The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-08-26
RAILROAD HISTORY
A GREAT ENTERPRISE FOR WHICH
JOHN CAvEN DESERVES CREDIT.
Iu~portance of stockyards and Belt
Line Tracks
Incident 20 Construction.

cornoratfon was formed IN August, 1873.
of which Henry c. Lord was president, 10
construct a Belt road and stockyards on
the present lines. On Sept. 10, 1913, the
McCarty heirs conveyed TO this corpora
ton a strip of ground one hundred feet
I'm width. running from the Vandalia Rail-
road through 10 the river on the present
line, containing more than twenty acres.
as shown in deed recorded in and Record
20. Page 2Sf, according to the conditions
therein named. Articles of association in
cooperating the Indianapolis Belt Railway
Company were filed April .. 1873, in the Of
fee of the secretary of state, TO construed
a railroad connecting the different railroads
lesding into the city. The then over
crowded tracks of the Union Railroad
Company. over which all freight, as well
as passenger cars, were brought TO the city,
suggested the importance of the same The
directors for the first year named therein
were Addison l.. Roach, Thomas D. Kin
gan, John H. Farquhar, Elijah B. Martin
dale. Joel T. Richardson. Milton Nj. Lands.
Henry C. Lord. John Thomas and William
Coughlen. II. c. Lord was elected presi-
dent of the company and Joel F. Richard
son superintendent. The latter, ii was said,
va ~ Hrs ~ SASoCS baAAAAAo NAN @o-
road.
Early IN September Mr.. Henry c. Lord,
as president OF the company, proposed to
Nicholas McCarty that if he and the other
McCarty heirs. owners of the real estate
lying between Oliver avenue and the Vim
cennes Railroad and that between the Vim
cennes Railroad and the river. would give
the right of way through all such real es-
tate McCarty might select one OF the three
routes named by Mr.. Lord on which the
right of way should be located. Negotia-
tons relative to the matter resulted in the
conveyance by deed Sept. 10, 1873, to this
company of a strip of ground one hundred
feet in width, running through all the said
real estate on the present line of the Belt
Railroad proper, containing about twenty
acres, and being $500 feet long. as shown
in deed recorded in Land Record 20, Page
294, according TO the conditions named
therein. The company proceeded to make
the roadbed through the strip, first work
Ing on it between the Vincennes Railroad
and Oliver avenue. Soon afterward the
panic came, all work was discontinued and
was not resumed until some time there
after, when money, it was said, was fur
nished by Mr.. Thomas ID. Kingan, and the
company continued the work on the
roadbed east of the Vincennes Railroad.
Some little time thereafter all operations
were again discontinued, and, the company
failing TO meet the conditions of the deed,
the whole strip reverted TO the grantors, a
decree in the Marion Superior Court, cause
No. 1876. against the indianapolis Belt
Railway Company, Thomas d. Kingan and
others Quoted the title in the McCarty
heirs. This strip of ground is all the COM
pany ever secured for a right of way.
Nothing further as to work on the en-
or any of the right of way was
ever done under the direction of the In
~dianapolis Belt Railway Company.
MR. CAVEN'S GREAT WORK
At that time indianapolis was a city of
barely over $1,000 people, a prosperous
overgrown country town, OF conservative
people and plain dwellings. separated in a
measure from the hustle of the .outside
world and caring nothing whether this or
that city outgrew it; consequently there
was little waste Of nervous energy, no
booms and few local strikes. This feeling
of security had built up a residence city
and one of solid wealth, and the fact that
homes were built here by hard labor in
stilled in all classes a feeling Of proprietor
ship. And this is why the great financial
panic of 1873 did not reach indianapolis I'M
til several years later, but the inevitable
day dawned at last. II was a serious hour,
and had to be handled in a firm manner
and by a strong hand The man arose to
the occasions; he successfully averted a Ia
Dor war and incidentally gave to this city
a gift the value Of which he could hardly
hope would prove the greatest industry of
this city. But the test of tw~enty-three
years has proven his judgment. The enter
prise was the Indianapolis Belt Railroad
and Stockyards Company. and the man who
thought out this project was the Hon.
John Caven.
He was mayor of the city, and endeav-
ored to devise some plan whereby he might
give labor TO the unemployed and at the
same time build something which would
not merely be an ornament TO the city. but
which would bring in revenue TO repay it
self and in the future increase in value.
This would be accomplished in building a
great belt road around the city in connec-
ton with the various railroads entering
from all directions and connecting it with
a large stockyard from which immense
shipments could be received and sent to
other parts of the country. This plan, there
fore. furnished labor TO the unemployed,
brought a great cattle market to Indian
apolis and a large amount of taxable prop
erty; and all of this was not the act of a
speculation or a promoter. but of a man
who cared for his city and his people so
much that ne would accept no stock in the
concern when he could have done so Justly
and have acquired a fortune.
When the details OF the enterprise had
been thoroughly gone over Mayor Caven
drew up the Belt road message and read IL
before the Council on July II, 1876. 1t was
published in the papers. where il caused
considerable mme Articles of associa-
ton OF the Union Railroad and ~Stockyards
Company, dated Aug. -. 1876. were filed in
the secretary of states office. The direc-
tors for the first year named therein were
J c. Ferguson. John Thomas. w. c.
Holmes. W. n. Jackson, Z. +. Claypool.
John F. Miller. NJ. a. Downing. Horace
Scott and w. r. McKeen. The purpose of
the same. as stated In these articles. was 70
provide convenient methods for the trans
noTfafion and franefar - e--f-L. -.