USA > Illinois > Perry County > Combined history of Randolph, Monroe and Perry counties, Illinois . With illustrations descriptive of their scenery and biographical sketches of some of their prominent men and pioneers > Part 12
USA > Illinois > Randolph County > Combined history of Randolph, Monroe and Perry counties, Illinois . With illustrations descriptive of their scenery and biographical sketches of some of their prominent men and pioneers > Part 12
USA > Illinois > Monroe County > Combined history of Randolph, Monroe and Perry counties, Illinois . With illustrations descriptive of their scenery and biographical sketches of some of their prominent men and pioneers > Part 12
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49
HISTORY OF RANDOLPH, MONROE AND PERRY COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.
and the more broken timbered lands adjacent, and also from the highest portions of the broad flat ridges between the streams where no prairies occur. The prairie soil differs from the flats only in being more fully charged with vege- table humus, and a somewhat deeper productive surface. Of all these varieties of soil, the "flats" are the most unpro. ductive, and require the greatest amount of skill and labor to bring them up to a standard that is most valuable to the husbandman. This can be effectually and cheaply done by deep and frequent plowing, which loosens the soil and aids the surface drainage. and by top dressing and plowing under green crops to give the required amount of vegetable mould, which treatment would undoubtedly insure a steady increase in the productive capacities of the soil, until it will equal the fertility of the adjacent prairies.
Agriculture and Horticulture .- This is emphatically a wheat county, although large quantities of corn, oats, rye, potatoes, etc., are raised. The wheat raised upon the timbered land rates among the best in the state.
The growth and prosperity of a country depends upon its agricultural resources; indeed the world could not move if it were not for this industry. How true the aphorism, " The success of the husbandman is the salvation of a country !" He is the bone and strength of the land, the engine, as it were, that drives the whole machinery of mankind-that which fosters life, distributes wealth, and creates happiness in every fireside in the land. When this industry fails famine, misery and tears prevail. Ireland, and other coun- tries of Europe, have in times past been striking examples of the famine fiend ; but thanks to a kind Providence, in our own country, and especially within the fertile fields of the grand old prairie state, never have the people been obliged to realize the sufferings of those who were not blessed with the necessaries of life.
The means and facilities for tilling the soil have kept pace with other improvements of the age. The old wooden mould-board has given place to the elegant sulky plow, the reaping-hook is transformed into the wonderful mechanism known as the self-binder, and the tramping of the cattle and the thud of the flail have yielded to the steam engine and the hum of the gigantic thresher. The farmers of this county are up with the times, and to a large extent are using all the modern farm machinery. Horticulture is given considerable attention, but not that notice the soil and cli. mate would warrant. Good orchards prevail in most parts of the county, and the small fruits and berries are cultivated quite largely, but with the natural resources of climate and soil of Perry county, with proper attention given to the culture of the vine and other fruits, a few acres of land might be made to yield as much profit as some of the larger farms. This may be a thought worthy the attention of those who own but small farms on the lands composed of the thinner class of soil.
Transportation Facilities .- The early markets and the facilities for transportation were as inconvenient as the pro. duce to be moved was meager ; all things were in keeping and consistent with the times. These counties, especially 7
Randolph and Monroe, have enjoyed special early privileges in the way of transportation. Long before steam power was invented or thought of, the Mississippi and Kaskaskia rivers furnished an outlet for all the products to be moved by the people. The early medium was by the means of the old- time flat boat, propelled by poles or sweeps. Then came the steam age, and a new area opened up to the people along the Mississippi ; and a little later still, the iron horse became an important auxiliary to carry the products to all points of the country where the markets might be most conducive to the interests of the husbandman. Only about a half century ago, a boat propelled by steam on the Mississippi was a sight to behold, while at this time, the long line of smoke from their volcanic furnaces is scarcely lost sight of, and the whistles from their hoarse throats are continually resounding throughout the American Bottom. Steamboats have navi- gated the Kaskaskia as far as Carlyle. The first boat that made the trip was the " Bellevue," in the spring of 1837, Capt. Nelson commander and owner. In the same year, the steamer " Wild Duck " made a passage up the river to the same point, thus opening up a new era to the people along the banks of the Kaskaskia. At this writing, boats do not pass beyond Evansville ou account of the St. Louis and Cairo Railroad bridge spanning the river a little above the aforesaid town. As already stated, the first navigation of the Mississippi was by rafts or flat boats. It was for some time a mooted question whether it could, with its swift cur- rent, be navigated by steamboats. This doubt was dispelled by the landing at St. Louis of the "General Pike," com- manded by Capt. James Reed, August 24, 1817. About two years thereafter, a second boat ascended the river. This was the " Harriet," from New Orleans, June 2d, 1819, and was commanded by Capt. Armitage. The trip was made in twenty-seven days. This was the beginning of river com- munication proper between the marts of New Orleans and St. Louis.
