History of Cook County, Illinois From the Earliest Period to the Present Time, Part 46

Author: Andreas, A. T. (Alfred Theodore), 1839-1900
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago : A.T. Andreas
Number of Pages: 875

USA > Illinois > Cook County > History of Cook County, Illinois From the Earliest Period to the Present Time > Part 46

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 company operates (March 31, 1883, 1 under lease, the Peoria & Bureau Valley Railroad, forty-six miles; the Keokuk & Des Moines, one hundred and sixty-two

miles, and the Harlem & Northwestern. It also has a leasehold interest in the Kansas City Branch of the Hannibal & St. Joe Railroad, fifty-four miles. The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific now operates one thou- sand three hundred and eighty-one miles of road.

The officers of the road are as follows: R. R. Cable, president and general manager; David Dows, vice- president; A. Kimball, vice-president and general super- intendent; Francis H. Tows, secretary and treasurer; W. G. Purdy, local treasurer; C. F. Jilson, auditor and assistant secretary; E. St. John, general ticket and pas- senger agent; William M. Sage, general freight agent; F. A. Marsh, purchasing agent; Thomas F. Withrow, general solicitor, Chicago; J. Lewis Drew, land com- missioner, Davenport.

The road has upon its line 309 locomotives, its pas- senger equipment consists of 203 conches, sleepers, bag- gage express, mail and dining cars, etc .; and its freight equipment of 7,489 cars. Upon its pay roll are nearly 9,000 employés who, receive salaries which aggregate in the course of the year to over four million and a quarter of dollars. The transportation earnings for the year ending June 30, 1882, amounted to $12,189,000, and the operating expenses and taxes to $7,109,000. The general balance sheet for the year shows that the construction and equipment account up to date of last report has been $57,720,000; the capital stock is $41,- 959.800, and the funded debt $17.500,000. The profit and loss or income account was $291,027.18.

Land Commissioner Drew makes the following report of his business for the year ending March 31, 1883:

" The sales by deeds or contracts, with warranty, have been, for the year, 27,306-70 acres, for a total of consideration of $278,513.28; the average price per acre has heretofore been nearly $10.20. The bills re- ceivable now on hand amount to $1,403,482.57; a de- crease of $187,151.70 during the twelve-month. The total receipts for interest, etc., were $99,444-78. The mount charged tax account was $8,254.70. Of this $6,867.64 were the regular annual payments of taxes on land owned by the company on November 1, 1882, about 1714 cents per acre. Besides this amount $1,- 387.06 were paid for back taxes on lands where former sales had been canceled; but such lands have all been resold at prices more than sufficient to cover the prices at the former sales, with all accrued interest and taxes. During the year the sum of $560,000 has been re- mitted to the treasurer of the company at New York, from the net receipts of this office. The remaining un- sold land at this date consists of about 34.750 acres. Naturally a large proportion of this remainder is com- posed of scattered tracts and of rough or hilly land. But as all the counties in which this company's lands were situated are already fairly settled by a stable and generally prosperous farming population, it is anticipated that the demand will soon exhaust all lands left unsold, and at prices better than the most desirable land in the same neighborhood could command a year or two ago."

The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway .- This company was organized by William W. Pratt and William H. White, purchasers of a portion of the La Crosse & Milwaukee Railroad, on the 5th day of May, 1863, by the name of the Milwaukee & St. Paul Rail- way Company, and under the revised statutes of the State of Wisconsin of 1858. The name of the company was changed to the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Panl Railway Company February 11, 1874, by a vote of the company in pursuance of the general laws of Wiscon- sin relating to railways passed in 1872. No consolida-

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THE RAILROAD SYSTEM.

tions were ever made with any other company. This company leases the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Company of Illinois, from Chicago to the State line, forty-seven miles, and which was organized in 1872; the Western Union Railway Company in Wisconsin, one hundred and ninety-two miles; the Chicago & Paci- fic Railroad, extending from Chicago to Iles Junc- tion, Ill., a distance of one hundred and fifteen miles. The company owns in addition to the leased lines namned above, over four thousand miles of railroad in Wiscon- sin, Minnesota and Iowa, and the Territory of Dakota, a portion of which was embraced in the original articles of association, and the remainder of which has been built or purchased by the company. It is distinctively a Wisconsin corporation, the general offices being located in Milwaukee. Alexander Mitchell has been president, and S. S. Merrill general manager of the company since 1865. Of the four thousand three hundred and twenty- seven miles which compose this grand system three hundred and twelve are in Illinois.

