USA > Illinois > Cook County > Chicago > Discovery and conquests of the Northwest, with the history of Chicago, Vol. II > Part 8
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Southern Europe, including the Ancient Britons, paid tribute to them in the purchase of their fabrics, and learned of them and the Arabians, t the elements of commerce.
For this proud position they were indebted to their natural channels of communication with the outside
* Heroditus defines their territory as a belt of land about 50 miles wide, along the eastern extremity of the Mediterian, and runs their boundary south of this extreme end, to the northeastern extremity of the Red Sea, which he called the Arabian Gulf. Thence he runs it to the eastern delta of the Nile, about 60 miles above its mouth, thence along its meanders to the sea.
t The Arabians inhabited the country between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.
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world, afforded by the two great seas that reached their territory from two nearly opposite directions.
That the Phonecians have not held their original high position, till the present day, is due to the later discoveries by which the ocean could be navigated, thereby giving any other nation, which had a sea- coast an equal advantage with them.
By further comparison with Orientalism, we may quote Byzantium, a city of the Bosphorus. Had Romulus and Remus laid the foundation of the Eter- nal City here, instead of at Rome, this empire would have had a more enduring grip upon the domain of Europe, even than it did have.
Just before the decline of this colossal power, Con- stantine, its emperor, removed its seat of government to this place, and changed its name from Byzantium to Constantinople, which was A. D. 328.
Constitutional forms of government, and the emoluments that grow out of them were then un- known, but, even without them the power of Rome lingered here, in its dotage, till the fourteenth century, when this city was conquered by the Mahomedans; and the last vestige of Roman power was gone.
For many centuries this strategic spot had been the sport of superstitious and dynastic claims, not based on the civilizing influences of our present age. All around it, near and far, were vengeful clans (not nations) bound to take a hand in the wreckage of Rome, when distribution, instead of concentration of national force seemed to be the spirit of the age. This is why Constantinople did not become the great metropolitan center of the world's commerce: All it lacked, to make it such, was an intelligent purpose and harmony to execute this purpose; for no other spot in the Eastern hemisphere offered so good facil- ities for such a result as this, situated as it was near the extremity of a sea that intervened between two continents.
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Let us turn from this scene to the center of a new continent, where Chicago poses at the extremity of the chain of Lakes, that rest on the great plateau of the North West, connected with the sea, both on the South and on the East by navigable waters.
It seems as if this spot had been held in reserve, un- known to mankind, till a young nation sprang into existence to utilize it, as a way station, on the western path of Empire. No contravailing conditions can set limits toits growth. The world that buysits pro- ducts is its field, and the states that surround it, its protection.
The rise and fall of Empires is its horn-book of study, in order to reproduce their grandeurs on the broader platform required by the present age of improvement.
Here we may begin on the present grade of the worlds knowledge, and bring its appliances to our assistance. The appliances most necessary to us are the railroad system that centre at Chicago. We are in the direct path between Western Europe and the Asian Coast: the most important trunk lines of rail- roads in the United States and Canada centreing here.
The British channel has saved England from for- eign foes, and made it possible for London to become the largest city of the world, but this same bulwark has severed such railroad connections as have con- tributed to make Chicago the wonder of the age. Let us compare the latter with that venerable and peerless city that stands on the "fatal island" as Napoleon called it.
The arithmetical increase in London for the past fifty years, in wealth and numbers has been greater than that of Chicago; but the proportionate increase of the latter during this period, has been far the great- est.
Had a people like Englishmen or Americans pos- sessed Constantinople and a circumference of one thousand miles around it, at the dawn of constitu-
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tional governments, London would never have out- rivalled it, because its geographical advantages were wanting to do it.
Chicago did not make her debut as a candidate for urban fame, till science and jurisprudence had come to her aid, and if she does not succeed in becoming as much greater than London as her streategic locality is superior to hers, it will be because the American people are inferior to English people.
Our mother country has honored us with an un- written law of alliance, in everything that constitutes the corner stone of transcendent power, vital to the security of human rights; and this law brings with it the tributes of the British Empire to Chicago-the great dispensatory of the worlds necessities in this practical age. To say less than this would not be doing justice to the position she holds, in the zone of national greatness.
