USA > Illinois > Effingham County > History of Effingham county, Illinois > Part 15
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" The Central Railroad has been a control- Jing object with me for more than fifteen years, and I would sacrifice all my personal advantages to see it made. These fellows who are making such an ado about it now have been whipped into its support. They are not for it now, and do not desire to have it made because I get the credit of it. This is inevitable. I must have the credit of it, for I originated it in 1835, and, when in the Senate, passed three different bills through that body to aid in its construction. My successor had an easy task. as I had opened the way for him. It was the argument con- tained in my reports that silenced all oppo-
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sition and made its passage easy. I claim the credit and no one can take it from me. "
This came to the notice of Senator Doug- las, at Washington, who took occasion to re- ply on January 5, 1851, at length, giving a detailed history of all the efforts made in Congress to procure pre-emption rights for the benefit of a private company (the Hol- brook) and "I was the advocate of alternate sections to the State." This letter is long and very interesting and may be found in the Illinois State Register of that date.
Judge Breese rejoined under date of Janu- ary 25, 1851, through the columns of the same paper, at great length, claiming that besides seeking to obtain pre-emption aid, he also was first to introduce " a bill for an ab- solute grant of the alternate sections for the Central and Northern Cross Railroads, " but finding no favorable time to call it up, it failed. " It was known from my first en- trance into Congress that I would accomplish the measure, in some shape, if possible," but the Illinois members of the House, lie asserts, took no interest in the passage of any law for the benefit of the Central road, either by grant or pre-emption. He claims no share in the passage of the law of 1850.
" Your (Douglas) claim shall not, with my consent, be disparaged, nor those of your as- sociates. I will myself weave your chaplet and place it, with no envious hands, upon your brow. At the same time you shall do me justice. I claim to have first projected this great road, in my letter of 1835, and in the judgment of impartial and disinterested men, my claim will be avowed. I have said and written more in favor of it than any other. It has been the highest object to accomplish it, and when my last resting-place shall be marked with the cold marble which gratitude or affection may erect, I desire for it no other
inscription than this, that "He who sleeps beneath it projected the Central Railroad."
In the same communication he cited his letter of October 16, 1835, to John Y. Saw- yor, in which the plan of the Central Rail- raod was first ever shadowed, which letter opens as follows: "Having some loisure from the labor of my circuit, I am induced to de- vote portion of it in giving to the public a plan, the outline of which was suggested to me by an intelligent friend in Bond County, a few days since." It is supposed that this was Hon. W. S. Wait.
To this Douglas, under date of Washing- ton, February 22, 1851. surrejoins at con- siderable length, and in reference to this opening sentenco in the Sawyer letter, he ex- claims: "How is this! The father of the Central Railroad, with a Christian meekness worthy of all praise, kindly consents to be the reputed parent of a hopeful son begotten for him by an intelligent friend in a neigh- boring county. I forbear pushing this in- quiry further. It involves a question of mor- als too nice, of domestic relations too delicate for me to expose to the public gaze. Inas- much, however, as you have furnished me with becoming gravity, the epitaph you de- sire engrossed upon your tomb, when called upon to pay the last debt of nature, you will allow me to suggest that as such an inscrip- tion is a solemn and a sacred thing, and truth its essential ingredient, would it not be well to make a slight modification, so as to correspond with the facts as stated in your letter to Sawyer, which would make it read thus, in your letter to me:
" ' It has been the highest object of my am- bition to accomplish the Central Railroad, and when my last resting-place shall be marked by the cold marble which gratitude or affection may erect, I desire for it no other inscription than this: " He who sleeps
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beneath this stone voluntarily consented to become the putative father of a lovely child. called the Central Railroad, and begotten for him by an intelligent friend in the county of Bond. " "
Here all correspondence seems to have stopped.