Chicago & Alton Railroad .- As has been previous- ly shown, the original charter of this corporation dates from February, 1847, when the Alton & Sangamon company was organized. In October, 1862, the Chi- cago & Alton company was organized at Chicago, having purchased the St. Louis, Alton & Chicago road. In April, 1870, the Hamilton, Lacon & East- ern line was purchased by this company, and Septem- ber, 1879, the Chicago & Illinois River Railway. The leased lines of the Chicago & Alton com- pany are as follows: The Joliet & Chicago, leased in January, 1864: the Alton & St. Louis, leased in April, 1864, the stock of that company being owned entirely by the parent corporation; the St. Louis, Jacksonville & Chicago, April, 1869: the Louisiana & Missouri River, August, 1870; the Kansas City, St. Louis & Chi- cago, leased March, 1878. The officers of the road are as follows; President, T. B. Blackstone; general soli- citor, C. Beckwith; secretary and treasurer, Charles 11. Foster; auditor, Chauncey Kelsey; general manager, J. C. McMullin; acting general manager, C. H. Chap- pell; general manager's assistant, J. H. Wood; general superintendent, W. F. Merrill, all of Chicago. Division superintendents-A. M. Richards, of Chicago; T. M. Rates, of Roodhouse, Ill .; O. Vaughan, of Slater, Mo .; chief engineer, K. F. Booth; general freight agent, Henry H. Courtright; general passenger agent, James Charlton; purchasing agent, James A. V. Hartwell, the last four last named being of Chicago; superintendent of telegraph, W. K. Morley, Bloomington, Ill .; general baggage agent, C. Huntington, Chicago; master me- chanic, William Wilson, Bloomington, Ill .; general roadmaster, William Riley, Bloomington.

The amount of capital stock held by the company is $13,606,000, and of this amount over $1,000,000 is held in Illinois. Its total liabilities are $25,044,722. The Chicago & Alton has 1,082 miles of track, and is equipped as follows: Engines, 193; passenger coaches, 66; total of all kinds, 5,587. The aggregate yearly sal- aries of its employés is $2,635,137. The total transpor- tation earnings of the road for the year ending June 30, 1882, was $7,741,859, of which amount about three- quarters was derived from this State. The operating expenses of the whole line amounted to $4,404,000, and the balance carried forward to 1883 was $737-386. Ac- cording to the last balance sheet of the company the cost of its road and equipment has been $20,222,000.

Lake Shore & Michigan Southern .- As has been seen, the Erie & Northeast Railroad Company was chartered in Pennsylvania April 12, 1842, and the

Buffalo & State Line Company in New York upon the same date. The latter was not organized until October, 1849, and the two lines were consolidated under the name of the Buffalo & Erie company in June, 1867. The Junction Railroad chartered in Ohio in 1846, and the Toledo, Norwark & Cleveland was consolidated as the Cleveland & Toledo Railroad Company in 1853. The Cleveland, Painesville & Ashtabula line was leased to the latter company in October, 1867. In June, 1868, the name was changed to the Lake Shore Railroad Company, and the two were consolidated under that name in April, 186g.

"The present Lake Shore & Michigan Southern was formed by the consolidation of the Lake Shore & Michi gran Southern and the Northern Indiana railroad com- panies in May, 1869, and of the Buffalo & Erie Railroad Company in August of that year, thus bringing the en- tire line under one company.