The largest trees of the forest are those which were planted on its virgin soil, and this rule applies to Chi- cago itself, including all her transporting, manufac- turing and trading facilities; so conveniently spread out on the face of nature to be developed by the pio- neer spirit of the American people. These conditions have come upon us with a driving force behind them, in soil and in the geographical disposition of the con- tinent, whose navigable waters conserve the destinies of this favored spot.
Let us now consider the part our Railroad System must inevitably take, in the coming rivalry of the great powers of the world, for that kind of supremacy that Europe has for the past century disguised under the misnomer-"Balance of Power." Under this spe- cious pretence, these powers have been minumized to the four represented by London, St. Petersburg, Ber- lin, and Paris. This reduction has been brought a- bout more by commerce than by war.
That Chicago and her transportation system are
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the controling factors, in these evolutions now going on, which are destined to concentrate wealth and power, till its limit is reached there can be no doubt. Catherine II, of Russia saw it, when shesummoned a council to meet at Berlin to stop the war to subdue the American colonies, and later, Russia foresaw from our first national existence, that the United States was to be the great power of the world; and consistent with this conviction never lost an oppor- tunity to show friendship to us: Napoleon saw it when he sold Louisiana to us, and in the bitterness of his spirit, exclaimed, "I have given to England a maritime rival that will some day humiliate her pride," England, from behind her bulwark of con- servatism-her weakest point, saw it when she said to Europe, hands off, at the opening of our Spanish war. Perhaps the last few years of trade balance, a- gainst her have been an object lesson to teach her this. In summing up, we may say, the Monroe doc- trine has gone to the tomb of the Capulets, for want of a field on which to brandish its sword. "Survive the fittest," will be the motto in the Eastern hemis- phere, in the centralizing process now going on with accelerated speed, as years go round.
All the while, commerce rounds off the tangent points of human character, fraternizes the human race into good fellowship, stimulates education, in doing which, it calls into being an army of school masters. These happy results are manifest here, where they guarantee the unity of our nation, and win the respect of the world by binding the East, the South and the West together into a unity of interests.
Ever since prehistoric ages, when Asia, the mother of nations peopled Europe, the center of progress, in artizanship, has been moving westward. The dis- covery of the western hemisphere accelerated this movement till its climax was reached, the central seat of which is the great North West and from this
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focus the far reaching and world wide railroad system, together with ocean navigation, can transport the cereals to London as cheaply as the same could be sent there from the north of England. This assertion may be startling, but the railroad officers of Chicago are the vouchers of the writer for its truth. By this sweeping change the English farmer has been ruined, partly by it, and partly by other unfavorable condi- tions as to supply from other sourses which havelow- ered prices. One of the effects upon the English gov- ernment, produced by this falling off in her agricul- tural interests, has been to make it cling to her finan- cial advantages which have made England the worlds brokers. If she is no longer the man with the hoe she is the man with the pen behind one ear, and the gold dollar in his pocket. Pending the possibly tran- sient conditions of Europe now in the process of incu- bation, the United States can repose on her agricultur- al laurels, made effective by her transcontinental tran- sportation facilities, spreading its influence over the far east along the frequented track of commerce.
WELLS STREET DEPOT, CHICAGO & NORTH WESTERN R' Y
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The Chicago & North Western Railway.
THE CHICAGO & NORTH WESTERN RAILWAY.
Looking back upon the changes that have marked the progress of the world, we wonder that they could not have been anticipated. Thusit is; that we wonder why capitalists should have been chary about invest- ing in stocks wherewith to build a railroad westfrom Chicago. When the "venture" was first thought of conservatism said "don't do it"; the pioneer spirit said go ahead. The latter prevailed, and January 16th, 1836 (ere Chicago had received her charter as a city) the Galena and Chicago Union Rail Road Com- pany was chartered by the state and Messrs. Townsend and Mather of New York and their associates were given the priv ilege of making it a horse or steam Rail Road as they saw fit and constructing branches to it, as feeders. By the terms of the charter three years were allowed in which work should be commenced on the road; in order to comply with which requirements, the com- pany began construction in 1838. Its capital stock was $100,000 with the right to increase it to $1,000,- 000. William Bement, Thomas Drummond, J.C.Good. hue, Peter Semple, J. B. Turner and J. B. Thompson Jr. were authorized, as commissioners, to receive sub- scriptions to the stock.
