History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties, Illinois, Part 27

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. ; O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 948

USA > Illinois > Union County > History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties, Illinois > Part 27
USA > Illinois > Pulaski County > History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties, Illinois > Part 27
USA > Illinois > Alexander County > History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties, Illinois > Part 27

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

this great and benign act. It was the open- ing wedge to the whole Mississippi Valley for the millions of happy, prosperous people, teeming with content and well paid lives that have made the rich wilderness truly to blossom as the rose. And in the honesty and purity that marked the whole transac- tion, it stands alone in American history. He knew that he was a poor man-one who had served his country, and instead of com- mencing poor and retiring rich, had com- menced rich and would retire a pauper, and that a nod of his head would have put ill-gotten millions in his easy 'reaeli, and he stood unflinchingly between the people's treasure and the ravenous horde, and every day, every hour, every citizen of Illinois -- nay, more than twenty millions of the people of the West-are reaping the fruits, enjoying the comforts and realizing, in some way, the wisdom of his guardianship of their interests at a critical moment of the country's life, and before a majority of those now living were born.

In the year 1852, the necessary survey having been completed, chiefly by Charles Thrup, of Cairo, under the direction of Col. Ashley, Division Engineer, and the timber having been cleared from the route of the railroad, the work of construction at the Cairo end of the road was vigorously com- menced.

Messrs. Ellis, Jenkins & Co. became con- tractors, their contracts extending from Cairo to the north line of Union County. The law required the work to be commenced simultaneously at the north and south ter- mini of the road. The contractors speedily had about four hundred men here at work, and the heavy timber was cleared from the track and the work commenced; and other men were brought by them as fast as they could be procured, and in the city and above

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the city and on the Cache another force were soon clearing away the timber, and within Alexander County there were between seven hundred and a thousand Jaborers at work. Cairo was bustling, then, again with busy life. Ellis, Jenkins & Co. failed and sur- rendered their work, when Maurice Broderick became the contractor. and under his direc- tion the Cairo levees, nearly as they are now (except the Mississippi levee), were con- structed. These were the long-anticipated, flush times in Cairo once more. The sudden influx of people trebled at once her popula- tion, gave business an unparalleled activity and called into existence a number of new business institutions, particularly doggeries, groceries, boarding-houses and supply places, etc. Everybody made money. The stores had all the business their keepers could sat- isfactorily give attention to; the boarding- houses were literally running over, and Mose Harrell declares that after the second " pay day," every saloon-keeper in town had a gold fob-chain; an evidence that both bar-tender and proprietor are raking in the ducats under a fair and just divide.

Fights at fisticuffs, and arrangements with "shillalahs," were the favorite past- time and fun among the levee hands, but as a general thing they resulted in nothing more serious than disfigured countenances, or the temporary enlargement of the phrenological bumps. Only a single riot, having a fatal termination, took place in Cairo during the progress of these improvements. This occurred during a "pay day." The old foundry was used as an office by the contractors, and here they paid off their hands. The room was crowded with laborers, eager for settlement, as well as those who had furnished supplies, etc. They were so crowded and clamorous, that it was found difficult for the clerks to transact the business. Mr. Stephens ordered them all to

leave the room. Of course they gave no heed to his order; observing this, he rushed among them with a bowie-knife, and commenced cutting right and left, utterly regardless of consequences. An ax being at hand, one of the assaulted crowd seized it and seeing that life and death were the alternatives, aimed a blow at Stephens, which cleft to the brain.

The work upon the line from here to the north part of Union County was pushed vigorously ahead, with the forces distributed at all the points where the heavy work was to be done.

On the 7th day of August, 1855, the first train of cars over the Illinois Central Rail- road reached the city of Cairo. A locomo- tive, under the charge of Joe Courtway, draw- ing a half-dozen platform cars, whereon were seated about one hundred citizens of Jones- boro and intermediate points, formed the train and passengers. Beyond Jonesboro the road was not finished, but the work was so near completion, that in a few weeks the trains were enabled to pass over the entire main line.