The liabilities of the company are as follows: Com- mon stock, $49,466,000; preferred stock, $533,000; funded, $43.192,000. The main line from Buffalo to Chicago is 540.49 miles, which with its branches, pro- prietary roads, leased lines, etc., amount to 2, 142 miles. Its passenger equipment consists of 289 coaches and cars; its freight of 16,796 cars. There are 547 locomo- tives on the road. The company has over 10,000 em- ployés upon its pay rolls, and it disburses nearly $6,000,000 to them annually. Its capital stock is $50,000,000, and its total liabilities are $102.761,000. The general offices are in Cleveland, its president being William H. Vanderbilt. The Michigan Southern and the Rock Island & Pacific, use the same depot in Chi- eago, the only resident general officer in this city being W. P. Johnson, passenger agent.

The Michigan Central Railroad Company .- As has been stated the Michigan Central Railroad Company was authorized to build a road from the southern line of Michigan to Chicago in 1848. 'The road was completed to Kensington in 1852." The road has running arrange- ments with the Illinois Central from Kensington to Chicago, a distance of fourteen miles. H. B. Ledyard is president of the road, the only officers residing in Chicago being J. A. Greer, general freight agent, and O. W. Ruggles, passenger and ticket agent. The Michigan Central has a capital stock of $18.700,000, its liabilities aggregating $30,000,000. The length of its main and leased lines from Detroit to Kensington is 995 miles, and the aggregate length of all tracks 1, 186 miles. The only road operated in Illinois is the Joliet & Northern Indiana, from Joliet east twenty-nine miles to the State line, and its connection with the Michigan Central at Lake. This line commenced operations in 1854.

The Pennsylvania Company,-This company operates the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railway, under a lease, the general offices being in Pittsburgh, Penn. None of the officers or directors are residents of Chi- cago. The length of the main line from Pittsburgh to Chicago is about four hundred and sixty-eight miles, only fourteen miles of this being in the State. It is one of the great Eastern lines terminating in Chicago.

Chicago & Grand Trunk Railway .- This is a cor- poration formed by the consolidation of certain rail- ways under the laws of Michigan, Indiana and Illinois. Certain of the roads so consolidated consisted of rail- ways the original charters for which were acquired under preceding organizations. The president of the railway, Joseph Hickson, is a resident of Montreal. The following are living in Chicago : S. R. C'alloway, general manager ; G. B, Reeve, traffic manager ; F. A.

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HISTORY OF COOK COUNTY.

Howe, J. H. Whitman, J. McCaffrey and W. Munroe, directors. Only $120,000 of the 86,000,000 capital stock is held by Illinois parties. The length of the main line from Port Huron to Chicago is three hundred and seventy-seven miles, twenty-six miles being in the State of Illinois.

The Chicago & Eastern Ilinois Company .- The Chi- cago & Eastern Illinois Company was first organized as the Chicago, Danville & Vincennes Railroad, in 1865, and the main line put in operation in November, 1872 The Illinois Division from Dolton, III., to Danville, 111., 107 miles, and from Bismark, Ill, to State line, Ind., four miles, was sold under foreclosure in February, 1857. The Indian Division, from the State line to Coal Creek, Ind., was sold a few days afterward. The two roads were chartered as the Chicago & Nashville, and the State line and Covington lines, and consolidated as the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad Company August 29. 1877. In March, 1881, the Danville & Grape Creek road also became a part of the system. This company leases a number of short lines, which brings it- total length of track up to 370 miles. Its capital stock is $3,000,000, and total liabilities $7,600,000.