The work began on Kinzie St. near the crossing of Canal St. by George Bassett contractor, who remained in the service of the company until his death, several years later.
Whether the object of this beginning was to fulfill the time limitof the charter, or not, is not known to the writer, but whatever the incentive might have been, the work was abandoned and nothing more done until 1846, at which time, Wm. B. Ogden, John B. Turner and Stephen Gale, purchased the charter of the origi- nal grantees, the consideration for which being $10,-
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The Chicago & North Western Railway.
000, in stock of the company paid down, and a like ammount given on its completion to Fox River.
A preliminery survey was made, and the work put in charge of Richard P. Morgan. The next year, on the 5th of April, a Board of Directors was appointed, and books were soon opened for subscription to the stock, here fresh difficulties came up, many thought the road would injure retail trade in Chicago (which was all she then had), by facilitating the transportation of goods to country merchants, and the latter feared that their trade would suffer by such quick and easy access to Chicago as the road would give to the farm- ers. Despite these difficulties, through the efforts of Benj. W. Raymond and John B. Turner, in their suc- cess in negotiating loans in New York and the reluct- ant home subscriptions to the stock, the road was finally completed to Harlem Dec. 30, 1848 and to Cottage Hill (now Elmhurst) the next year.
Mr. Ogden and Mr. Turner next proceeded to obtain the right of way necessary to continue the road to Fox river in doing which, they called on Warren Wheaton living on his government land claim, in a lonesome cabin. Mr. Wheaton is still living at the same spot where they called on him. He is the only survivor of the men mentioned above, connected with the history of this road thus far. Messrs. Turner and Ogden had met but little encouragement from the set- tlers immediately east of this place, then with out a name. Not that theinhabitants objected to the road, but they showed a disposition to avail themselves of the occasion to get a round price for land needed for its construction. Instead of taking any such advan- tage, Mr. Warren Wheaton and his brother Jesse were in full sympathy with the representatives of the road, offering them the right of way gratis, and Mr. Warren Whether invited the two gentlemen to dinner.
Wheatr it was this dinner (which was doubtless a good one) or the free gift of land or both combined
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The Chicago & North Western Railway.
that induced the managers of the road to put a sta- tion here, and name it Wheaton, will never beknown; but certain it is that no amount of finessing, or sub- tlety on the part of rival localities, which immediate- ly ensued, could change the firm purposes of Messrs. Turner and Ogden. They were true to their first love, and impervious to all influences brought to bear up- on them to change the track of the road. Where ap- athy had existed but a short time before the people now awakened to the importance of the subject.
The next necessity was to build the road to the Fox river; if not to accomodate the public, to get the stock stipulated for as already told. The grading was soon completed and the iron rails pur- chased but the means and the credit of the company were exhausted, and how to get the ties was the quan- dary. Edward W. Brewster who owned a large farm on Fox river, well timbered with oak now came to the rescue. He offered to let the company cut ties free, on condition that it would give a life pass to him- self and family; which offer was gratefully accepted, and annual passes were sent to the generous donor thereafter. On one occasion Mr. Brewster had to call for the pass. Yes! Father Brewster we'll pass you as long as you live but we didn't expect you'd live so long was the pleasant reply. A few years later the C. & N. W. R'y. Company passed his remains and the funeral cortege from Wheaton to Rose Hill, where they now rest after an honorable record of ninety- three years. The writer superintended the funeral.
In 1852 the road was completed to Elgin running on the ties furnished by Mr. Brewster, strap rails had been used as far as this place, but were now substi- tuted for T rails 18 feet in length.
When this road was first chartered the chief places on the Mississippi above St. Louis were Fort Madison, Galena and Fort Snelling, near the present St. Paul. Of these Galena was the oldest and most important
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in a commercial point of view owing to the lead mines there; hence the reason for its name being ap- pended to the title of the first rail-road running west from Chicago; and to this point its terminal was fixed by charter. In 1853 Rockford and Belvidere were both reached, and Dec. 10, 1855 a branch road was completed to Dixon.
