Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1879-01-04

have mentioned that it would traverse q
better country from Cunningham to this
place than if an air line was sought; in
addition 1t would have the advantage Of
running through this city, a more impor.
tant shipping point than any on the
northern line, and from here to Kansas
City it would develop a business TAI
greater than could be secured on the
whols northern line from Cunningham
to its objective point. The shipments
Of coal now over the Narrow Gauge,
from this place to Kansas City, aver.
age $50 cars per month, and are limited
by lack of transportation. The diff
culties under which our coal men Ia
Dor, may be appreciated when it is I'm
derstood that on all coal sold to rail-
roads in Kansas City, S5 cent per car
must be paid for transferring from mar
row to broad gauge cars and 80 per car
load for switching, beside a consequent
loss in weight of so cents on each car
load. Even with these drawbacks, the
Lexington coal, by its greater durability
and superior quality, Is growing in favor
very rapidly. and SO tar as city use is
concerned, IS fast %supplanting all others.
The competing coal mines are located
In the vicinity of Joplin. 12O miles from
Kansas City, while the Lexington mines
are but SO miles distant from that
place. With a better and more ecoEom
ical coal, what is to prevent the Lex
lngton mines from supplying the 300 to
$50 car loads OF coal needed every day
in Kansas City by the railroads CENTER
ing there, provided broad gauge cars
could be obtained on which to transport
it, thereby doing away with the mt
nous costs now necessary for transfer
and switching, which, in themselves,
amount to a handsome profit? Our
mines ire practically inexhaustible;
they al be worked as cheaply as can
any in the west. and the quality of the
coal is unsurpassed. One of our mines
pays to tho Narrow Gauge some $50, 600
freight per annum, and the broad gauge
road would find no difficulty in running
up the freight bills on coal from this vi
cinity to Kansas City to 1000 per day;
and coal would not, by any means, be
its only freight, as the road lies for the
most part through one of the most beau
tiful and fertile regions in the Missouri
Valley, which now ships by the Narrow
Gauge large quantities of produce and
live stock. We submit what we have
said to the management of the Chicago,
& Quincy railroad, aud to the
people of this city. While we have
had neither time nor opportunity to make
the research that would enable US to lay
before them such data as the importance
Of the subject demands, IN what we
have offered we have e~ndeavored to be
accurate, and to deal in no exaggerations.
To the former we say that If they desire
% secure a certain and a large revenue
rom an already established industry,
hey will dc well to investigate the
set forth in this article, and to the
after we confidently say that could the
building OF this road be secured as here
indicated, 1t would fill our mines with
workers, our shops with we'll paid
artisans, would add largely to our pop
and instil new life into the
business of our city. We may add in
conclusion that Kansas City is deeply in
crested in the success of this project. 1t
he proposes to build up her manufactu-
ing interests. she musthave cheap coal
Ind an abundance of it. Lexington can
compete in her market with any
all corners; but give US this road and
:oal will be laid down in her borders |
1t prices which have not yet been