On the 1st day of January, 1856, the first passenger train, on schedule time, passed over the Central road from Chicago to Cairo, and a large delegation of leading people of Chica- go were the passengers. The people of Cairo gave them a hearty reception, and literally Chicago and Cairo-the two extremes of the State, and the two best located cities in Illi- nois-shook hands and kissed in mutual love and admiration. The Chicago visitors were royally entertained at the " Taylor House," and all were glorying over the auspicious event. After spending the day in shaking hands and looking about the town, they were entertained in the evening by two large and separate balls and suppers, at which speeches were made, toasts drunk. and a generally happy and hilarious time was prolonged to the end

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of the visitors' stay. Manifestations of kin- dred feeling over the completion of the road were to be seen everywhere along the route, the people correctly believing that the time marked the commencement of a glorious and more prosperous era for the Prairie State and her people.

The Chicago, St. Louis & New Orleans Railroad, or what was better known as the "Great Jackson Route," a railroad from Cairo direct to New Orleans, was, in the year 1882, consolidated and made part of the Illi- nois Central Railroad, and is now the South- ern Division of the Illinois Central Railroad, a continuous line from Chicago to New Or- leans. Trains are passed over the river at Cairo by the transfer boat, H. I. McComb. So complete and perfect is this part of the work performed, that passengers cross the river and are speeded on their way north or south often, without an interruption to their slumbers.

Cairo & St. Louis Railroad .- Originally, this was wholly a Cairo enterprise, and it was started [under very favorable auspices. The charter was enacted by the Legislature, February 16, 1865, the incorporators being Sharon Tyndale, Isham N. Haynie, Samuel Staats Taylor, John Thomas, William H. Logan, William P. Halliday and Tilman B. Cantrell, who, by the terms of the charter, were " vested with powers, privileges and immunities which are or may be necessary to construct, complete and operate a railroad, from the city of Cairo to any point opposite the city of St. Louis." The capital stock authorized was $3,000,000, and which " may be increased to not exceeding $5,000,- 000." The law makes Sharon Tyndale, Isham N. Haynie, Samuel Staats Taylor, John Thomas, William H. Logan, William P. Halliday and Tilman B. Cantrell the first Board of Directors, and requires them to

elect officers of the corporation from their body. Section 5 of the act is in the follow- ing words: " Nothing contained in this act, or any law of this State, shall authorize said company to take, for the uses and purposes of the company, or otherwise, or to impair any portion of the levees, or embankment already constructed or erected by the Trustees of the Cairo City Property, or by . any person or corporation, under existing agreements with them, except by the consent of said Trustees and of the city of Cairo."

This charter is a neat, short, compact, and yet comprehensive document, and is ad- mirably suited for the purposes for which it was intended. It names only two points --- Cairo and some point opposite St. Louis. As short as it is, it grants every power wanted, and hampers the company with none of the usual provisions and directions and un- necessary minutiæ in controlling the action of the company, except Section 5, which we give entire, and out of which has arisen some complications with the city of Cairo. The municipalities along the line are authorized to donate lands and subscribe for stock.

S. Staats Taylor was elected President at the meeting for organization of the charter directors. In 1874, he was succeeded by F. E. Canda, of Chicago.

The municipalities along the line, from Cairo to Columbia, in Monroe County, voted $1,050,000 in aid of the enterprise, and the contract to construct the entire ;line was awarded to H. R. Payson & Co., of Chicago. Work was commenced in 1872, at the St. Louis end, or rather at East Carondelet, and under many difficulties, pushed to comple- tion in 1874, to Murphysboro, and the work stopped. This result came from the inability of the contractors to go any further, and they were thus crippled by the municipalities utterly refusing to pay their donations. The

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contractors had invested over $1,000,000 of their own funds, and failing to get the money donated, according to the terms of the vote of the people, they were too much crippled, or did not feel like risking any more expenditure in the enterprise. The road, so far as built, was at once stocked and operated, being run from East Carondelet to East St. Louis-a distance of about five miles-over the Conlogue road. From the very first, it was a financial success, as a purely local road, and much more than paid expenses. It tapped the very finest country lying east and south of St. Louis, passing through the southwest corner of St. Clair, and entering Monroe, and through the center of this and into Randolph and Jackson Coun- ties, and "giving all this rich and populous section direct and easy communication with St. Louis. But the people of Cairo could not see where this was benefiting them any, and communication was opened with the com- pany with a view of extending it, as the charter specified, to Cairo; and Union County, being as deeply interested as Cairo, joined in offering inducements to have the work completed. Alexander County had sub- scribed $100,000, and the city of Cairo a similar amount; Union County had sub- scribed $100,000, and the city of Jonesboro $50,000. Alexander County and the city of Cairo paid their subscriptions to the last dol- lar, and kept their faith; Union County paid a portion of hers, and Jonesboro paid one- half, or $25,000 of her subscription; and on March 1, 1875, the road was completed from East Carondelet to Cairo, making an entire line from Cairo to East St. Louis. We may here remark that Jonesboro, after getting the road, repudiated the remainder of her donation, and was sued upon the bonds, and before the local court of Union County easily got a judgment acquitting her of the debt;

