Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-10-29

lmittee to draft and form our new
: railroad laws. At the outset some
grangers objected to giving railroads
= the right to condemn property and
desired to limit depot grounds t.
three acres.
| Within year John Mahin, the EN-.
inent editor of the Muscatine Jour
nal, who is noted as authority ON
Iowa history. published in his Jour
nal that A. c. Fulton procured the
grant of land to construct the Mis-
sissippi d Missouri railroad.
Our directors of the NJ. & NJ. road
) were the chief promoters and power
to act on congress i'm behalf of the Pa
citic end of the line. Then came in Wall
lstreet influence To create credit mo-
bile and pick two of Uncle Sans
pockets, if one of the 40 thieves truly
told me of his astonishing and UNI
looked for wealth.
When journeying between Scott and
buchanan counties. while damming
the Wapsipinicon river i'm 1912. | paid
attention to the formation of land.
the extent of territory that would
support IL railroad. The first days
work on the Davenport 4 ST. Paul
railroad. now the Chicago. Milwaukee
d st. Paul. no tie was laid. no band
was played, only Il 14hours' days
work: no rest. no rationS. yet Il rail
road was created worth hundreds of
thousands of dollars to the state.
Only one days work to put the ball in
motion and direct its course. that it
now speeds on 70 greatness.
On the morning of April :. 1867 |
/ rose early. and with a township map,
Il note book and Il pocket compass
went to the river at the foot of Perry
street. then followed the river up to
Spring street. then passed north by
east over the bluff to Goose creek
valley. thence northward. noting the
situation until a retiring sun warned
me of approaching night. and watling
sloughs and climbing fences reminded
me of lack of MONDAY rations.
! On the morrow | procured team
and called on l.. +. Parker, who join
cd me. He passed over the roads with
the team whilst | followed my line
through fields. We were greatly
elated with our examination and the
feasibility of the line. Those two
days work are on record.
! Immediately drew up stock sub
scription list for stock in the Daven-
port e st. Paul railroad, and sub
Scribed 80 ShareS-S5. OO0-and soon
Increased il to 5000. | went on the
street and also called on business
men and ran the list up to $4,000. |
then called on Frank Miller. of Bieder-
becke & Miller and we canvassed the
First ward, with but limited success.
the line came forward into the work
with energy. The stock list was eN-
tended and | placed the act of incor-
poration on record the 9TH day of
February. 1869.
Subscriptions were increased. bonds
issued. and 4 contract let for north
ern portion of the line which was
brought into Pine Hill. with Il switch
running west to the Dubuque road
north of Duck creek, where freight
and passengers floundered in deep
mud to take the train. The money
was exhausted. receiver appointed.
and il was estimated that 100000
would be required to bring the line to
where ii now runs on Warren street.
|. director. claimed that those fig
ures were unreasonable. The com
pany had no money TO test the cost
Dy survey and estimate.
y citizens meeting was called Oh
the subject of getting out of the mud.
Long talk but no work was the order.
| proposed that Jacob Eldridge and
\. {. Fulton be appointed to make
surveys and estimates of the cost of
constructing the line from Pine Hill
in to the city at Warren street. Jacob
Eldridge has not yet appeared to per-
form his portion of winter work on
that line. but Fulton employed men
at his own cost TO carry the chain
and take river Soundings.
On Jan. >. 1874. / reported through
the city journals that the railroad
could be constructed from Pine Hill
in to the city at Warren street, on
the ground where it is now located,
for the sum of S114.671.2O. and that 1
would construct it for that sum of
money | proposed to the bondhold
ers, through John +. Henry, receiver,
to perform the work for my reported
estimate.
When the bondholders knew that
the line could be constructed at that
cost they Immediately agreed to per-
form the work if the right of way
was given TO them.
A tax was voted and stock taken.
but the city council and a ma jority of
the citizens were bitterly opposed to
permitting the line to enter on to
Front street. 1t was a fierce battle
of resolute few against the many.
The many claimed that to permit the
railroad to enter on the street. the
total ruin of Davenport would follow.
The city authorities attempted to
annul the tax levy for the road as
well as to prohibiting it to enter on
to Front street, and for those pur-
poses applied to the upper courts for
aid at heavy cost and the loss of