El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-12-07
SPAN OF THE ARCH
Sketch Of the Illinois Central System


In completing the physical formation
of this country, nature made very
serious and palpable error in her fail
ure to unite the Great Lakes with
tidal waters, either at some point on
| the Atlantic seabosrd, or on the Gulf
of Mexico. Fortunately, however,
through the genius and clever supple
mental WORK of man, the span of the
arch, or the connecting link between
| the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mex
leo, has been most happily effected
| through the construction and perfec-
tion of a magnificent railway system,
which unites the Great Lakes, and the
vast and highly productive country
tributary thereto, with the Gulf OF
Mexico, and thus with the great marts
of the world.
What the splendid Brooklyn bridge,
marvellous feat of engineering skill,
is to the cities connected by it. the
mighty network of railways known as
the Illinois Central system is to the
Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico.
These vast bodies of water, forming
the gsteways to vast empires, not to
speak of the great marts oil the entire
globe, are united together in more
than literal sense, by double and
triple rows of steel rails, brought into
close and useful compact in one of the
the world has ever witnessed. Thus
man bad remedied and improved
upon the work of nature.
The Illinois Central system, forming
q mig hty transportation line between
the great west and the marvelOusly re-
sourceful south, constitutes one of the
| most important and useful factors in
the industri and commercial develop
ment OF the country. 1t is powerful
nf nf U
and g ceaseless producer of wealth.
Forming q douol or triple sys-
tenn of massive steel railways,
solid, strong, impreRnable, and
brought into the highest state of
development and usefulness, compris-
ing the bestproducts of art and science
az applied to the agencies of trauspor-
tation, the various parts united to-
gether as a single, indivisible unit,
and joining in quick and harmonious
cooperation the great cities, villages
and hsmlets, and the farms, mills and
mines of the very heart of the vast
country, the Illinois Central system
exerts, and has exerted for many
years past, q most important and far
reaching influence on the progress of
the whole country. This mighty sys.
perfected with one grand, yet
single purpose, utility.
To serve the whole country we'll, to
FENDER formidable assistance in devel-
Oping, perfeoting, and utilizing it's
vast resources, in producing or gather
ing natural wealth and bringing it
into q finished condition, in short. to
give a powerful impetus to the general
aggrsndizement of the nation. and
thus aid it in the fierce conflict with
other powers, has been the all import
ant and controlling idea of the found
ers and builders of the Illinois Central
system. And how great has been the
success of this mig hty enterprise!
Not alone has the Illinois Central
system accomplished a great work in
the development OF the great country
matchless lines, but the company has
directed it's efforts with wonderful sue
cess in prosecuting an extensive sys-
tenn of public improvements at Or near
the numerous points of importance
along its system. This has been espec-
tally noticeable in Chicago, where
the lake front has been COM
work of the company, and millions of
dollars have been added to the taxable !
wealth of the city. The same ststs of
progress has been, and Ia today, OBJ |
servable at New Orleans, where the |
company has erected levees, docks, |
elevators and other public works of
proport ions and mighty ad-
iuncts of progress and prosperity. And
in lesser degrees, the same era of pro-
gress may be traced along the whole
system.
The completion and perfection of
the Illinois Central system has been
like a mighty fructifying shower
over vast areas OF territory,
and the accumulated results
are almost incalculable. 1t has