Previous to 1854 this company had built a branch line from Belvidere Ill. to Beloit on the border of Wisconsin, a distance of 21 miles, and soon thereafter had leased the Madison and Beloit R. R. a yet unfin- ished road running to Madison Wis. a distance of 47 miles which road had been incorporated by the Wis- consin legislature Aug. 19, 1848 the line of which was to intersect Janesville, Madison and LaCrosse, thence to a point on the Mississippi river near St .- Paul, Minn. and also from Janesville to Fond-du-Lac, Wis. On Feb. 9, 1850 the name of this road was changed to the Rock River Valley Union R. R. Com- pany. The line from Janesville had not been pushed by the Galena Company, as the people had been led to believe it would be, and as a result of the dissatis- faction a charter was approved by the Governor of Illinois on February 12, 1851, incorporating "The Illinois & Wisconsin Railroad Co.," with power to build a railroad from Chicago north to the Illinois state line, and to consolidate with any railroad in Wisconsin. March 10, 1855, this last named line was, by act of legislature of Wisconsin authorized to be consolidated with the Rock River Valley Union Railroad Co., and was authorized to take such name for the new company as the Board of Directors might see fit. On March 31st, 1855, this consolidation was perfected, and the consolidated company was named The Chicago, St. Paul & Fond du Lac Railroad Co. This is the origin of the first portion of the present Wisconsin division of Chicago & North-Western Rail- way.
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The Chicago & North- Western Railway.
"The object of the Chicago, St. Paul & Fond du- Lac Railroad Co. from the beginning, was the exten- sion of their line from Janesville northwest via Mad- ison and La Crosse to St. Paul, and from Janesville north along the valley of Rock river to Fond du Lac, and to the great iron and copper regions of Lake Superior." Within four years it built a line from Chicago 70 miles to the Wisconsin state line at Sha- ron. The Rock River Valley Union Railroad Co. had built 30 miles of its road from Fond du Lac south- ward towards Minnesota Junction, Wisconsin. The consolidated company proceeded as fast as possible to close up the gap between the two pieces of road and completed it in 1859, thus forming a continuous line from Chicago via Janesville and Watertown to Fond du Lac, 176 miles. By Acts of February 12 and 28, 1857, of the Wisconsin legislature, the Wis- consin & Lake Superior, and the Chicago, St. Paul & Fond du Lac Railroad Cos. were authorized to con- solidate, and on March 5, 1857, the companies were consolidated and retained the name of the Chicago, St. Paul & Fond du Lac Railroad Co. In February, 1859, in Illinois, and in March (and October), 1859, in Wisconsin, the legislatures authorized the reorgan- ization of the company, and on June 6th, 1859, a new company was organized, under the name of Chi- cago & North-Western Railway Co., to which was passed all the franchises and rights of the then bank- rupt Chicago, St. Paul & Fond du Lac Railroad Co.
THE BEGINNING OF THE NORTH-WESTERN.
Here, then, is the real beginning of the northwest- ern portion of the present corporation that is now known as the Chicago & North-Western Railway Co. On April 10, 1861, this Company was authorized by the legislature of Wisconsin to build a linefrom Fond- du Lac via Fort Howard or Green Bay to the north line of Wisconsin, at the Menomonee river. During
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The Chicago & North- Western Railway.
1859 the road was completed to Oshkosh (194 miles); in 1861 to Appleton, 20 miles further north; and in 1862 the line was extended to Fort Howard (Green Bay), forming a line 242 miles long. In 1862-3, The Kenosha, Rockford & Rock Island Railroad, running from Kenosha, Wisconsin, westwardly, was complet- ed, 72 miles, to Rockford, Ill., where it formed ajunc- tion with the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad, and to prevent its falling into the then unfriendly hands of the Galena & Chicago Union Co., it was purchased, in 1863; by and in 1864 was consolidated with the Chicago & North-Western Railway Co., and operated as its Kenosha division.
THE PENINSULA RAILROAD.
To secure the business of the upper Peninsula of Michigan, The Peninsula Railroad Co. was organized in 1862, and was authorized to build a railroad from Escanaba, Michigan, on Little Bay De Noquet, to Marquette, Michigan, on Lake Superior. Work was commenced in 1863, and the road was completed to the Jackson Mines, at the village of Negaunee, Michi- gan, where (12 miles from Marquette) it formed a junction with the Marquette, Houghton & Ontonagon Railroad. In October, 1864, the Peninsula Railroad was consolidaced with the Chicago & North-Western Railway, and was designated "The Peninsula Divi- sion."
