powers for injuring its rivals greatly
y exceeding its capacity for profting its pro
r prietors. From the Northwestern on tht
north it extends across the Rock Island
and no less than five different lines of tn,
: Burlington road to St. Louis. Isolated Al
y it has been from Chicago, it could no
! make an inroad on the local traffic of one
y of these roads without the corporation o
one of the others. This co cooperation /
has failed to get The three companie
have on agreement for the division of on,
: important traffic, and the lessons of recen
T years have lessened any inclination they
y may have felt to invade each others terri
> tory for the purpose of dividing a traffic
: and thus court counter INVASION. Blu
q Concluded on next page).