Year: 1870

The solidity, regularity and sub


stantial appearance of the embank-


ments for the first five miles attracted


general and favorable comment. Thi:


work has been done by Quincy men
Of life time experience in this line o


business and they have done theil


job well, as they know how to do it
| The bridge across the North Fabious


five miles from this city, promises tc


be unsurpassed by any structure OF


similar proportions. We do not be.
lieve that anywhere i'm the country


can n more complete piece of bridge
stone work be exhibited than that
| which Mr.. Menke, the contractor, is
| constructing at this point. Such was
| the universal verdict of the inspect


ing party. The rock is obtained near
| La Grange, and has to be hauled a
| distance OF six or seven miles. 1t is a
pure white limestone, perfectly free
| from flint, lying in heavy seams, and


is pronounced to be superior to any


stone in this vicinity for this or any


other building purpose.


The superstructure is to be Of the


Howe Truss patent, with a single span


of one hundred and fifty-five feet be-
| tween the piers. The total length of
the bridge will be one hundred and
sixty-five feet.


Passing over the Fabious we find


the Sixth and seventh miles also rap
idly advancing to completion, and


also, We might say, the entire work


under contract as far as the end of the


eleventh mile. Here comes one of


the heaviest pieces of labor on the


whole line high grading involving


rise Of siXty-five feet to the mile,


and from this point with the eXcep-
tion of section Jouteen (which is


being worked, contracts are not yet


made for any work, until We reach
the twenty-third section, laying in


Labe}le township, Lewis County
Thence to the end of the Mrty-eigjtth
section wOrkmen are busy from one
end of the line to the other. Some
sections are almost entirely complet-
ed, and at no time, scarcely, could
one look along the survey without
seeing a gang at work. And here, as
elsewhere, the same characteristic
was evident-gOOd w0rE-shOwing
capacity and faithfulness in the con
tractors, and personal supervision on
the part of the engineers.


Through Labelle township and APP
propriately is the name given, for |
hardly anywhere can contiguous |
area be found of equal size in all our
agricultural domain where n mere |,
view Will meet the eye of I
thrift fertility and landscape beauty |
than I'd this rich township Of Labelle. |
1t is diagonally bisected from the /
to the northwestern corner,
and everywhere i'm sight were fences
and fields, no waste, no useless land
to be seen. The same might be said
Of the cas- ern portion of Jeddo and
all that section through which the
line runs in the western part Of Lewis
md the aastern portion of Knox



There is rich section of country
llso lying along the road from the
Eighth to the twelfth mile of the
urvey, where the road rises through
broad fertile valley from the Fahious
'ottOm to the level of the higher
ands.


The richness and immense resour-
es OF some portions of Missouri lay
ng Immediately by us is but little
ealized 10y most of our citizens. Our
houghts and movements heretofore,
Ill tending eastward, it IS only now
nd then that an occasional evidence
ONES upon us of what lies in this,
ur natural granary. Yet, could all
( Quincy pass over this projected
onte and see, not only what nature
as there planted, but what capacity
Or development exist, any doubts as
o the especial demands for our con-
lection with this section would be
brown aside forever. Missourians
this we'll. They see
where their natural market lies. and
xpect a similar recognition from us.
aid one intelligent farmer to us: II
now that | and every man within
light Of this road can afford to give
EN- per cent. Of all we own to have il,
nd we Will get our money back
Tithout feeling that We have paid it
ut.r


How valuable, how solid business,
nd how much prosperity We are
rawing to Quincy, may be gathered
rom the fact assured us everywhere
hat the individual proprietors of
hese sections are free from debt. An
Intelligent gentleman stated to us
hat he did not know i'm either of the
wo townships of Highland and La
elle of five mortgages, and that
'heriffs' sales for any amount were a
hing there unknown.


But chiefly have we written these !
ines to assure and inform our home :
eaders Of the faithful labor and solid
rogress which marks the action of I
he Directors of this road to testify {
the ability Of it's location, the for =
hardness of its work, the energy of |
s officials, and what was observable
u along and everywhere, an abiding
nth among the people whom we met,
4 its management and i'm the great {
eciprocal advantages it will produce.