The first locomotive engine was invented by George Stephenson, of England, and was first successfully operated September 27th, 1825, on a short road from Stockton to Darlington, England. In 1830, there were but twenty-three miles of railroad this side of the Atlantic. The first road operated in the States extended from Baltimore to Ellicott's Mills, Maryland, a distance of eleven and a-half miles ; this was in July of the ahove year. The cars were drawn by horses, the locomotive not then having been introduced on this side of the water. The coaches were open vehicles, somewhat resembling the carriages of that date. In the Baltimore American of July, 1830, an advertisement ap- peared of this road, stating that a sufficient number of cars had been provided to accommodate the traveling public, and that a brigade ( train of cars) would leave the depot on Pratt Street at 6 and 10 o'clock A. M., and at 3 and 4o'clock P. M. ; returning, would leave the depot at Ellicott's Mills at 6 and 8.30 o'clock A. M., and 12.30 and 6 P. M.
The first road constructed in the Mississippi Valley was built from Illinoistown-now East St Louis-to the bluff, a distance of about six miles across the American Bottom. It was constructed in 1837. under the personal supervision
50
HISTORY OF RANDOLPH, MONROE AND PERRY COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.
of Governor Reynolds, Vital Jarrot, and a few others. It was expressly built for the purpose of transporting coal from where it eropped out at the bluff to the St. Louis market. It had a wooden rail, and the ears were driven by horse- power.
The first line of railroad built in the state in which the locomotive was utilized was the North Cross Railway, ex- tending from Quiney to Danville. This was chartered in 1837, and the first engine placed upon it was in the winter of 1838-9, its run being from Mercdosia to Jacksonville. 'The track was the primitive strap-rail style. The engine, as well as the road, soon became so impaired that the former was abandoned, and the horse-power substituted in its stead. To-day, Illinois leads the van, has outstripped all other states in this gigantie enterprise, and now modestly bears the honors of a well-earued success in its magnitude of internal improvements.
According to official reports of 1880, Illinois had 9,294 miles of track, constructed and equipped at a eost of $408,745,915, thus surpassing every other state in the Union in miles of railroad. Many miles of track have been laid since the above report was made, the Prairie State, as usual, taking the lead of all other states. If within less than half a century such strides have been made in the facilities of transportation, what mind eau conceive the progress that will be reached in the fifty years to come ?
RAILROAD SYSTEM OF RANDOLPH, MONROE AND PERRY COUNTIES.
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ST. LOUIS AND CAIRO SHORT LINE RAILROAD.
St. Louis, Alton and Terre Haute Railway Co .- This is one of the most important roads traversing Southern Illinois, and through its proprietary and leased lines does a very large business, having terminal facilities at East St. Louis and Eldorado, and an operating contraet with the Illinois Central R R., by which through trains run to Cairo. The most important stations on the line of the road are East St. Louis, Belleville, Pinekneyville, Du Quoin, Benton, Gala- tia and Eldorado. At East St. Louis and St. Louis it has connections with all the roads eentering in those important commercial marts. At Pinekneyville, connections are made with the Wabash, Chester and Western R. R., and St. Louis Coal R. R .; at Du Quoin with the Illinois Central ; and at Eldorado with the Cairo and Vincennes (now a part of the Wabash system) and the Louisville and Nashville Rail. road.
This company was incorporated June 24th, 1862, under an aet approved February 28th, 1861, by the purchase of the franchises and property of the Terre Haute, Alton, and St. Louis R. R. Co., and the Belleville and Illinoistown R. R. Co., Oet. 30th, 1856, under aet of the Illinois Legisla- ture approved February 28th, 1854.
The Belleville and Illinoistown R. R. Co. was incorporated June 21st, 1862.
The Belleville and Southern Illinois R. R., from Belleville
to Du Quoin, 56 miles, was leased to this company Oet. Ist, 1866, for 999 years, and operated from January 1st, 1870.
By subsequent arrangement of lease, the Belleville and Eldorado R. R, another leased line, and an extension of the former, from Du Quoin to Eldorado, 50 miles, was leased to this Co. July 1st, 1880, for 985 years. The officers of the road are :- President, W. Byard Cutting, New York ; Vice- President and General Manager, Geo. W. Parker, St. Louis; Secretary, Edward F. Leonard, Springfield ; Treasurer, Geo. W. Parker, St. Louis ; Superintendent, J. L. Hinckley, Belleville ; Auditor, H. T. Nash, St. Louis ; General Freight and Passenger Agent, H. S. De Pew, St. Louis ; General Offices, 104 North 4th St., St. Louis.