Chicago 3- Western Indiana .- This company was organized June 6, 1879. to construct a road from Indi- ana State line to and into the city of Chicago at Van Buren Street. The line was not open for operation to Twelfth Street, Chicago, until December, 1880. The road is operated by the company, furnishing terminal facilities for the Chicago & Eastern Illinois, the Chi- cago & Grand Trunk and the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific companies, On January 26, 1882, the Chicago & Western Indiana Railroad Company, the South Chi- cago & Western Indiana Company and the Chicago & Western Indiana Belt Railroad were consolidated under the corporate name which it now bears. The officers of the company, who all reside in Chicago, are as fol- lows :

The Chicago & Iowa Railroad Company .- This road was chartered in March, 1869, was consolidated with the Ogle & Carroll County Railroad in June, 1870, and the main line put in operation in May, 1872. The Chicago, Rockford & Northern Railroad was leased to this company for thirty years, in August, 1875. The main line from Aurora to Forreston is cighty miles in

length. Its capital stock is $1,328,000, and its presi- dent F. H. Head, of Chicago.

Baltimore & Ohio & Chicago Railroad .- This com- pany originally organized as the Baltimore, Pittsburgh & Chicago Railway Company, March 13, 1872, and was changed to the Baltimore & Ohio & Chicago Rail- way Company in 1877. It was put in operation Novem- ber 17, 1874, from the junction of the Illinois Central Railroad to Chicago Junction, Ohio, a distance of 262.5 miles. The general executive officers of the road reside mostly in Baltimore : the general superintendent, how- ever, is John Thomas, of this city. The directors of the company living in Chicago are: Nelson Luding- ton, Daniel A. Jones, John Tyrrell, James Walsh, John Thomas. Of the $102,000 capital stock only $17.000 is held in Illinois.

RAILROADS IN THE COUNTY.

According to the Assessor's returns for the year end- ing August 31. 1883, the following is the number of miles and feet of main road in the county, with the total listed value of side tracks and all property:

Name of Road.

Miles.

Feet.

Valute of Property.

Michigan Central

1.555

66.905

IU. & N. Ind. (Mich. Cent ).

3.172

23.708

Chic. & £. III ...

369

34.634

Chic. & Western.

2.352

21.831

C. & Ill. Southern

2,200

1.414

( .. M. L .. & Pinsburgh ..

5.230

184.387

C. & N. W.

5.066

1,211,936

C., R. I. &. P ..

4.850

920,815

C. & A ...

468

159.987

C. & Grand Trunk.

4.712

213.498

C., M. & St. Paul

1.404

217.774

C. & C. B. (C., M. & St. P.) ..

663

122,900

C., B. & Q.

393.043

C. & Western

2,127

386,624

Bell Railway.

1,670

79.036

Lake S. & Mich. S

3,251

165.007

Pa. Co. (Pills, & F. W.).

1.942

518,780

W .. St. 1 .. & l'ac ..

1.4

67,252

C & Evanston. .

4.319

22.073

Grand Trunk & Joliel

4.745

60.934

Total ...

380

2,697

$4.955.291

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4.821

S2.753

CHICAGO'S HISTORIC TREE. (SEE OPPOSITE PAGE.)

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194

HISTORY OF COOK COUNTY.

tract for a public park. We had nothing of the kind then. It was thought, by the Democratic party-leaders, a measure that would greatly benefit the administration in this region. Yet Judge Burchard dared not have an open sale; and resolved to advertise for sealed bids for a portion of the lots daily, with a determination to re- ject bids which he thought too low, and stop the sale if he found the people were influenced by intimidation. Everything proceeded satisfactorily until the lots upon which General Beaubien lived were to be offered. He was expected to procure his homestead for a nominal sum merely, and violent threats were made against any man who dared bid against him. But there was one man, James H. Collins, and I think the only man in the city who dared do this; who had denounced the whole transaction from the beginning in every place he had an opportunity. He had denounced the land- officers and the Judges of the Courts. He was one of the earliest abolitionists in our State, and would shelter fugitive slaves, and would travel any distance to defend one when captured, or defend a man who was arrested for assisting one to his freedom. He was a man of ability and integrity, and took great delight in defying popular clamor. He took an average of the price at previous sales and put in his sealed bid, thereby securing all the land which General Beaubien desired, being the land upon the east side of Michigan Avenue, in Block 5, between South Water Street and the Ints reserved, where the Marine Hospital afterward was, except the corner lot, known as Lot 11, for which General Beaubien paid $225. Mr. Collins bid $1,049 for the next five lots, 10, 9 8, 7, and 6, where Beaubien's house, out-buildings, and garden were. His life was threatened. He was burnt in effigy. Many indignities were put upon him. To all this he bid defiance, asserting that the friends of General Beaubien might possibly take his life, but they could never have his land. He was one of Chicago's ablest lawyers, the candidate of the early abolitionists for Congress, and far the ablest man in their organiza- tion. Had he lived a few years longer, he, unquestion- ably, would have been assigned to some one of the highest positions in the country. Thus General Beanbien lost his old homestead, except this one lot which he soon sold as insufficient for him ; and not one who claimed under him was successful in procuring a lot. If you wish to find the traditional residence of General Jean Baptiste Beaubien, after he moved from what was before known as the John-Dean house, go east upon South Water Street until you come to the northeast corner of South Water Street and Michigan Avenue, and you will find it. General Beaubien subsequently moved to near what is now River Park, on the Desplaines River, in this county, near the reservation of Alex. Robinson, the Indian chief. The General died at Naperville, DuPage County, January 5, 1863.

