The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1883-03-21
TIE ooNNorTON RAILWAY.
Rapid Progress of the Road on the Straits
VILE Division.

HhNAuk Ueeu lnCOIpOIdleu III lile ear
part Of the present century and Is en-
titled to all the respect that flows from
such antiquity. 1t was settled by
thrifty, industrious and hard working
people, who subdued the forests, re-
claimed the wild lands, and laid the
foundations of a great city, broad and
deep, and their descendants to-day are
enjoying the advantages and reaping
the benefits Of the toll and priYatiOns Of
their sturdy ancestors. For many de-
cades Canton was plant of slow, yet
substantial growth. She did not spring
up in q night, like many ephemeral
western mining eities-heTe to-day and
tomorrow gOne-but carefully and
methOdically laid stone upon stone for
permanent abiding place, In time, as
the mineral resources Of the soil were
developed, small manufactures arose,
which, in a modest way, supplied the
surrounding vicinity. Finally that
great ciViliZer, the railroad, arrived, in
the shape of the Fort Wayne road, which
gave the place a wider market, but as
Canton was merely way station on
this trunk line, the advantages were not
as great as might be thought. A few
years ago the Valley railway was pro-
jec; ed from Cleveland through Canton
to the lsOuth, which opened up a cOun-
try, previously accessible only by teams.
Great were the rejOieings when the first
engine blew it's shTill notes of welcome
at the Canton station, and citizens
banquet on the green turf greeted the
hardy railroad men.
The arrival of this road was a spur to
business activity and the city became
imbued with new life and vigOr and
soon we heard that
NARROW GUAGE RAILWAY
was being built, called the COnnOttOn
Valley Railroad, which would penetrate
into the very FL Dorado of the inexhausti-
BILE coal and iron fields lying south Of
US, whose treasures were covered with
the finest of arabic land, varied with
immense tracts OF merchantable timber.
The road was rapidly pushed forward,
under the stimulus Of eastern capital, the
road bed, culVeTts and bridges built in
the most solid and durable manner,
and in the course of time cOmmunica-
tiOn was established between Cleveland
in the north and SherrOdsYille at the
south, thrusting aside the old time stage
coach and coal wagon, in its impeTiOus
march of progression. The company
from the beginning was very friendly
TO the city, located its general business
offices here in handsome brick depot
of beautiful architectural design, at a
cost of $4,000, also having its machine
and repair shops within its corporate
limits. The payroll of this road is
/ about $4,000 monthly, fully three
/ fOurths of which is paid out in this city,
| and the greatest courtesy and accOmmO-
| datiOn Is always shown excursion par
ties who travel over this line. One case
in point will show the pTOmptitude of
the management, and will explain why
| the COnnOttOn Is so popular. At the
| time of the recent floods there was a
performance at the Opera House. and
the management advertised a special
| train to run up from the southern ter
minus, with the assurance that passen-
| gers would be taken home the same
night. During the evening the temper
4 ary trestle bridge over the east creek
washed out, and the travellers ruefully
| thought they would be compelled to
await the necessary repairs, which in
| the high stage of water then pre-
| Vailing, could not be made for some
days. Not 80, however, for the efficient
and business like superintendent, Sam.
Briggs, who, by the way, is an able ex-
| ecutiye officer, with his accustomed en-
ergy, telephOned for coaches, took his
1 passengers several miles around to a
wagon bridge and landed them on the
| other side of the break, where a new
| train received them and they were ta-
ken home that night, according to con-
1
tire policy of the road, and has made 1t
de5erVedly trustworthy.
THE MAIN LINE.
The road which runs to Sherrodsville
is the branch, the main line, now in
process Of construction, running south
west to COshOcton, where connections
will be made for all points. The road
will stop there for the present, until a
contract is made for its further eXten.
sion. A DEMOCRAT reporter took run
down this division the other day to
Buena Vista, the present passenger ter.
minus. Having Travelled on several new
roads before, he made up his mind to
endure more OF less rattling and thump.
ing over inequalities in the rOadbed and
defective rail joints, but was agreeably
surprised to find that the cars glided
along as smoothly as a boat, the same
care in building having been observed
that characterizes all the COmpany's
| work. The road passes through an ex
cellent farming country, dotted with
dwellings and groves of woodland, in
pleasing variety. Being the winter
season the prospect from the car win
dOws was not as pleasing as a few
months later, when nature clothes her.
self in her robes of emerald.
| Arriving at Navarro, the train stopped
| at a eOmmOdious station, suited in size
to the wants OF thriving little city of
nearly 1000 souls, which has arrived al
the dignity of supporting a sprightly
weekly Journal, the Navarro Times
| Speaking of stations, it is well to men,
tiOn that every stopping place Of im-
portance Is provided with neat railroad
buildings and waiting rooms while
| the wires lOf the American Rapid
Telegraph Company connect the deni-
Zens Of these land locked villages, with
all parts of the world. The officials
spoken with were polite and aftable
gentlemen, readily answering questions
| pertaining to their neighbOrhOOd and
entirely different from the gruff ticket
window antOcrats ithas sometimes been
the misfortune of the writer to encOun
ter. As the train continued south, many
| streams of various volume were crossed
on substantial solid stone supported
bridges, showing that there are abundant
water courses to prevent swampy over
flow. The people appreciate the road,
for the coach was well filled during the
entire round trip, passengers arriving
and departing at each station.
The country through which the road
runs Is rolling in its character, with a
succession of hills and broad fertile
valleys, and when near Dundee the
scenery becomes quite romantic, for