When the main line of the St. Louis, Alton, and Terre Ilaute R. R. was leased in 1867 to the Indianapolis and St. Louis R. R. Co., the lessors retained under their own man- agement the Belleville branch, and stipulated that a certain portion of the equipment should be allotted to the branch from the general equipment of the road ; also that the lessors should erect a new depot at East St. Louis, and within a certain specified time turn over the old depot grounds to the " Belleville Branch." The coal traffic along the line be- tween East St. Louis and Belleville had always been an im- portant factor in the general business of the road, while the trade in other traffie is also remunerative. The charter of the St. Louis, Alton and Terre Haute R. R. Co. authorized an extension of the road from Belleville to Padueah, and the question of building the line via Athens and Marissa, to some point on the Illinois Central Railroad in the direction of Cairo had been seriously agitated by the management during 1866-67. but it was finally deemed advisable to en- trust the construction to some other corporation, and lease the road upon its completion. The road, therefore, from Belleville south to Du Quoin, a distance of fifty-six miles, was built under the auspices of the Belleville and Southern Illinois R. R. Co., and opened for through traffie in 1870, under lease to the St. Louis, Alton and Terre Ilaute R. R. Co. as aforesaid. As will be observed, this road forms a connection with the Illinois Central R. R. The short line between St. Louis and Cairo, also all points south reached via Cairo, has e intributed materially towards maintaining intimate business relations between St. Louis and the Gulf States. The management, ever since the opening of the Short Line for through traffie, has been a commercial and financial success ; and if the owners of the St. Louis, Alton and Terre Haute R. R. were wise, under the then existing circumstanees, in leasing their main line on terms which guaranteed in perpetuity the interest on nearly all their bonded debt, they displayed more wisdom in obtaining a southern outlet for the branch which enhanees its material value, and contributes largely to the amieable net revenue. When the Belleville and Southern Illinois R. R. was com- pleted and opened for business in 1870, and leased to the St. Louis, Alton and Terre Haute R. R. Co. the latter eom- pany, and the Illinois Central R. R. Co., made an agree- ment by the terms of which the road from East St. Louis to Du Quoin, and from Du Quoin to Cairo, should be united under a business management, and practically operated as a
51
HISTORY OF RANDOLPH, MONROE AND PERRY COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.
single line. It was then christened, and bas since been known as the "St. Louis and Cairo Short Line," but popularly known as the " (hiro Short Line."
The character and resources of the country between East St. Louis, Du Quoin and Eldorado, traversed by the " Cairo Short Line," are well known to residents of Southern Illinois and St. Louis. The whole country, from East St. Louis to Eldorado, is underlaid with coal of a superior quality, from which large supplies are annually drawn for public works and manufacturing industries. It is, also, the finest wheat producing section of Southern Illinois, and Belleville and other points on the line of road have extensive flouring mills, whose brands have acquired deserved reputations both in domestic and foreign markets. A few miles southeast of Belleville the road enters on the Grand Prairie, which ex- tends for twenty-two miles, and is proverbial for its superior grain crops. lIere, also, a vein of very superior coal is found, especially near Coulterville, thirty-two miles from Belleville. The quality of the coal seems to improve with the increased distance from St. Louis. The celebrated " Bryden," or Williamson County coal, finds its way to St. Louis over this line of road ; also the Big Muddy coal from Jackson County. The present eastern terminus of the "('airo Short Line " is at Eldorado. in Saline County, one hundred and twenty one miles from St. Louis. Number of miles of road, 121; aggregate length of sidings, 19-total track mileage, 140 miles; in addition to the branch from Belleville to East Carondelet, 16 miles, which will soon be opened and operated for the delivery of coal to the manu- facturing establishments in Carondelet.
