The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-01-31

A5IERIcA.s GREATEST RAILWAY.

II VIII Run Straight From Chicago to New
York, Passing Through Cleveland.
1t may not be generally known that a
straight line drawn from Chicago to New
York CITY passes almost directly through
the city Of Cleveland, Ohio It IS never
tLeless a fact II is also n fact that a
straight line from Cleveland 10 New York
CITY is about 224 miles shorter Tran the dis
lance between the said cities by the way of
Buffalo and Albany via the Like Shore and
Michigan Southern and the New York Cen
trial and Hudson River railways. Now, with
the enormous volume Of business between
Chicago, the great depot OF the West, and
New York City, the great seaboard port OF
America, 1t seems as if a saving Of pa miles
i'm distance and a saving Of six hours in time
bv express trains would warrant an outlay
sufficient 20 accomplish the construction Of
such q railway.
The plan would be to build a doube-track
line with the ultimate view Of making it
fOur-track road, having maximum grades
not 10 exceed 25 feet 10 the mile, with no
divergence from a straight line excepting in
eases where such a line would strike a
stream Of considerable size lUnEitudinally,
and then the line would be thrown on one
side to avoid the bed Of the stream.
OBJECTIONS MET.
vi tDhlht lAG utok IbJ'ti llbu ~ NC III
stantly urged is the enormous cost of such
a road. and, secondly, that it would entirely
ignore localities Of Importance. In reply to
these objections / will say that although no
surveys nave been made Of this line, yet !
believe that the same capital represented
By the road, Cleveland to New York
via buffalo and Albany, would be
ample to construct this line. Sec
ondly, that this line would by its
greatly reduced distance command all Of
the through business between Cleveland
and Chicago, the great West, and the South
west TO a great extent, and would therefore
be able TO ignore local business and that on
line so pTe-emiBent in its capacity local
business of magnitude would grow with
rapidity along its route. Cleveland would
be the western initial point, rs all lines be-
/ tween there aud the West would feed
it, and another line between Chicago aud
Cleveland Is not required, at least for the
present.
It may be said that the lines west of
Cleveland would not surrender their bust
ness at Cleveland 10 this new road, but the
position Of such a road would be so strong
that no line could for any length of time
hold out against it.
III in place OF building the Nickel Plate
and The West Shore railways capitalists had
nut the same money into a scheme like this
they would to-day have as good an invest
ment as any in the United States. Il is not
ne cessary to go into statistics showing the
volume Of business that this line might COM
mand; the steady aud tremendous growth
Of the West assures it all the business 1t
could 90. 1t would be the most magnif-
cent achievement that has ever been con-
summated on American soil and would be
the greatest railway in the world.
SURE TO BE BUILT SOME DAY
This article is merely tie writing out of
scheme that has been the study of the
writer for the past fifteen years and IL is
his belief that 1t is only a question of time
as to when the same will attract capital to
its accomplishment. The city Of Cleveland
would reap large benefits from the con-
struction Of this line and would becomer
without doubt the largest railway cente,
Outside OF Chicago on this continent
Cleveland should and can afford to take
this matter earnestly in hand and at least
furnish the money to have a survey made
Oh the line herein described and estimates
furnished, which would be necessary TO en-
list capital 1t is the belief of this writer
that the men interested in the Lake Shore
and New York Central railways are more
yitaily Interested 10 the construction Of this
line than any other body of men, for if con-
trOlled by any other company it would take
largely from their earnings and would be-
come the dictator to them OF rates, while If
they built and controlled Ii they could defy
all competition between the West and East,
could put all through business upon it aud
| devote their existing lines to local business,
which is rapidly growing to dimensions that
| require all of their facilities.
The time is surely coming when this
scheme VIII take form and get itself under