Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1892-07-07
GAMaH
That Is, the New Air
Line Road
Between New York and San
Francisco!
A Magnificent Railway Enterprise from
the Atlantic to the Pacific.
FROM ths chicago oecldsnl, July !, lse2.l

For some time there has been talk Of
an air line railway between New York
and San Francisco passing through
Chicago. The matter has been kept
so quite that few outside of those
Immediately concerned have realized
that it was more than q gigantic
scheme to be accomplished in the life
time of their grand children. The
people of America have long felt the
need of a direct line between these
three cities, and from present indica-
tions such line ia now a certainty.
The Atlantic and Pacific Railway
Construction Company of Chicago was
organized in 1890 for the purpose of
building this continental railroad from
ocean to ocean to shorten the distance
by rail from New York to Chicago 200
miles, and from New York 10 San
Francisco over 600 miles, bridging the
rivers and tunnelling the mountains
and holding a direct course across the
continent. They will run their
through passenger trains at the rate
of 60 miles an hour including stop
pages over a double track railroad laid
with steel rails of the weight of 100
pounds to the yard on oak and steel
ties, making the journey from New
York to Chicago in thirteen hours.
All the bridges and crossings will be
constructed of iron and steel supported
on stone piers and abutments, the road
passing over all north and south lines.
The motive power will be steam or
electricity. The estimated cost of the
road is between three and four hun
dred million dollars, which is less per
mile than the amount invested in
English railways. The enterprise will
be of great value to the commercial
and business world, and grand
opening for conservative and well pay
ing investment,as shown by the figures
and estimates of the cost of construc-
tion and the profits to be derived from
the operation of such line.
Mr.. William Dallin the efficient
Vice. -President,i is the General Manager
and the originator of the enterprise.
He is of English Firth, and came to
this country forty-two years ago. He
led very active life in the early days
in the western states and territories.
He was on the Union Pacific, the
Central Pacific, and a contractor on
the Oregon Short Line, and built the
Vandalia Extension. He has spent
the last two years on this new railway
matter, arranging the details necessary
before the actual construction begins.
Nine months ofthis time was spent in
Europe soliciting English capitalists
to engage in the new enterprise; and SO
favorably were they impressed with
the magnitude, the feasibility aud
necessity of such line, that a
syndicate was formed to furnish the
funds to construct the line,---a route
that will be far superior in all respects
to other American railroads.
Upon his return to America, Mr..
Dallin Immediately set about to per-
feet the organization here, obtaining
the charters in the states, making the
surveys and starting the construction
of the road. Contracts have already
been let for the construction of part of
the road, the actual construction of
which will begin next wear, and the
first division from New York to Chica-
go will be completed in 1900, and the
completion of the road from ocean to
ocean will be the great event of the
first decade of the Goth century. The
question of how to meet the fixed
charges of the road during the first
few years of its operation, when other
railway corporations are pitted against
it was no sooner raised than answered
by Mr.. Dallin. In 1883 and 1889
while building the Vandalia Exten-
sion from South Bend, Indiana, to st.
Joseph, Michigan, he was impressed
with the natural advantages possessed
by important points in that locality
for manufacturing, located as they are,
so easy of access to the iron mines of
Northern Michigan with so good a
harbor on the lake and so near Chica-
go, the distributing point of the great
north west. With spur built from
Benton Harbor to the main line, this
continental railway will find ample
and remunerative business in trans
porting the coal and coke from
Pennsylvania to meet the iron from
northern Michigan at Benton Harbor
where the rails, all material and
supplies will be produced. While
interesting capitalists in the railway
Mr.. Dallin also remembered these
manufacturing industries and as a
result, the success of large iron, steel
and ship building enterprises at Benton
Harbor and vicinity are assured. Mr..
John r. Bensley has become interested
in the enterprise, and has been
elected president of the company. He
has been identified with many of the
large public enterprises of Chicago. He
was president of the Board of Trade in
1877, and at the head of the committee
which procured the site and erected
the building now occupied and owned
by that powerful association, and
brings to this work large execut' 90
ability. The Office Of the com .,anx
will be locatedin the Phoenix BIZ ,dinG
Mr.. George F. Watson, who has fo,
many years been associat' ID with Mr.
Bensley, is the secretary -
All along the line. not onlv In tn,
small towns and r.diages. But notably
m, 10 sne cl.ies, er at interest is taken ii
wh;ch .,,i J"iei ;n in every way possible
Wnlcn v .,i Ia Ia eself speaks for the success
VI enis ,se'at road. We need scarcel.
say lat such a gigantic undertaking
= a. not been attempted In this countr,
f0F0n the American continent. Tha
4 vt must at once become the grea
highway from the Atlantic to tn
! Pacific none can question, and as
financial investment, 1t will outstri
all other interest bearing bonds.
Z, Three Things to Remember.