The Vandalia Line .-- One of Bond Coun- ty's oldest and most respected citizens. Hon. W. S. Wait, in a letter to B. Gratz Brown, June, 1863, makes the best introduction to the history of the rise and progress of the St. Louis, Vandalia & Terre Haute Railroad. He says: " The railroad projected so early as 1835, to run from St. Louis to Terre Haute, was intended as a direct line of railway to the Atlantic cities, and its first survey was taken over the exact line of the great Cum- berland road. We applied to Illinois Legis- lature for a charter in 1846, but were op- posed by rival interests, that finally succeed- ed in establishing two lines of railroad con- necting St. Louis with the Wabash-one by a line running north, and the other by a line running south of our survey, thus demon- strating by the unfailing test of physical ge- ography that our line is the central and true oue. The two rival lines alluded to, viz., Terre Haute & Alton and Ohio & Mississippi. We organized our company with the name of the Mississippi & Atlantic Company, in 1850, by virtue of a general railroad law passed the year previous, and immediately accom- plished a survey. An adverse decision of our Supreme Court led us to accept the offer of Eastern capitalists to help us through, who immediately took nine-tenths of our stock, and gave us John Brough for Presi- dent. Our right to contract was finally con- firmed, in February, 1854, the road put un- der contract and the work commenced. The shock given to all railroad enterprises by the " Schuyler fraud " suspended operations, and
before confidence was restored, the controlling power, which was enthroned in Wall street, had arrived at the conclusion, as afterward discovered, to proceed no farther in the con- struction of the Mississippi & Atlantic Rail- road. For purposes best understood by themselves, the Eastern manager amused us for several years with the hope that they were still determined to prosecute the work. When we were finally convinced of the in- tentional deception, we abandoned the old charter and instituted a new company, under the name of the Highland & St. Louis Rail- road Company, with power to build and complete by sections the entire road from St. Louis to Terre Haute. The charter was ob- tained in February, 1859, with the determi- nation on the part of the Highland corpora- tors to make no delay in constructing the section connecting them with St. Louis, but were prevented at the outset by difficulties since overcome, and afterward by the exist- ing rebellion."
This public letter portrays some of the chief difficulties with which the friends of this road had to contend. "State policy," the stupidest folly rational men ever engaged in, was openly urged by many of the leading men north and south of the "Brough road," as it was generally called. Hon. Sidney Breese, a long resident of Carlisle, on the line of the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad, pub- licly declared for that doctrine "that it was to the interest of the State to encourage that policy that would build the most roads through the State; that the north and south roads (alluded to in Wait's letter) should first be allowed to get into successful opera- tion, when the Central line should then be chartered. as the merits of that line would insure the building of the road, on that line at once, giving to Middle Illinois three roads instead of one, as the chartering of the Cen-
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tral line first would be a death blow to the other two, at least for many long years to come." Mr. Wait replied immediately, say- ing it was the first instance he had ever known where the merits of a railroad line had been urged as a reason why it should not meet with merited encouragement, and after more than $100,000 had been expended on the " Brough road." Further work was there- fore suspended.
In February, 1865, the rebellion nearing its close. the people along the " Central Line," or " Brough " survey, again renewed their petition to the Illinois Legislature for nego- tiation of their right to build their railroad on their own long- cherished route.
Mr. William Plant, who has been Secretary of the road from its inception, and is still in this position, furnishes the following facts of the history of the road:
On the 10th of February, 1865. a liberal charter was granted for building the present St. Louis, Vandalia & Terre Haute Railroad. The line was designated in the charter as " commencing on the left bank of the Missis- sippi, opposite St. Louis, running thence eastward through Greenville, the county seat of Bond County, and through Vandalia by the most eligible route, to a point on the River Wabash." The persons named as in- corporators were Henry Wing. S. W. Little, John S. Dewey, Andrew Mills, Solomon Kepfli. Garrett Crownover. Curtis Blakeman, William S. Smith, Charles Hoile, William S. Wait. John B. Hunter, Williamson Plant, Andrew G. Henry, Jedediah F. Alexander. Nathaniel M. MeCurdy, August H. Deick- man, Ebenczer Capps, Frederick Remann, Matthias Fohren, Michael Lynch, Thomas L. Vest, J. F. Waschofort. Samuel W. Quinn, Chauncey Rose and Joseph H. Morgan.