but the case was removed into the United States Court, and recently this decision sum- marily reversed, and the probabilities are she will have to pay the debt with the accumu- lated interest. It was a case of voting aid by the wholesale, and, except Alexander County and Cairo, repudiation with equal facility and complacency. Our State constitution now prohibits the people giving donations to railroads. It should never have permitted it. It is vicious legislation, and the corruption of the people and banishing all sense of honor from municipalities starts a train of descent that, in the end, reaches the in- dividuals who compose the corporate bodies.

The contractors had entered into the usual obligations, namely, to take the donations, and in the end the corporation and all its be- longings as pay for building, and in the end became the sole proprietors of the road. The complications arising from the failure to get the donations, as mentioned, deeply involved the road in debt, and, as the only way out of it, on the 7th of December, 1877, Mr. H. W. Smithers was appointed Receiver of the road, and at once took possession and operated un- der the protection of the courts. This, it seems, was a fortunate appointment, and under his management he repaired, stocked and fixed the line in good running order. He constructed depots, and in East St. Louis built a round-house with seven stalls, ma- chine shops and spacious freight and passen- ger depots. He made of it a very good line of road, whereas when he took charge of it, it was in a dilapidated condition from one end to the other.

The road was sold, under the decree of the court, in January, 1882, and on February 1, of the same year, was re-organized, with the following as the new Board of Directors: C. W. Schaap, W. T. Whitehouse, S. C. Judd, L. M. Johnson, E. B. Sheldon, H. B. White-

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house, J. M. Mills and E. H. Fishburn. The present Board is W. F. Whitehouse, L. M. Johnson, Ex. Norton, Fred Bross, John B. Lovington, C. W. Schaap, H. B. Whitehouse, Josiah H. Horsey and S. Corning Judd. The officers of the road consist of W. F. Whitehouse, President; L. M. Johnson, Vice President; Charles Hamilton, General Sup- erintendent; S. Corning Judd, Gen. Sol .; William Ritchie, Secretary; George H. Smith, General Freight and Passenger Agent. and Lewis Enos, Auditor and Cash- ier. The new organization at once set about building their own road into East St. Louis from Carondelet, and this was completed dur- ing the present year. In the year 1881, the road was engaged in completing its line into Cairo, in accordance with the terms of its arrangements to build on the strip of land of the Cairo Trust Property, on the Missis- sippi side; a part of that arrangement being that, for this privilege, it was to keep in re- pair and raise and strengthen the levee run- ning along the Mississippi River, and on the south of the city. This work was only fairly commenced, when the city of Cairo went into court, and prayed an injunction to prevent the road crossing Washington avenue. The point where the road comes in contact with this avenue is some distance north of the north levee, and where neither a road, avenue or highway exists, except on the city plat. No dray, carriage, buggy or dog-cart or foot passenger will, probably, want to use that particular portion of Washington avenue for the next hundred years. The in- junction was granted, prohibiting the road from crossing this avenue, and Judge Baker has made the injunction ¡perpetual. The

road made the best temporary arrangement it could, and has a track on the Mississippi levee, and in this way is enabled to reach the Union Depot. These complications are un-

