Democratic Sentinel, Volume 4, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 February 1881 — RAILWAY PLANS AND WORK! [ARTICLE]

RAILWAY PLANS AND WORK!

Satisfied of the deep interest felt by our citixens in eve ything tending to the growth snd prosperity of our county and town, we presets to day what is s-id of a project in which they uie vitally concerned by journals east and west. The outlook is promising. Read: the DOUBLE-TRACK DEAL. [Ch'cago'/imes, Jan. 29th.j The Continental railway, among the newer projects of the active eia of railroad construction in this, country is exciting a good dtal of inquiry.— This Times early in t‘ e present week discovered the presence in Chicago, at the Grand Pacific hotel, of some of the executive officers of the com pany, who, at that time, stated that they were not quite ready to impart any information officially, but would be in position to talk more frtely in a day or two. The officers who are here are J. T. Snead, president, and James E. Abbott, chief engineer. A representative of The limes obtained from officers, last,evening, the first, official account of the enterprise, and which is much fuller than the meagre and unofficial information published in the New York press and telegraphed over the country. (These officers stated that the C ontinental Railway company completed its organization in 1873, and had i-ts plans well matured for the construction of its Line upon about the same route as is now in contemplation; but the panic came on and the projectors and promoters abandoned the enterprise until| such time as it could be revived under favorable auspices. The capitalists who are willing to put their money into the enterprise are of •• th® opinion that the present time is in every way ftpspicious Charters have been secured in Jo way Indiana and Ohio under ths general laws, while special charters have been secured in Illinois, Pennsylvania and New Jer gey These charters have been consolidated into a coinotation known as the “Continental Railway company,” with power to construct, maintain and operate a double-track road. The money needed for the construction and equipment of the line it is claimed, will be forthcoming as fast as required to prosecute the workIt is promised that construction will be BNKRGBTICALLY PUSHED DURING THE PRES ENT YEAR. and that “Continental” cars will be running between Chicago and New York before 1883. Since their arrival in Chicago the executive officers have awarded contracts for the construction of four hundred and sixty miles of double track. The work of these •ontracts will be commenced as soon as the weather shall moderate a little Arrangements are being negotiated tor an entrance to Chicago, but ths e negotiations have not progressed far fax enough to admit of any announcement.. It can be stated, however, by authority, that the Continental com pany is not seeking admission to the city over the Chicago and Western Indiana. The new line has a choice of three routes for coming in. Mr. Abbott, the engineer in charge of the location of the new road, says the eastern terminus of the Continental is on the Hudson river, just across from New York city, The route crosses the Delaware at Belvidere, N. J., follows westward through the anthra cite coal-fields, crosses the Susquehanna river near Milford Pa., and runs thence through the continuous bituminous and cannel coal-fields in Pennsylvania, crossing the Allegheny river at Mahoning, and thence westward through the principal oil-fields of Butler county. In Ohio the line as surveyed touches at Youngstown, Akron, and Tiffin, and in Indiana at Fort Wayne, Rochester, and Rensselaer, and from the last named place it runs in a direct line to Chicago. The officers claim that the new road will save in distance between Chicago and New York over the present trunk line routes from 128 to 194 miles, and in grades and curves, for all the pur. poses of cost of operation, nearly as much more. By the last survey THE DISTANCE BY THE PROPOSED ROUTE from New York to Chicago is 78G miles, and it is believed that this dis tance can be considerably reduced. The grades, for east-bound transportation will not, it is claimed, exceed three-fourths of 1 per cent., and for west-bound transportation the grades will be of an equaled lightness to balance dead weight as against paying weight. Mr. Abbott states that it is equated by skilled engineers that the cost of every 20 feet cf ascending grade is equal to the operating of one mile of dead level road, or to overcoming 320 degrees of curvature has the same result. The careful location of the Continental line, he says, ffor through business, enables it to avoid looking either to the right or the left to accommodate local business; but the company adopts the theory of building its line to accommodate the through business, knowing that the local business will grow up along the route. The officers, in their conversation with the representative of The Times, said their company was fully alive to. Chicago’s importance commercially,’ and that any railway company that should ignore its existence would commit a grave mistake. It was the feeling of the company, they said,} that to connect New York and Chica . go by the shortest double-track airline, with the least possible consumption of distance by curvatures, and of the least practicable grade, was the ■ ehief desideratum to-day in settling ■ the question of cheap transportation between the east and the west. They

stated that the new line would avoid allswamps and low grounds, and wus i itended to afford, both from an en gineeririg and commercial standpoint, the best route between the seaboard and the great west for through traffic, The line touches a town on an aver u.c of every twelve miles. Mr. Ab I otf. in answer to a question, said the estimated cost of "construction, per single track, was $20,000 per mile between Chicago and Akron, 0., and about $35,000 per imile between Akron and New York.