" At the session of Congress, in 1848, I succeeded in procuring an amendment to the Naval appropriation bill, appropriating $10,000 for the construction of a Marine Hospital on such site as should be selected by the Secretary of the Treasury on the lands owned by the United States. It was one of @ best arguments, for the appropriation, that the Government already owned the land for the site. This took up another por- tion of the Reservation, it being upon the northern portion of Block 5, fronting Michigan Avenue, and being upon the east side thereof, and adjoining the north of the lots Mr. Collins bought. It was not until September 17, 1850, that I was enabled to telegraph to you, from Con- gress, that we had secured the Illlinois Central Railroad grant. And it was not until the 14th day of October, 1852,

that Hon. Charles M. Conrad, Secretary of War, in consideration of $45,000, made the deed of what was unoccupied of the Reservation to that company, in which was the following preamble : 'Whereas the military site of Fort Dearborn, commonly known as the Fort Dearborn Reservation, at Chicago, Ill., has become useless for military purposes, and the tract thereof not being used or necessary for the site of a fort or for any other authorized purposes, has been sold,' etc., etc. The railroad company, complaining that it paid this sum of $45,000 from necessity and under protest in order to expedite their road into the city and insisting that the land was included in the grant made by Congress, which I, who took an active part in framing and passing the law, could not indorse, brought suit in the Court of Claims, at Washington, for refunding the money. The court decided against the claim.

" I have thus shown you how the entire Reservation was disposed of, except what would make about eight full lots, upon which the old light-house was located, or near it. They were not needed for light-house purposes; and were Lots i to 6 in Block 4, fractional 1.ots 8 and 9 in Block 2, and the north thirty-four feet of Lot 1 in Block 5, all near the Rush-street bridge. James F. Joy bought for the railroad company (Mich- igan Central or Illinois Central, or both jointly) the land occupied by the Marine Hospital building, being the south ten feet of Lot i and Lots 2, 3, 4 and 5 in Block 5. The hospital was burned in the great fire of 1871.

" The Government had erected a new light-house at the end of the North Pier. I was in Congress, and the thought occurred to me that the best way to dispose of the remaining land upon which the old light-house and other necessary Government buildings had been located was to present it to that kind-hearted and popular old pioneer, General Jean Baptiste Beaubien. And it was so done by an act approved August 1, 1854. And there was not a citizen of Chicago who knew him who ever questioned its propriety, to my knowledge."

In addition to the authenticated statements made by Hon. John Wentworth, are the following letters pub- lished in the Chicago Tribune of February 2, 1884, sent from Washington to Mr. Wentworth :

FORT DEARBORN, Citicato, Sept. 2, 1824 .- The Hon. J. C. Calhoun, Secretary of War-SIR : I have the honor to suggest 10 your consideration the propriety of making a reservation of this post and the fraction on which i is situated for the use of this agency. In is very convenient for that purpose, as the quarters afford sufficient accommodations for all the persons in the employ of the agency, and the storehouses are safe and commodious places for the provisions and other property that may be in charge of the agent. The buildings and other property, by being in possession of a public officer, will be preserved for public use, should i ever be necessary to occupy them again with a military force.

