The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-02-16
AMERICAS GREATEST RAILWAY.

1T WILL RUN STRAIGHT FROM CHICAGO TO NEW
YORK, PASSING THROUGH CLEVELAND.
1t may not be generally known that straight
line drawn from Chicago to New York city
passes almost directly through the city of Cleye-
land o. IT nevertheless fact 1t Is also a
fact that straight line from Cleveland to New
York city Is about two hundred a nd twcnty-four
miles shorter than the distance between the
said cities by the way of Buffalo and Albany via
the Lake Shore Michigan Southern and tho
New York Central & Hudson River RAILWAYS
Now, with the enormous volume OF business
between Chicago, the great depot OF the west.
and New York city, the great senboard port OF
America, 1t seems rs II a saving OF two hundred
anu twcnty-four miles In distance and o saving
OF six hours In time by express trains would
warrant an outlay sufficient to accomplish the
construction OF such railway.
The plan would be to build o doublc.track
line with the ultimate view Of making il a four
track road having maximum grades not TO OK
coed twenty-six feet to the mile with no d.
vcrgcncc from q straight line excepting In cases
where such line would strike stream of con-
siderable size longtudinally, and then the line
would be thrown on one side TO avoid the bed
OF the stream.
or course the first objection to be Instantly
urged Is the enormous cost OF such a read, and,
secondly, that 1t would entirely ignore localities
OF Importance. In reply TO these objections l
will say that, although no surveys have been
made OF this line, yet believe that the same
New York via Buffalo and Albany would he
ample TO construct this lire Secondly. tina,
this line would by it's greatly reduced
distance command all OF the through
business between Cleveland and Chi.
cago, the great west, and the southwest To n
great extent. and would therefore be able 10
ignore local business for the present, and that
on line so pre-eminent in its capacity local
business OF magnitude would grow with rnpidity
along its route. Cleveland would be the western
initial point, as all lines between there and the
west would feed II, and another line between
Chicago and Cleveland Is not required nj lcnst
for thep resent
tmay be said that the lines west of Cleyc.
land would not surrender their business n,
Cleveland to this new road, but the position OF
such road would be so strong that no line
could Tor any length Of time hold out against H.
III IN place OF building tho Nickel Plate and
the west Shore railways capitalists had put tho
same money into scheme like this they would
Today have as good on investment es any In the
United States. 1t Is not necessary 10 90 into
statistics showing tho volume OF business that
this line might commando the steady and trc
mendous growth Of the west assures IL all the
business 1t could do 1t would be the most mag
nihcont achievement that has ever bocn con
summatcd on American soil and would he the
greatest railway in ths world.
This article is merely the writing out OF n
scheme that has boon the study OF the writer for
tho past fifteen years and IL Is his belief that II
Is only question OF time as to when tho same
will attract capital to its accomplishment. The
city OF Cleveland would reap large benefits from
tho construction OF this Inc and would become
without doubt thelnrgest railway center (ou,-
side Of Chicago) on this continent
Cleveland should and con afford to take this
matter earnestly In hand and at least furnish
tho money to have survey made on the line
herein described and estimates furnished,
which would be neceeSary TO enlist capital II
Is the belief of this writer that the men iii.
tcrested in the Lake Shore and New York Cen
trail railways arc moro vitality interested In The
construction Of this line than nry other body OF
men. for II controlled by any other company 81
would take largely from their earnings ars
would hccc-.e ;ssc Dictator 10 SSesn Of ra.-a
while n they buils and o5ntroliei It they ooulG
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