Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1884-10-16
Important Railroad Project.

ing was held at Pittsburg, by the various
interests enlisted in the building of the
Air Line road from New York City to
Council Bluffs, Iowa. This is the same
project, we believe, that engaged attention
at this place several years ago, and should
the road become veritable fact, it is like
ly to be located so near Napoleon that the
deviation spoken of may easily be obtain
ed in favor OF this city. 1t was thought,
says an exchange, that the preliminary
arrangements would he completed at the
meeting yesterday.
The idea OF constructing such line was
conceived over year ago by a number of
prominent gentlemen, including w. p.
Hubbard, Samuel Merrill, S. Osborne and
William Phelps, ofNew York, and Messrs.
H. o. Schwanecke, w. c. Mobley, James
Murdock and w. p. P.Howland, ,ot this State.
Mr.. Schwanecke is chief engineer of and
built the Pittsburg and Western and juno
tion Railroad. Mr.. Mobley has built a
number of the short roads which form
part ofthe Pittsburg and Western system
in the north western part ofthe State, and
he is at present general agent of the comp
any. He also jumped in ahead of Wander
bilt aud located the only practicable route
for railroad across the southern portion
of the State. Vanderbilt spent large
amount of money trying, first to dislodge
Mobley, and failing in that to locate an
other route for his Harrisburg and West
ern Road, but was at last compelled to
come down and pay handsomely for the
franchise which had been first secured
The other gentlemen whose names are
given are wellknown capitalists. Charters
were quietly secured for the Eastern and
Western Air Line Railroad Company in
Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and
Iowa. That in this State was granted
some months ago, but was not placed on
record anywhere but in the office of the
Secretary of the Commonwealth, and
therefore was not discovered by the cor
respondents at the Capital. At the meet
ing in this city on the 18th, the companies
in the several States will be consolidated
anu utldbSOulCutS Will llllIuouldt6lN U6
made to begin the work. Mr.. Schwanecke
stated this evening that the eastern ter
minus of the road would be in this State,
as a point which he declines to make pub
lie at this time. 1t will pass through the
northern part of Ohio, Indiana and Illi-
nois, with branch to Chicago, another
branch will run into st. Louis, and the
main stem will go on to Council Bluffs,
Iowa. There will also be connections to
Cincinnati, and the West and southwest
1t is the intention of the projectors to hx
the location in all the States before the
first of the year, so as to begin the actual
! work of construction early next spring
Mr.. Schwanecke says the road will GER
tainly be built; that none of it's stock or
bonds will be thrown upon the market,
and that it will certainly be the railroad of
the future.
The country through which it will pass
is rich in mineral and agricultural resour-
ces, and is not traversed by any trunk
line. In addition to this, the new road
will be shorter one hundred and fifty miles
than any other connecting the same
points. AS its name indicates, it will be
an air line, Mr.. Schwanecke claiming that
at no point will it diverge a greater dis
tance than two miles from an exact line.
Another advantage claimed for it is that
the grades will be less heavy than those of
any other road, the New York Central,
whose grades are less heavy than those of
any other trunk line at present in exist
ence, not being excepted. In comparison
with the roads which center in this city,
Mr.. schwanecke says the Air Line will be
thirty miles shorter between Pittsburg
and New York than the Pennsylvania,
and twelve miles shorter than the Harris
burg and Western, which Vanderbilt is
building.