The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-05-08
A COAL ROAD URGED TWENTY-SIx
YEARS AGO.

YEARS AGO.
The Journal has already stated that pub
lie attention was called to the necessity of
a coal road for this city by former mayor
more than twenty-five years ago. Hon.
progressive mayors the city ever had, was
first elected in 1863, reelected in 1865. and.
after term in the state Senate was again
elected In 1875 and reelected in 1877 and 1879.
He is the father of the Belt Railroad, be-
ing the originator of the idea and the first
promoter of the project which was inaugur-
ated against the opposition of many. and
which has proved eminently successful.
Mr.. Caven, now in his eightieth year. has
lived to see the complete success of the
Belt Railroad-the first one constructed in
the United States-but the city, or its peo-
pie, have not yet shown wisdom enough
to adopt his recommendations regarding the
construction of a coal road, made nearly
twenty-seven years ago.
On July II. 1876, Mr.. Caven presented to
the City Council a paper on the local ad-
vantages of Indianapolis as manufacture
central location of the city and it's railroad
facilities, he presented statistics regarding
the extent and value of the coal deposits
Of Indiana, and emphasized them by say
ing:
Should a contract be made to deliver all
this coal at Indianapolis at 10 cents a
bushel, and the contract be completed and
pay day come and the purchaser had at his
dismissal
greenbacks in the United States. he would
only be able to pay 81 Of each 1896. or about
one-third OF per cent, and were he to
mortgage and pledge all the real and per-
sonal property in the United States for
the balance nearly 80 per cent of the debt
would still be unsecured The coal. If sold
national debt one hundred times; would buy
all the real and personal property in In
diana near three hundred times. Were this
coal consumed in manufacturing, and
profit Of / cent per bushel made and de-
posted in the state treasury the amount
would be equal to one and half times all
the property in the United States in 1870
Mining one hundred bushels per day
each. ii would employ the entire male pop
ulation of the State between the ages OF
twenty-one and forty-five for one hundred
and eighty years, and their wages at 3
cents per bushel would be SCI. 159. 002. IA
or ninety-three times the value of all the
property In the State of Indiana.
The mayor adopted this mode of illustrat-
ing the magnitude of the coal resources
of the State in the hope of impressing the
Council and people with the importance Of
utilizing, them. Then he commented on the
benefits of manufactures a source of
nous productive power of a ton of coal sup
plemented by skilled labor. Finally, using
the facts as an argument for a Belt Rail-
road and coal road. he said:
Suppose Indianapolis were surrounded by
a navigable water, into which poured eleven
navigable rivers, navigable TO every county
to every fertile valley. to every hillside
with it's exhauStlesS mines, to every quarry
Of stone and forest of timber. and. in ad-
dition, this surrounding water espe-
cially adapted for the location of innumer-
able manufactures, would Ii be deemed an
improper expense for the city to improve
to the city on water that belt road might
be to us The stockyards would come be-
fore the road was finished, and grain ele-
vantages would invite the location of man.
ufacturers, and these would furnish de-
mand for fuel and farm products. thus
building up state industries to aid us fur
ther I'm furnishing a market In turn for the
manufa ctured wares. The coal road would
soon be built. perhaps finished first. think,
however. might safely say If the circular
road were an assured fact that it would at
once decide the coal road as an assured
fact. The pit value of 300 acres OF coal
would build it. and Sullivan county alone
has 2750OO acres of coal. worth. at one
half cent per bushel royalty, $3.50. 297, 900,
enough to build GOO roads to this city.
| The Council was impressed by this pa
per, and the city was wise enough to lend
its credit for the construction of the Belt
Railroad, but the coal road has never come.
| The obligation assumed by the city to Sc
cure the construction of the Relt Railroad
was as much as it could safely assume at
| that time without undertaking the con-
struction Of coal road, but the latter
should have been done long ago by private
| capital. Whenever movements have been
| made in that direction they have been
| headed off. bought up or smothered by
| roads which now penetrate the coal fields
and which profess to be giving the city
cheap fuel, while they are really milking
| it and exacting tribute in favor of other
| cities Ali that Mayor Caven said in 1876
| has come true, except the construction OF
| a coal road in the exclusive interest OF
| this city, and that has failed because our
manufacturers, business men and citizens
generally have not been wise enough an6
enterprising enough to organize and carry
| 1t through. Apparently they have preferred
| to pay tribute to roads managed in the
| interest of other cities. 1t would seem tc
/ be about time for our manufacturers and
| business men to make a new declaration
of independence.
While much is to be said in favor of thu