The total mileag of the roads owned by the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad Co. at the time of the grand consolidation was 324 miles. Its completed leased lines were 251 miles.
In 1861-2, the earnings of the Chicago & North- Western Railroad were only $849,719.27, and in 1862-3, $1,083,054.05.
In order to prevent rivalry between the above roads and theextra expense attending it the stockholders of both companies finally consented to the consolida-
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The Chicago & North Western Railway.
tion, and on June 2, 1864, it was virtually effected, carried out; and on February 15, 1865, was approved and ratified by legislative enactments. The new cor- poration retained the title The Chicago & North-West- ern Railway Company.
About this time the directory of the Company, to secure its interests, and to prevent its falling into hostile hands, found it was essential to obtain control of a line from Chicago to Milwaukee, and The Chicago & Milwaukee Railroad was secured. This railroad connecting the cities of Chicago and Milwaukee was commenced at each end at about the same time, but under two corporations-The Illinois Parallel R. R. Co., afterwards changed by the act of the Illinois leg- islature of February 3, 1853, to The Chicago & Mil- waukee Railroad Co. The Illinois Parallel R. R. Co. was incorporated February 17, 1851, building the line from Chicago northward to the Illinois state line, 45 miles; and the Green Bay, Milwaukee & Chicago Railroad Co., incorporated March 12, 1851, building the line southward from Milwaukee to the Illinois state line, 40 miles. The title of this company was changed in 1857 to The Milwaukee & Chicago Rail- road Co. Both lines were completed in 1855, and run in connection until June 5, 1863, when they were consolidated, under the name of the Chicago & Mil- waukee Railway Co. This corporation came under the management of the Chicago & North-Western Railway Co., by perpetual lease, May 2, 1866, butaf- terwards was consolidated with the Chicago & North- Western Ry. Co.
At the close of the eighth fiscal year of Chicago & North-Western Railway, it had under its control, by absolute ownership or perpetual lease, 1,152.4 miles.
In October, 1867, the Winona & St. Peter Railroad, a line under construction westwardly from Winona, Minn., and of which 105 miles were built, became, by purchase of the entire capital stock, the property of
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The Chicago & North Western Railway.
the Chicago & North-Western Ry. Co., and has since then been operated as a proprietary road. The Chi- cago & North-Western Company also bought the La- Crosse, Trempealeau & Prescott Railroad-a line be- ing built from Winona Junction, Wisconsin, three miles east of La Crosse, Wisconsin, to Winona, Minn- esota. The Omaha & California line of the Chicago & North-Western Railway was opened to the Missouri river, opposite Omaha, in April, 1867.
During the eleventh fiscal year the Winona & St .- Peter Railroad was completed to Janesville, Minneso- ta, making 121 miles finished from Winona. The La- Crosse, Trempealeau & Prescott Railroad was also finished this year. Total miles of operated line, 1,186.
By a series of consolidations and purchases the Chicago and North Western Railroad Company con- tinued their lines to Negaune Michigan near Mar- quette on the southern shores of Lake Superior, at various points through the rich mineral districts, al- so to Duluth and West Superior atits western extrem- ity. By the same process St. Paul and Minneapolis were reached; at which places railroad connections with Winnepeg in Manitoba and also connections with the Northern Pacific Railroad are made.
The North-Western system has lines of its own con- struction to Oakes, North Dakota, Gettysburg, Pierre and the Black Hills, South Dakota, and to Caspar Wyoming. In Nebraska it has built roads to Lincoln its capital to Hastings and Superior. It owns a road from Chicago via Clinton to Council Bluffs, Iowa, with many feeders to the north and south of itin this state.
The following shows the mileage of the North-Wes- tern system.
Chicago & North-Western Railway . 5,386.43 Ch'go, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Ry. 1,537.76 Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Ry. ... 1,407.95
Total, February 1, 1900 . 8,332.14
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The Chicago & North Western Railway.
A BRIEF FINANCIAL STATEMENT.
We copy from the Annual Report for the fiscal year ending May 31, 1898, the following interesting figures:
The gross earnings for the year were the largest in the history of the company, amounting in all to $36,- 050,561.05, being an increase over the earnings of the previous year of $5,073,317.57 or 16.38 per cent.
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