Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1878-03-06
THROUGH ROUTE.
A Great North and South Rail
road Line West of the
Mississippi.
Ottumwa Occupies a Central
and Important Position
Upon 1t.
We Welcome It's Inauguration and
Ask Our People to L ook to Their
interests and Sustain It.


direct and 1t runs through as fine a
country as the sun ever shone upon.
Heretofore most of the travel has
passed down by rail east of the Miss
issippi river, but the country through
which the three roads run that are
combined in this project is rapidly
settling up. Most Of it is already
quite well populated, and the time
has come when, in the judgment of
the companies, the through trade,
supplemented by the local trade, will
maintain and make the enterprise
pay. 1t is greatly for the interests Of
the people of Minnesota, Iowa and
Missouri to keep up the channels of
trade within their own borders.
We take great pleasure in present
ing to our readers . capital map of
this route and calling the attention of
our people to it.
We clip from st. Louis papers par
agraphs from the extended accounts
they have given of this new enter
prise. Much Of the energy displayed
in this matter has been put forth by
G. I. Filley, P. NJ. of st. Louis.
The St. Louis Republican says Of
him:
"More mail facilities" This is the
appeal of st. Louis. In April, 1873.
within two weeks after Postmaster
Filley assumed control Of the st.
Louis post-office, he requested the d.
vision of the sixteen states and terri
tories, comprising the old fourth di-
vision Of the railway mail service,
with headquarters at Chicago, en-
bracing Missouri and contiguous
states and territories, to be divided,
and the establishment of a headquar-
ters at st. Louis. This for the pur-
pose of a systematic Encouragement of
the dispatch and receipt of the mails
upon the basis of a mutual and recip-
rocal interest of the great West land
from st. Louis standpoint.
The immediate and general short
ening up of the mails throughout the
West and Southwest from his direct
and earnest eff'orts,is matter Of gen
eral notoriety.
Through trains will run mcrn-
ing and evening on this route.
The st. Louis Times speaking Of It
says:
By the arrangement of connections
with the Iowa Central at Ottumwa,
and the Chicago, Milwaukee and st.
Paul Railroad at Mason City, st.
Louis obtains through line to st.
Paul and base of tariff that will ac-
commodate the wants of farmers liv-
ing in the great grain producing Sec
tions of Minnesota and Central and
Northern Iowa. The bulk Of grain
raised in that country has hitherto
been carried into Chicago, and from
there shipped to Europe by way Of
New York, Philadelphia and other
Eastern ports. By having direct COM
munication with st. Paul, through
the route proposed and shown in the
map, st. Louis can
COMMAND THIS TRADE.
| Mr.. Lord, general passenger agent
of the st. L., Kansas City and North
ern r. r., expressed his utmost conf
dence in the success of this line in q
conversation with a Times represen-
tative yesterday. He said that it
would turn the tide Of travel from
the South in the summer and fall
seasons away from Chicago through
}St. Louis. and that that result alone
would prove highly beneficial to the
lefty.
/ Captain Rhea, of the Barge Line,
warmly endorsed the project, and ex-
i pressed confidence in its success, The
lcaptain is thoroughly posted in mat
tiers relating to the grain interests OF
the Northwest and knows exactly
how Chicago stands in this relation.
He believes that it will require time
and persistent energy to wrest from
Chicago the trade she has built up in
ion that shippers would soon discov-
er the advantages of sending their
grain through st. Louis to New Or
leans and Europe, and when these
advantages would become apparent
the result would soon throw the bulk
of traffic in her favor. The barge
line will be ready to meet the de-
mands of this change when it occurs.
THE NEW LINE
will be put in operation about the ID
: of March next. 1t will extend along
the main branch of tho st. Louis,
Kansas City and Northern Railway
to Ottumwa, distance Of 279 miles,
where it connects with the Central
, Railroad of Iowa, thence running
! along the main branch to Mason City,
q distance of I'll miles, connecting
with the Minnesota division Of the
Chicago, Milwaukee and st. Paul
! Railway and running along into st
J Paul and Minneapolis, distance Of
l41 miles, thus making through
: route of sol miles.
The Through car service" will bs
7 first class in every particular, and VIII
T include the Pullman drawing-roon