Jasper Republican, Volume 2, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 October 1875 — Valparaiso & Rensselaer Railroad. [ARTICLE]

Valparaiso & Rensselaer Railroad.

[From the Valparaiso Messenger.] Fbiend Zimmerman :—Rensselaer ■wants a railroad, and wants it badly.— Beautifully situated on an arm of the Grand Prtirie, ip the midst of a splendid farming country, it is, as it were, at the back of Good Speed, completely isolated frotn the United States and the rest of Indiana, in consequence of no leading railroad line striking it on its north.— 36 miles south from Valparaiso, and 4 miles west, with a perfectly level country Intervening, a narrow guage railroad between these two points would give Rensselaer all the facilities necessary to make it as good a town as any county seat in the State. Excellent sand etone quarries contiguous, a fine white sulphur spring, and other accessories, would tend to its advantage. Now, as to the cost of such a road and its advantages. The problem has been solved as to the most economical guage for a railroad, which is proved to be the narrow guage. The right of way, in the first place, could be procured at a nominal cost, south from Valparaiso. It would be on a section line to the Kankakee river; from there only making a westing of 4 miles in 23. The grading would not cost over SSOO per mile, say for grading and bridging, S6OO per mile, making $21,600; ties and iron, $108,000; two passenger cars, SI,OOO ; 20 freight cars and flats, $7,000 ; freight and passenger houses, &c. h say SIO,OOO ; 4 locomotives, $32,000, yaking a total of $179,600 :

or a cost es. say, $5,000 per toile, and a road free from debt, owned by the men whose interest it is to run the road economically. , W 1 Every farmer on the line can have his short side track, and instead of spending the time of himself men and teams in hauling his wheat and other crops to market, he can load Lis cars and ship ft all off in a.day, taking advantage of the state of the market in short order.— Rensselaer, the townships through which the road would run, Valparaiso and the farmers along the line can accomplish this work before the first of next June, if ’they wish. Rensselaer will then have east, west, north and south connection with 3 good.roads, the P. C. & St. L., the P. F. W. & C. and C. & L. H. Railways. They can have the advantage of the new elevator being erected here with as much advantage as the farmer living one mile from Valparaiso; and they can look forward to the extension of their line, in the near future, to Michigan City as a lumber market, and south to the coal regions. Let some of the influential men of Valparaiso and Rensselaer take hold of this project. The people will find it a paying investment. Both counties will be brought closer in interest, and Rensselaer will flourish better than if she had a leading line running through her, holding out inducements to farmers at the rate of one cent per mile on a freight train, to do their trading in Chicago, and leave the home merchants to sit on his counters, looking at his full shelves, and whistle through his fingers for the customers he ought to have, but who have gone to Chicago to get fleeced by confidence and bunko men. Verbum Sapienti Satis Est.