The St. Louis and Cairo R. R., was chartered February 16th. 1865, and the entire line completed and put in opera- tion March 1st, 1875. It conneets the cities of East St. Louis and Cairo, and has an entire line of track of 151 To miles. It was originally chartered under the name of the Cairo and St. Louis Railroad Company, but within the last year it was reorganized and adopted the above corporate name. At the time of the organization of the company it was decided to build a narrow gauge-three feet-road, and it was believed that the enterprise would prove a suecess on account of the cheapness of construction and the economy of obtaining the rolling stock. In accordance with these views contracts were let, and the management was encour- aged by the promises of liberal local aid to push the enter- prise to completion ; but the financial panic of 1873, over- took it before it was thoroughly completed. The promised local aid failed to be forthcoming, and the company after struggling against many difficulties, was compelled at last to place the property under the orders of the court, and a receiver appointed, under whose management it was operated until February 1st, 1882, when it was transfered to the pre- sent company, and is now condueted by them under the above name, with its General Office at 411, Olive street, St. Louis, Missouri. The following is a list of the officers of the road : President. W. F. Whitehouse; Vice President, L. M. Johnson ; General Solicitor, S Corning Judd ; Secre- tary, C. Ritchie ; General Superintendent, Chas. Hamilton ; Auditor, Lewis Enos ; General Freight and Passenger Agt.,
Geo. H. Smith. It utilizes seven miles of the East St. Louis and Carondelet Railway, with a third rail from East St. Louis to East Carondelet The road enters Monroe county in the extreme northern part in Columbia precinct ; extends in a south and easterly direction through New Han- over, Waterloo, and New Design precincts -- clipping the southwest corner of Prairie du Long-and crosses the boundary line into Randolph county in the extreme north- west, in Red Bud precinct; and extends thence east and south through Randolph into Perry county, crossing the line of the latter in town 6, range 5; and thus includes more than one-third the length of the entire line of road
Wabash, Chester and Western Railroad Company .- This road was chartered March 4th, 1869, and entitled the " Ches- ter and Tamaroa Coal and Railroad Company." It was put in operation from Tamaroa, in Perry county, to Ches- ter, Randolph county, in March 1872. The company secured subscriptions to its capital stock from Perry and Randolph counties for which stock interest bearing bonds were issued. Those of the former county are yet outstand - ing and will mature in 1892; the interest -- seven per cent .- is regularly and promptly paid July 24th, 1873, the com- pany was consolidated with the Chester and Iron Mountain Railway Company of Missouri, under the Iron Mountain, Chester and Eastern Rail Road Company. The road passed into the hands of a Receiver, and was for some years the sub- jeet of lively litigation. A sale of the road took place, February 28th, 1878, under foreclosure in the United States Court, and H. C. Cole became the purchaser.
A company was organized February 20th, 1878, as the " Wabash, Chester and Western Railroad Company," and began operating the road April 1st, 1878 W. G. Barnard of Bellaire, Ohio, was President, and Charles B. Cole of Chester, Illinois, Treasurer and General Manager. This management leased the road to the St. Louis Coal Railroad Company, March 25th, 1882, for forty-five years. The main line-from Tamaroa to C'hester is 40 f. miles ; branch -from Chester to the Penitentiary, 1 ,5%, miles ; sidings on the main line, 2 16 miles; aggregate length of all tracks, 45 188 miles.
St. Louis Coat R R. Co. was organized October 15th, 1879, by what was styled the " St. Louis Central Railroad Company." The road was completed August, 1880, from Carbondale to Harrison Junction, on the Cairo and St. Louis Railroad, and was constructed from Murphysboro, Jackson county, to Pinckneyville, in the spring of 1882, connecting with the " Wabash, Chester and Western " and the " St. Louis and Cairo Short Line." It was subsequently leased to the St. Louis Coal Railroad Company, which was organized as stated above. It also operates under lease, the R. R. of the Carbondale and Shawncetown R. R. Co .- between Carbondale and Marion, a distance of 173 miles. Total length of main and leased lines 29 miles. This road has an extensive traffic in coal, and reaches the St. Louis market over the line of the St. Louis and Cairo Short Line R. R. Officers .- l'resident and General Manager, Andrew C. Bry- den, St. Louis ; Vice-President, Edwin Harrison, St. Louis ; General Superintendent and Secretary, James C. Bryden,
52
HISTORY OF RANDOLPH, MONROE AND PERRY COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.
Carbondale ; Auditor, Edwin Brown, St. Louis ; Assistant Superintendent, James Prentice, Carbondale.
ILLINOIS CENTRAL RAILROAD.
The main line of this road enters Perry County from the north near the center of Tamaroa precinct in section 4, and extends southward through the entire county, having about 18 miles of road iu the county, besides the sidings. The most important stations are Du Quoin and Tamaroa.