Tie Premises of lie (kntinfntal Al? Line. WHAT ITS PROMOTERS EXPECT TO REALIZE MAKING THE ROAD A GREAT FREIGHT LINE WHAT HAS BEEN DONE AND IS TO BE DONE. New York TfnieH. J anuary 29th. The Continental Railway Company, which has undertaker! the enterprise <>i constructing a double track airiueroad from New-York to Chicago .nd Omaha, is formed by the consolidation of live companies, organized nder the laws of lowa, Illinois. Iniiana.Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The <:.r-Hnob'rs assort that they will be ... le to furnish the people with a great thoroughfare for the transportation of Height at Jess cost and with greater ' ease and expedition than any other Jiiie. * The present trunk line3.it is argued, were originally built for local purposes on circuitous routes chosen to avoid expense or to reach business centres. These roads, on account of .heavy grades and other faults of construction, carry on an average, it is asserted, only about 130 tons of freight to the engine, when the same power, on moderate and uniform grades, would be able to haul three times that amount. It is expected that this circumstance alone will enable the new road to cheapen greatly the prices of transportation without lessening the profits.

The schedule proposed is 15 cents a bushel for grain from Chicago, 18 As I from St. Louis, and 24 cents from j Council Bluffs. The tariff on grain j from Chicago during tne past years I h -s dually been about 20 cents per I bushel. The rates for freight most, I of course, depend largely upon the j ability of the comp my to secure all ! the traffic it can cbnveniently handle. I The managers uelieve this road will ! b“ ultimately taxed to its utmost ca- | pacity, with rates at six mills per ton ; per mile for Summer and seven mills for Winter traffic. The management i will begin with starting 80 trains per ■ day each way from Chicago and New : fork, which they expect after the first - six months, to increase to 100 trains ' a day each way. On this basis to De ! gin with, there will be 800 trains each i way continually in motion, with the ; minimum amount of 24,000 tons of' freight in bulk always in transit be i tween these two points. Estimating j the annual earnings of the Continental Railway at the same ratio as the - earnings of thv Pennsylvania between j Pittsburgh and Jersey Citv, the ain’t ! will be something oyersloo,ooo,ooo. ! The management, however, on its i own figures calculates upon a gross ; income of at least $68,000,000 per an- | num derived from freights. To per- ' form this work 1,400 locomotives and i 55,000 freight cars will be required at j the outset. The estimated cost of the j Continental Railway, including stu- i tions, grounds equipment, machine ! shops, water tanks, and all the prop- I erty and necessary appliances to put | the road in first class running order, i is $100,000,000. All of this amount at ; present required has been pledged by i •prominent capitalists of Europe and America Chicago is ths first objective point, which wili os reached inside of two years from the present time. When this distance (786 miles) is put in complete running order, the work of construction will be pushed forward on the remainder of the route as rapidly - as possible. Nearly all the contracts for the grading and the eoastruotion of the bridges and culverts for this portion ot trie work have already been made, and in a few weeks 10,000 men will be put to work at various points along the route. The gauge adopted is 4 feet 8| inches, to correspond with that of the great system of Western railways, of which, it is expected, the Continental will become the outlet to the sea-bpard. There has already been expended in surveys, the grading and construction of bridges for 150 miles of double-track and the securing of ths right of way, nearly $3,000,000. The equipment adapted to the business of the road will require an expenditure of $80,000,000. Two surveys have been made across tfie Al legheny Mountains for the purpose of securing the lowest possible grade and the smallest possible curvature. The total distance consumed' in curvature between Jersey City and Council Bluffs is 96 miles, with grades nowhere

exceeding 30 feet to ths mile going east, and 40 feet ?o the mile going west, the maximum curves being four degrees on a radius of 1,433 feet. The road will be laid with steel rails weighing 68 pounds to ,the yard, and the bridges will be of iron. The line crosses 51 railroads between New York and Council Bluffs, and it will shorten the distance of 15 of these roads over 100 miles. At Council Bluffs this road will connect with the Missouri River and with the Pacific Railway; at its crossing of the Mis-si-sippi River it will receive what frieights may be brought to it by that highway of communication; at Chicago it will connect with all the railways running to that great centre, and at St. Louis with the railway system now existing, and which is being extended to Mexico and in other direotions. By a line to bs built. 87 miles in length, the main truak will bs connected with the lines of road which seek their westers outlet thro’ the Hoosac Tunfiel, and theie will also be constructed connections with Baltimore and Philadelphia. Several transatlantic steam-ship companies are negotiating with the railway company for the transportation of freight across ths ocean. The company will supoly itself with terminal facilities in New-Jersey, opposite New-York City, on a scale commensurate with the capacity of the railway, It is not expected that these terminal facilities will be created immediately, bat enough will be done at once to take ’ care of the business of the road when traffic js opened, some two years hence. Although the primary idea of the Continental Railway is the construction of an exclusively freight highway, it is claimed that it will be yecullarly fitted for Mpid passenger travel. It is asserted that Chicago and New- j York City will be placed by this route I

within twenty hours of each other. It is likely that a few fast trains, so distributed as not to interfere with the freight traffic, will be placed upon this read, A novel featnre of the road will be the construction of a telegraph line without the use q. a sin- | gle pole on the entire route. The wires will be placed under ground, protected either by iron pipes or some suitable outer coating.