As to the size of the fraction 1 am not certain, but I think it contains about sixty acres, A considerably greater tract than that is under fence, but that would be abundantly sufficient for the use of the agency, and contains all the buildings attached 10 the fort- such as a mill, barn, stable, etc .- which it would be desirable to preserve. I have the honor to be

ALEXANDER WOLCOTT, Indian Agent.

DEPARTMENT OF WAR, Sept. 30, 1824 .- George Graham, Ery., Commissioner of the General Land Ofice. Treasury Department- Six : I inclose herewith a copy of a letter from Dr. Wolcott, Indian Agent at Chicago, and request that you will direct a reser- vation to be made for the use of the Indian Department at that post agrecably to his suggestions. I have the honor to be, etc.,

J. C. CALIIOUN.

GENERAL LAND-OFFICE, OCI. 21, 1824 .- The Hon. J. C. Calhoun, Secretary of War-SIR : In compliance with your request,

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LATE THREADS OF FORT DEARBORN HISTORY.

I have directed that the Fractional Section 10, Township 39 North, Range 14 East, containing 57.50 acres, and within which Fort Dearborn is situated, should be reserved from sale for military purposes. I am, cic .. GEORGE GRAHAM.

DEPARTMENT OF WAR, July 28, 1831 .- The Commissioner of the Land-Office-SIR : I transmit to you herewith a letter from Thomas J. V. Owen, Indian Agent, stating that an allempt has been made by an Individual to obtain the right of pre-emption to the fraction of land on which Fort Dearborn, near Chicago, is erected. As this piece of ground is the public reservation, you are requested to take such measures as will secure the interest of the United States in reference thereto. R. B. T.

[ROGER B. TANEY.]

"DEPARTMENT OF WAR-July 13, 1832. - The Hon. Williams R. King, United States Senate .- SUR: In answer to your letter of the gth inst., which has just reached me. I beg leave to inform you that until the Northwestern Indians shail permanently remove beyond the Mississippi, or our settlements in the northern part of Illinois shall be much increased, I consider the position of Fort Dearborn an important one in a military point of view-so much so that it is in contemplation to occupy it as soon as the spring opens. Of course, I shall consider the, disposition of the reserva- tion injurious to the public interest. LEWIS CASS."

" BUREAU OF TOPOGRAPHICAL ENGINEERS, WASHINGTON Crrv, July 10, 1852 .- Colonel J. J. Abert, Topographical Engineer. -COLONEL : In answer to your inquiry of the origin and history of the reservation at Chicago I have the honor to state that I have called upon the officers of the Quartermaster-General, the Com- mi sioners of the General Land-Office, and that of the Secretary of War, but that I have failed to find in any of them any history of the origin of this reservation. In looking over the reports of the Supreme Court of the United States I find that this military site has been the subject of litigation from which I get the following facts : That it was first occupied as a military post in 1804, and continued in that use until the 16th of August, 1812. . The Govern- ment held it by the cession of the Northwestern Territory, and it was occupied for military purposes by the direction of the Presi- dent under authority of these several acts of Congress: First, the Act of May 3, 1798 (United States Statutes at large, P. 555); second, the act of April 21, 1806 (Vol. 3, Laws of the United States), authorizing trading-houses and posts at the discretion of the l'resi- dent, and by Act of June 14, 1800, he could continue possession as being necessary for frontier defense.

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History of Cook County, Illinois From the Earliest Period to the Present Time, Part 46

Author: Andreas, A. T. (Alfred Theodore), 1839-1900 Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Chicago : A.T. Andreas Number of Pages: 875

Author: Andreas, A. T. (Alfred Theodore), 1839-1900
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago : A.T. Andreas
Number of Pages: 875