fortunate for the road, as it practically cuts it out of a permanent terminus here, and prevents it making those contemplated im- provements, as well as making any solid and advantageous connecting arrangements with other roads from Cairo south. It practically cuts off its Cairo freight business from the north. And one item of very great impor- tance to the people and business is, that this unfortunate state of affairs prevents the road shipping to this market the Jackson County coal, that is so much needed here for the manufactories that may be yet built in Cairo, as well as for the local and river trade. Here are altogether a remarkable state of facts. During all the struggle for existence, the city extended to it a princely, liberal hand, and it was the people's money of Cairo that enabled the projectors to ever build the road. After it was built, from some griev- ance not visible in the court papers, she turns upon and badly cripples that particular portion of the road in which the town is deeply interested. There has been short- sighted management somewhere. The man- agers of the road, and particularly the con- tractors, who were saved from hopeless bankruptcy by the action of Cairo, when the other municipalities were repudiating their donations, must have, at one time, felt very kindly to Cairo, and the $200,000 put in there by the city and county, certainly could have controlled and brought here the ma- chine shops, round-house and such other and valuable improvements as the road has now made in East St. Louis, and others it will yet make. In the law the city triumphs, but where are her gains? Look at the results: The road has no reliable entrance into Cairo. During the past twelve months, there were three months that no train over that road came into Cairo; yet its trains ran regularly into East St. Louis, and came down to Hodge's

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Park, a few miles north of Cairo, the road all the time doing a good local business, and the managers showed the writer hereof their books during the time of the interrup- tion of trains, and there was no falling off in the revenues of the road. That left Cairo in the condition of having given $200,000 to build a railroad to tap the country in her im- mediate vicinity, and take her natural trade away from her very door, and carry all to St. Louis-a species of commercial suicide, as the farmers and business men along the line, from Hodge's Park to St. Louis, were cut off from Cairo as completely as if the town was in the moon, and the doors to St. Louis thrown open to them. A similar policy on the other roads would soon sow the streets of the town with cockle and dog-fennel, to flourish in unmolested glory. The city gave its best street to another road, entirely through the main and business part of the town, where it now runs its trains to the great distress of the people, and at the same time enjoins the Cairo & St. Louis road from crossing Washington avenue at a place in the swamps north of the city proper, where that highway, probably, will never be utilized, except by ducks and frogs, or, in very dry seasons, the " lone fisherman."

The Cairo & St. Louis Railroad has no con- necting interests here with any other railroad. It is now a purely local St. Louis 'road, bringing little or nothing to Cairo, and tak- ing as little away. A talk with the managers will at once convince you that they feel little if any interest in the town. When it is so they can, without any inconvenience, they run their trains into the place; when they cannot do this they don't care. At the St. Louis end, they have running connection with the Toledo Narrow-Gauge Railroad; $200,- 000 of the people's money has gone into the enterprise, and now the city and the road are

like the old fellow, when he announced " Betsy and I are out." They rush into law, and the outcome is a triumph for the city, but it is somewhat like the victory of the wife, who has her husband fined for whip- ping her, and while he enjoys himself in jail, she washes to raise the money to pay his fine. The lion was taking a drink in the stream, and some distance below the lamb was crossing. The lion straightway killed the lamb for muddying the waters up where he was drinking. The managers profess pro- found ignorance of why Cairo should turn upon and rend her own offspring. The peo- ple of Cairo generally profess the same ig- norance, and we know they individually feel kindly toward the road. They realize that it should be, and naturally is, one of the most valuable lines that came into Cairo, and they regret these unfortunate circumstances that have nearly neutralized its good effects upon the town. If there was any serious question to form the bone of contention, it would be altogether different, and then the war might go on, and neither the road nor the people would grumble. True, people here sometimes shake their heads, and say, look at our many great railroads that add their im- mense values to the natural lines of com- merce and Cairo, and yet there is no suffi- cient advance in the city's march forward to keep pace with these encouraging signs. On the surface, there are no reasons for this state of affairs, and yet a look below-where the real facts lie-might reveal a state of 'affairs that would make all plain enough.

But these matters will soon be adjusted; propositions, we are glad to learn, are now passing, looking to a full settlement, and it is to be hoped they will be consummated at an early day, and the road and the city will be just and profitable to each other.

Cairo Short Line .- This is another Cairo &

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St. Louis Railroad. It was projected and built originally as a southern line for the Indian- apolis & St. Louis Railroad, and was built from East St. Louis to Duquoin, when it was purchased and became a part of the Illi- nois Central Railroad. It runs upon the Central to Duquoin, and there branches off to St. Louis. It is really the Illinois Cen- tral Railroad from Cairo to St. Louis, making the second direct St. Louis & Cairo Railroad.

