The Forrest City times., 1899-07-14
To the Far West.


 Memphis, l was joined by ms daughter. Dora. Thence 10 St. Louis and with e'ose connection reached Chicago Thurs day evening. The Palmer house was the delegates rendezvous, and we were there untiI the following evening. During the day in Chicago we visited many places ol interest, perhaps the most picturesque oe'ng the roof promenade and theatre at the masoric temple. Here. at an eleva- ton of twenty-three stories (the tallest building in Chicago) we viewed Lake Michigan and the Windy City to our hearts content. The view was magnia- cent, the blue waters of the lake stretch. ''le away to the east as far as the eye could reach, and in marked contrast to the smoky city to the west. 1t is not my purpose to write of Chicago, however. and in this letter will simply pass that part of my journey, and taking up the trip thence will just give attention to those matters which impressed ,ne wos.. We are indebted to Mr. c. A. Cairns, ss- sistant G. F. x Tkt Agt of the Chicago. x Northwestern Railway for many cour- tesies, and for the data which follows
 A GREAT RAILWAY.
 The National editorial excursion to Portland left Chicago on the evening of June 50, in one of the superb trains of the Chicago x Northwestern Ky. Every loot Of the journey is full of interest. cov- ering 2,3l4 miles of the through car route Of the Northwestern Line to Portland via Omaha, over which through cars leave Chicago every day ln the year, and arrive at their destination the third evtning Passing out of the big Wells street station the first thing to attract the attention of the tourist is the elevation of the tracks of this line in the city of Chicago, now receiving the finishing touches by the hands of thousand busy workmen.
 In writing about the advancement in railroad methods of the present day, one is overwhelmed with the magnitude of the operations that are changing the traffic conditions of the country. Nowhere are greater strides being made to bring about perfect results in tie operation of rail- way than is seen along the great North western Line.
 TRACK ELEVATION IN CHICAGO
 The work of eevatng the tracks of the Northwestern Line in the city of Chicago. has proceeded so systematically and quiet ly that very few are aware that this Her culean undertaking is almost complete. Fully twenty miles of roadway, from two n Ai ,.f,.f final dressing of gravel ballast Taese tracks have gone up, day by day, to the required grade, with all switches, spurs and signal apparatus, together with the setting in place of hundreds of tons of via- duct work, without the serious delay of a single train or inconvenience to passen- gers or traffic. The Northwestern was the first line III Chicago to realize the ne- cessity for track elevation, and to proceed Tn practical way, to elevate its tracks in ordance with the manifest desire of the public, and to modernize steam raii- way traffic to meet the necessities of the advance of urban life at the dawn of the twentieth century. But this great work IS only characteristic of this great corpo- ration. From the day that the first ten miles of road was laid 10 the Des Plains river, away back in the middle of the cen- tury. which was the humble beginning of the Northwestern Lire, - until this year of grace. A. D. 1899, the motto of the com. pany has been and is: Progress. Liber- ality and Honesty and the best of every thing" Nothing is too good for the Amer ican people, and nothing is too good for this company to buy and place at the dis p0sal of its patrons. So. when the travel CT steps aboard any of the twentieth cen tury trains of the Northwestern Line. he is surrounded by luxuries that outdo the widest fancies or dreams of those who travelled to the West in the days when this Pioneer Line began its existence.