The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1879-06-11
REVIEW OF OUR RAILWAYS.
Ribs of Steel That Bind This Metropolis
to the Civilized World.
The Several Systems of Railroads OF
Which indianapolis is the Center.
Skeleton Sketches and Suggestive Statistics.


ticle headed Railroad City OF the World
panoramic sketch of the several
lines of road converging to this metropolis.
Our Capital city Is the focus of nearly
dozen leading lines, some of them being
links or sections of the most important
TRANS CONTINENTAL RAILWAYS
of the country, reaching eastwardly to the
Atlantic ocean and the great metropolises
which guard the harbors of the worlds vast
commerce, and westwardly penetrating the
''boundless contiguIty Of space" whose
secrets of hidden wealth are
yet to be unfoided. Others extend
northwardly to the more vigorous climes, to
harder communities, full of pluck, enter
prise and v1gor, to the area of wheat, the
provinces of pine and the land OF copper,
and to the lakes shimmering with piscatorial
the realm of king cotton and the land of the
live oak and magnolia. Whether viewed as
a railway center, to which these lines con-
verge, or an initial point of vital importance
to the "outer world" and from which the
several lines diverge, Indianapolis repre-
sents, upon the map and as matter of fact,
proud and enyiable position. The little
diagram map used by Mr.. Jack
son at the Union Depot suggests
to the mind forcibly the position of supreme
consequence assigned the Capital city of
Indiana in the transportation economy of
the country. If Indianapolis were the sun
and center of the solar system, the lines
radiate through space with the regularity
and fullness of the rays of light from the
luminary of the universe. For travel and
freightaga one can go direct to any portion
of the Republic. No circumlocution is
necessary, so far as the rail facilities of
indianapolis are concerned.
Proud of our city and hopeful of its bril-
liant destiny, it can not be less than
beneficial and interesting to stop for brief
period in the midst of prosperity and busy
industry, and take account of the mighty
resources from which our strength Is largely
drawn, and without which our every energy
would be instantly paralyzed- We can thus
recognize the life blood that has contributed
to us commercial and Industrial health and
muscle, and the vigor of the athlete. Thou
sands OF our population migrated
hither from other CHIMES, coun-
tries. communities, cities and States,
and these citizens are unfamiliar
with the pioneer era of railways. Our re-
nown, in great degree based on these roads,
is as wide as civilization itself. Salient facts
of history, succinctly stated, may arrest the
attention of all; but of special interest will it
be to these thousands of citizens who have
become Incorporated in the general pros
perity since the network of railroads was
projected and completed, to read brief and
unpretentious sketch of the origin and de-
velopment of the
RAILWAY SYSTEM OF INDIANAPOLIS.
An arbitrary method of grouping the
roads may be adopted for convenience and
direct interests of each, and its connections
and dependence thereon, the especial rela-
ton it holds to other roads or to trunk lines
the IL railways leading into Indianapolis
may be grouped into three more or less dis
tInct systems. leaving two or three roads IN
an apparent independent relation. These
groups may be appropriately designated as
the Pan Handle system, the Baltimore and
Ohio system, and the Bee Line system,
taking their respective names from the stem
lines to which their major interests attach.
In mileage. area of populous and productive
country directly penetrated, and in pre-
eminence as a national; transportation
artery, perhaps the group taking precedence
is
THE PANHANDLE SYSTEM.
First of these Is the Panhandle trunk
line East by way of PIttsburg, direct to the
commercial metropolis of the country, New
York; also to Philadelphia, Baltimore, and
the National capital. 1t is the chief west
ward extension of the popular and world
renowned Trunk Line road, generally known
as the Pennsylvania Central, originally
built through the Keystone commonwealth,
from her commercial entrepot. Philadelphia,
to her manufacturing metropolis on her
extreme western border, Pittsburg. This
remarkable transportation thOroughfare
traverses one of the most interesting regions
of the civilized globe, fruitful to repletion
with the multifarious substantial resources
of prosperous civilizations. A mere glimpse
of this fascinating route suggests the indie
scribable grandeur of it-a concatenation of
villas and gardens and orchards and bloom
ing farms from Jersey City to the ''city of
brotherly love" and on westwardly through
the highly cultivated area of Eastern
Pennsylvania; for hundreds of miles
throughout the length of that great State,
over variegated and undulatiDg regions,
pursuing the serpentine course of mountain
streams. in search Of possible pathways;
skimming through Derfumed and roseate
valleys, teeming with industrial and opulent
populations; burrowing beneath mountains.
through exhaustless mines of ores and Goals,
finally reaching breathing spot at the con-
junction of the two mountain streams which
form the beautiful Ohio The mountain
scenery along the Pennsylvania stem line
is bewitchingly attractive, and in track,
grades, Coaches, equipment, method and
energy of management, and every facility
afforded by the best machinery,
most successful Improvements and all thai
nil lie ~oI se
unsurpassed The fabulous statistics of the
passenger carriage of the Pennsylvania
Central during the Centennial year bewildel
the reason. At Pittsburg, the trunk
feeders branch out-one, the Pan Handle
proper, terminating here. and the Other
leading line, the old p, Fit. Wayne and c..
terminating at Chicago. At the Buckeye
capital another intermediate feeder 1.-THE
Little Miami) extends to Cincinnati with q
further extension over the short Line" tc
: Louisville. intermediate routes under
the same general system and con
k~1l GoI