The Wabash was originally chartered as the Cairo & Vincennes Railroad, the incorpora- tion bearing date March 6, 1867. The incor- porators were Green B. Raum, D. Hurd, N. R. Casey, W. P. Halliday, J. B. Chasman. A. J. Kuykendall, John W. Mitchell, S. Staats Taylor, W. R. Wilkinson, John M. Crebbs, Walter L. Mayo, Robert Mick, Samuel Hess, George Mertz, V. Rathbone, D. T. Linegar, Aaron Shaw, James Tackney, W. W. McDowell, Isaac B. Watts and Isham N. Haynie. They were authorized to construct a railroad from the city of Cairo, by the way of Mound City, to some point on or near the line between Illinois and Indiana, at or near Vincennes. Donations were here liberally voted, and Gen. Burnside became the gen- eral contractor, and represented fully the interests of the capitalists.

In October, 1881, it was consolidated, and became a part of the Wabash system of rail- roads, in which management it is now con- ducted. On the 16th December, 1872, the road was completed from Vincennes to Cairo, and a through passenger train arrived in Cairo, bringing a large delegation of prom- inent citizens, among whom was Gen. Burn- side, who was the chief officer and builder of the road. The visitors were entertained royally, and banqueted in the evening.

The original contractors for the entire line were Dodge, Lord & Co. The city of Cairo and the county of Alexander had each sub-

scribed and taken $100,000 of stock in the road, paying therefor in their bonds. Finan- cial difficulties of the company compelled the contractors to stop work in 1869, and this stoppage continued until 1871, when Winslow & Wilson contracted for, and com- pleted the work of construction. After the completion of the road, Messrs. A. B. Safford and Mr. Morris were appointed Receivers, and they were afterward succeeded by Messrs. Morgan & Tracey, who continued in control of its destinies to the time it passed into the Wabash system of railroads.

Mobile & Ohio Railroad .- This road was in contemplation as a line from Cairo to Mo- bile, as an extension, in fact, of the Illinois Central Railroad. In accordance with the wise provisions of Congress, work was com- menced at the Mobile end of the road, and the work completed to Columbus, Ky, and a transfer boat used in connection with the trains between this point and Cairo. The war coming on, not only the work of com- pleting the road to Cairo was stopped, but it soon ceased to be a road at all, as portions of it were in the hands of the Union forces, and parts in the hands of the rebels. The rails were torn up, carried away, and often heated and bent out of all shape. The rolling stock was destroyed, as well as the most of the station houses, buildings and shops. After the war was over, and the people of the South had again begun the work of recover- ing their lost fortunes, the enterprise was taken hold of by captalists, and the work of rebuilding the line aud extending the road on to Cairo was pressed to completion.

The Texas & St. Louis Railroad is des- tined some day to become one of the most. important and valuable of all the roads lead- ing into Cairo. It will be, when completed, a direct and continuous line from Cairo to the City of Mexico.

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The Texas & St. Louis Railway Company have recently concluded passenger and freight traffic arrangements with the Illinois Central Railroad Company, which is to exist for a period of fifty years, the essence of which is that the Illinios Central is to take complete control of the northern, western and eastern passenger and freight business of the Texas & St. Louis, and vice versa the trade of the Illinois Central, as far as it pertains to the country traversed by this new road. The Texas & St. Louis is part of a system of railway which is to run direct from Cairo to the City of Mexico, and em- braces a distance of 2,000 miles; 600 miles of! the system is already in operation, and it is said by those who have made a tour of in- spection, that it is as finely built and equipped a road as there is in the United States. It has been built by foreign capital, not to sell, but as a permanent investment, and therefore the elegant road and magnificent equipage. The inclines, for transfer of cars from Bird's Point to Cairo, are completed, and a first-class transfer boat is now being operated. The business for St. Louis will be done over the Cairo & St. Louis Short Line. The road bearing the name of the Texas & St. Louis will open up a vast, rich country to the trade of Cairo, which has had heretofore little or no outlet, and its business will, doubtless, render it a marvel in point of financial success. The road runs direct from Bird's Point, opposite Cairo, to Texarkana, thence to Waco, thence to Gatesville, and thence to the Rio Grande, connecting there with the Mexican Central. Maj. G. B. Hib- bard, chief contractor, with headquarters at Cairo, is pushing the work with all possible speed, and he confidently believes the entire 2,000 miles will be completed and in success- ful operation within two years.

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History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties, Illinois, Part 27

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892? Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Chicago, Ill. ; O.L. Baskin & Co. Number of Pages: 948

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. ; O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 948