Effingham County took a deep interest in the road, and called upon her sister counties
along the line to aid in pushing forward the work. Douglas Township (City of Effing- ham) subscribed $50,000; Teutopolis, $15,- 000; Moccasin, $5,000; Summit, $10,000, with 10 per cent interest annually. This in- debtedness has been promptly met as it ma- tured.
The first meeting of the Board of Corpora- tors met at Vandalia, Ill., on the 14th day of November, 1865, for the purpose of organiz- ing and electing a board of nine directors, with the following result: John Schofield and Charles Duncan, Clark County; Samuel Quinn, Cumberland County; J. P. M. How- ard and S. W. Little. Effingham; C. Floyd, Jones and F. Reemaer, Fayette; William S. Smith and Williamson Plant, Bond County.
At the first meeting of the Board of Di- rectors, held at Effingham on the 22d day of November. 1865, for the purpose of electing the first officers of the company, J. P. M. Howard was elected President, and William- son Plant, Secretary.
Through the influence of E. C. Rice, who was Chief Engineer of the "Brough" survey, and had made estimates for the work under the same, Gen. E. F. Winslow, a gentle- man of great energy and considerable rail- road experience, after various propositions being made to build part of the line, or parts of the road, contracted, August 22, 1866, to build the entire line from the " west bank of the Wabash to the east end of the dyke at Il- linois town." The contract was finally rat- ified at a meeting of the Board of Direct- ors, held at Vandalia November 14, 1866. An additional agreement was entered into November 28. 1866, and made part of the original contract.
The first shock received by the railroad company in the outset, was the lamented death of its earnest leader and judicious friend, Hon. W. S. Wait. July 17, 1865,
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thereby depriving it of his mature judg- ment and wise counsel in carrying out and making the contract about to be entered into for the building of the road under the char- ter so recently obtained from the Legisla- ture.
In 1867, first mortgage bonds were put on the " property, rights, franchises, leases and estate, etc., of the company to the amount of $1,900,000." When the property was leased, in February, 1868, a second mortgage was put on the same to the amount of $2,600,- 000, each mortgage bearing 7 per cent inter- est, payable semi-annually. For the purpose of further equipment of the road, preferred stock has been issued to the amount of $1,- 544,700, bearing 7 per cent interest.
The issue of $2,000,000 has been author- ized. This stock will take precedence over the common stock of the company in receiv- ing dividends, and as the interest on the pre- ferred stock may accumulate before any pay- ment thereof, the prospect for dividends on common stock is remote.
By mutual understanding between the con- tractors and the company, E. C. Rice was engaged as Chief Engineer of the company, January 18, 1867, and he commenced the first survey on the west end of the line in March, and the grading was begun as soon as the line was fixed at the west end, in April following. At the same meeting, a code of by-laws was adopted, and Greenville was designated as the general office of the com- pany.
At the annual election, held in January, 1867, J. P. M. Howard was re-elected Presi- dent, Williamson Plant, Secretary, and W. S. Smith, Treasurer. April 3, 1867, Mr. Howard gave up the position, by request, and J. F. Alexander was chosen President of the company in his place.
By the charter, the company was author-
ized to issue first mortgage bonds, not to ex- ceed $12,000 per mile. The capital stock was made $3,000,000 which could be increased at an annual meeting by a majority of stock- holders in interest, as they should direct.
The road was completed to Highland July 1, 1868. The first regular passenger train did not run to that point until August 20 fol- lowing.
By consent of the railroad company, Gen. Winslow, as contractor, was paid $120,000 for labor expended on the line, to the 10th day of February, 1868, and at his request was re- leased from his contracts. The same was ratified and accepted by the company at their meeting March 13, 186S.
