Rensselaer Union, Volume 3, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 March 1871 — The Railroad Prospects. [ARTICLE]

The Railroad Prospects.

Last week wo promised that as soon as Mr. I. M. Stackhouse, Secretary of the Fort Wayne & Pacific railroad company, returned from liis \isit to Rochester, that we would lay before our readers his report of the prospects and plans of this company, or rather of the New "Voik Western company, of which this organization is a part. As has been before stated the Xcw York Western Railroad company is the consolidated organization of the local corporations in the States of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and lowa. The project embraces a double-track, steel railroad, from New York city to Chicago, with a single line of rails irotn the Chicago junction to Council Bluffs. The New Jersey link of this grand trunk thorough'fare is known by the local name of the New Jersey Western railroad, and lias been purchased, together with its valuable rights and franchises by the consolidated organization, the purchase money having been paid over week before last. There is

already twenty miles of this link completed with cars running over it, and track is now put down oil" the remainder at the rate of one mile per day under the supervision of sub-contractors employed by the former owners of the road. This track is being laid from Newark', N. J., to the Delaware river, where it connects with a line to be built during the coming summer extending into the, anthracite coal region of Pennsylvania. On the 10th of qext month Col. Merritt, of the Central Construction company, which has the contract for building the whole line from New York west, goes east to oversee the completion of the New Jersey and Pennsylvania portion of the road. This it is bis intention to efl'ect in Season to have ill running order by next fall. In purchasing the interest of the New Jersey Western company, the New York Western obtains possession of a charter from the Pennsyl-

,vania legislature, that was granted some twenty years ago, that confers the right to extend this anthracite route across to the west line of the State. At whatever point this route touches the Ohio line it will be met by the Ohio link. This link is as yet only partially complete aiid extends from the Indiana State line, east of Fort Wayne, to New From New London to the Pennsylvania State line there is a gap yet to he closed By the formation of a local organization to obtain the right of way, etc. It is, the intention of the company to have a petition for an election to bo held in Allen county to be prepared and presented to the Commissioners at Fort I 'Wayne at their meeting on the first Monday in next month for the purpose of ascertaining whether they will vote a tax of £200,000 in aid of this enterprise. — If the tai is carried, then it is the intention to commence the work of grading and track-laying from that j’roiut eastward and westward this summer. In the meantime, the work of surveying the route through Indiana will be'commenced as soon as the ground becomes sufficiently settled to travel over it expeditiously. The company is fully aware of the necessity for doing actual work on the line in this county before the first of June, in order to establish a I * • right to the tax voted last year, and as they arc in ectrnest'ond intend to complete the road they will Irealc ground in Jasper before the last of May.

Col. Merritt told Mr. Stackhouse that this line of road would certainly be built; that tho only serious obstacle they had to encounter was the competition to got possession of the New Jersey link; that being secured, they could now obtain money sufficient to lay the track and stock the road whenever the right of way and local aid is secured. Hon. 11. C. Newcomb, of Indianapolis, a former editor of the Journal, lias been appointed and confirmed Assistant Secretary of the Interior.