Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-07-03

tinuous stream of travel The North
western line operates three daily pas
senger trains from Chicago to the Pa
clfic coast. One of these, known as
the Overland Limited is probably the
most luxurious and beautiful train In
the world. Through Pullman service
to Omaha, Denver, Portland and San
Francisco leaves Chicago daily heavi-
ly loaded with traffic to those points.
AS to freight movements, the great
double-track system across the plains
is busy carrying manufactures for
Asiastic Russia, cotton cloths for the
Chinese, various articles required by|
the pioneers who have crossed the Pa
cific to Manila and gone north to the
gold mines of Alaska; as well as the
tremendous traffic for the Dakotas,
Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and the Pa
cific northwest, comprising the pro-
duct of every known branch of the
country's commercial activity.
1t was in 1S4S that the Chicago &
Galena Union, having been completed
from Chicago to the Des PLANES river,
distance of ten miles, the first train
over the line opened the traffic to
Chicago by stopping on its way east to
take on a farmers load of wheat, the
first grain shipment by rail to Chicago
from the west. 1t may be imagined
that this wheat was hardly destined
for export, and that the travellers on
this junket of early days little thought
to what proportions this nucleus of
great railway system would grow.
But the road grew and in 1870 the
IN nj DI,,fe
and the Pawnees on the Platte and the
Sioux on the Missouri began to feel
the crowding of the white mans out
posts. In 1880 Iowa, Minnesota and
Wisconsin had become well settled,
while along the Platte the Indians
still remained. The Northwestern
had, however, built line across south
ern Minnesota and into Dakota as far
as Watertown, with feeders to various
points, while in Wisconsin and north
ern Michigan lines had been extended
north into the Lake Superior district
through Escanaba and Ishpeming.
Thls all seems very recent, but since
that time the system has grown until
| 1T penetrates nine states of the Union,
and its heavy lines Of freight trains
and palatial passenger service reach
all important points from Chicago to
Milwaukee, Madison, ST. Paul and
Minneapolis, Duluth and Superior,
Omaha. the Black Hills, Colorado and
the Pacific coast.
With all this development in vari-
Gus directions the Northwestern has
never for moment lost sight of the
great fact that the transcontinental
business of this nation is for many
| years to come to be to furnish great
volume of traffic. The Chicago &
northwestern is the pioneer transcon-
tlnental line. Its little ten miles fore
runner of '4S, reaching bravely out to
the great west, has always kept just a
little ahead of the fast pace set for
progress by the young man, who, TAX
ing Greeley's famous advice, Shas gone
west, until the west and the far east
are ready to join hands as one.
The Northwestern has played an
important part in the growth of the
western country. Double-track trunk
lines, heavy locomotives ana palace
like passenger trains have all come to
the west largelysBas result of the
work of this pioneer line Elevated
tracks in Chicago electric block. sig
nails, daily overland trains and the
steady reduction in time, for overland
passenger schedules have all been fur
thered to very great degree by the
| Northwestern.
The completion Of the double track
to Omaha, the first double track be-
tween Chicago and the Missouri River,
puts the road not only at the front as
compared with the other western
roads, but in advance of any of the
eastern lines that traverse country
where the population is muc more
| dense.
| The double track to Omaha is part
of the general plan on the part of the
Northwestern, the Union Pacific and
| the Southern Pacific to make the ia
cilities for transportation between Chi
cago and the Pacific coast as ample as
possible, a plan that willsdoubtless re-
suit in the continued Improvement of