In September, 1850, Congress passed an act, and it was ap- proved by President Fillmore, granting an aggregate of 2,595,053 acres, to aid in building this road. The act granted the right of way, and gave alternate sections of land for six miles on either side of the road. The grant of laud was made directly to the State. On the 10th of February, 1851, the legislature of Illinois granted a charter to an east- ern company, represented by Rantoul and others, to build it, with a capital stock of $1,000,000. The road was completed in 1854. The legislature, in granting the charter, and trans- ferring to the corporation the lands, stipulated that seren per ernt. of the gross earnings of the road should be paid semi- annually into the treasury of the State forever. This wise provision, in lieu of the liberal land-grant, yields a handsome annual revenue to the State; also that in the event of war government transportation should be furnished at a certain reduction from the prices regularly paid by the general government for such services. The proceeds of land sales have been regularly applied to the redemption of construc- tion bonds, and it is significant that while the original issue of mortgage bonds amounted to $22,000,000, that amount has been so reduced that in 1890 the whole issue will be re- tired, and the stockholders will own a road more than 700 miles in length, fully equipped, with no outstanding liability other than the share of capital. It may be noted here, that when the general government donated lands to the States of Illinois, Mississippi and Alabama, it was intended that through the aid derived from these lands a through artery of travel should be established between the Lakes and the Gulf-ports. Had the war not supervened, the project would then have been carried out in its entirety, and the North and South movement of traffic would have been fully developed, but the enforced delay in carrying out the original pro- gramme was utilized in building up the State of Illinois, and in perfecting the track of this road. The resources of the company were taxed to their utmost capacity during the war, in furnishing transportation for the general government; but the interests of communities along the line were carefully watched, and a local business was built up, which in volume and value far exceeded the most sanguine expectation of the proprietary. Strict attention to local business has always been a marked characteristic of Illinois Central Railroad management, hence their lands have been eagerly sought after; and they have the satisfaction of knowing that the value of the road is not dependent entirely upon its identifi- cation with the through business of the country, but on the contribution of local traffic, which shows a permanent and certain increase. Two years after the close of the war, in 1867, the Illinois Central Railroad Company leased three
railways in Iowa, "The Dubuque and Sioux City," "Cedar Falls and Minnesota," and "Iowa Falls and Sioux City'' Railroads. The last named road was not, however, com- pleted to Sioux City until 1871. These leased lines have been extensive feeders to the Central ; aud also have added immensely to the commerce of Chicago, and have been great auxiliaries in the development of Iowa and southern Min- nesota.
On the opening of the Vandalia line, the Illinois Central made its first direct advance toward securing a representation in the traffic between Chicago and St. Louis. Two through trains were run daily, via Effingham. In 1870, on comple- tion of the Belleville and Illinois Southern Railroad to Du Quoin, the southern business of the Illinois Central Railroad, originating in St. Louis, was transferable from Odin and Ashley, the former connections with the Cairo Short Line. Though the Illinois Central Railroad put in a car-hoist at Cairo, to obviate the difficulties incidental to the different gauge of the southern roads, the tedious transfer between Cairo and Columbus militated against a satisfactory develop- ment of through business, and it was not until 1873, by com- pletion of the Mississippi Central Extension, from Jackson to a point opposite Cairo, that the Illinois Central was en- abled to compete on equal terms with rival routes to the South for the business of the Gulf States. This extension could not have been built without the aid of the Illinois Central Railroad Company, which was given by exchanging one million of Illinois Central, fire per cent. sterling bonds, which were easily negotiable in foreign markets, for five millions of the southern bonds, bearing seren per cent. an- nual interest, with the understanding that the difference be- tween the interest of the sterling and the southern bonds should constitute a sinking fund for the redemption of the bonds at maturity. The financial panic of 1873, combined with other local causes, prevented the line between New Or- leans aud Cairo from earning sufficient to meet the annual interest charges, and the property was placed in the hands of a receiver, where it remained until 1877, when a reorgan- ization of the companies resulted in placing the direct con- trol in the hands of the Illinois Central Railroad Company. No expense has been spared to put the road-bed and equip- ments in first-class condition. About the same time the Illi- nois Central Managers acquired, on favorable terms, pos- session of the Gilman, Clinton and Springfield Railroad, and thereby secured in perpetuity the traffic of a valuable section of country formerly tributary to competing roads. At Durant, 309 miles from Cairo, connection is made with a branch, 21 miles in length, to Kosciusko, also at Jackson (Mississippi); the Vicksburg and Meridian Railroad fur- nishes a live to Vicksburg, and thence ria the Vicksburg, Shreveport and Texas Railroad for Monroe, La., Shreve- port and all points on the Texas and Pacific Railway. The Morgan's, Louisiana and Texas Railroad, in connection with steamers from Brashear, furnish an alternate route to Gal- veston and other points in Texas
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