The company entered into a contract, Feb- ruary 10, 1868, with Thomas L. Jewett and B. F. Smith, of Ohio; George B. Boberts, of Philadelphia, and W. R. McKeen, of Terre Haute, in the firm name of McKeen, Smith & Co., to complete the road at an early day. At the same time and place, an agreement was entered into, leasing the St. Louis, Van- dalia & Terre Haute Railroad to the Terre Haute & Indianapolis Railroad Company. In the report of the President of the " Van" Company, made to the stockholders at their annual meeting, held at Greenville, Ill., Jan- uary 6, 1872, he says:
" When on the 10th day of February, 1868, the contract was made insuring the completion of your road, another contract was also made, providing for its forming a part of a continuous railroad line from St. Louis (via Indianapolis)to Pittsburgh, and for perfecting this object your line was leased for a period of 999 years to the Terre Haute & Indianapolis Railroad Company, for the joint interests of the company and the several railroad companies forming the said line. Under this lease, the lessees were to work your road at their cost and expense, and to
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pay to your company 35 per cent of the gross earnings, first paying therefrom all the inter- est duc on the bonds of the company, and all taxes assessed against the property of tho company, advancing any deficit in the amount needed to meet those liabilities and paying the surplus (if any remained) of the 35 per cent to your company. Your board, in view of the light traffic usually done upon a new line reduced the proportion due your company of the gross earnings to 30 per cent, provided, that after payment by the lessees of the road out of the 70 per cent received for that purpose, if any surplus remained, it should go to your company."
From small earnings from the time the road was opened, first to Highland and Greenville, in 1868, and finally through to Terre Haute, July 1, 1870, it has developed a marvelous increase of business, not only to the road, but to the farming and all other in- dustries along the line. The whole cost of the road, and equipment of the same to July 1, 1868, when the contractors turned the road over to the lessces, was $7,171,355.89, which was increased steadily as the line was more fully developed by " rolling stock " and "bet- terments," etc., on the road, until the last report of Treasurer W. H. Barnes made the total costs of road and equipment to October 1, 1880, $8,330,410.75. The amount of busi- ness done over the line for the year 1881. aggregates $1,565,515.04, and the rental due to the company from the lessee for the year ending October 31, 1SS1, was $469,354.50, and for the same time $424, 827.04 was earned in carrying passengers; $43,490.57 for ex- press, and $90,835.98 for mail services.
The first train ran into Effingham April 26, 1870, and the first regular passenger train over the whole line, on schedule time, was on the 12th day of June, 1870, and, as mentioned before, the contractors turned over
the road, as per contract, to the Terre Haute & Indianapolis Railroad Company July 1, 1870.
The St. Louis, Vandalia & Terre Haute Railroad is 158 milos from East St. Louis to the eastern line of the State, and seven miles from State line to Wabash River at Terre Haute, and twenty-five miles and a half in Effingham County.
The Wabash Railroad .-- On the 10th of March, 1869, the General Assembly incorpo- rated the Bloomington & Ohio River Railroad Company, the incorporators being T. D. Craddock, J. D. Bruce, C. H. Bull, Charles Voris, J. B. Titus, Jonathan Patterson, Sr., H. Y. Kellar, William Piatt and Michael Swan.
The charter specifies a road " commencing at or near Effingham, in Effingham County; thence on the most practicable route (to be determined by said directors or their succes- sors in office) from said point to the T., H. & A. and St. Louis Railroad, at or near Windsor, in Shelby County, Ill .; thenco from said point, on the most practicable route, to be determined as aforesaid. to Sul- livan. in the county of Moultrie, and thence from said town of Sullivan to the Great Western Railroad, at or near the town of Be- ment, in the county of Piatt; thence from said point, on the most practicable route, to the town of Monticello, in the county of Pi- att, and thence, on the most practicable route, to the city of Bloomington in the county of McLean.
The above-named incorporators, by the charter, constituted the first Board of Direct- ors. The charter was very liberal in allow- ing the people, counties, towns and munici- palities along the route to make donations and issue bonds bearing 10 per cent interest therefor.
The Board of Directors met at Windsor on
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the 19th day of May, 1869, for the purpose of organizing and electing officers. There was a full attendance of the members in their own proper person, except T. D. Craddock, who was represented by his proxy, H. C. Bradsby. We mention this fact for the very important reason that to it is due the circum- stance that the road was ever built at all. The charter had been drafted by J. B. Titus, of Sullivan, and some of his friends in Wind- sor, and when they came to that part giving the names of the nine directors, desiring to scatter them along the contemplated line, it so happened that the only man they knew in Effingham was T. D. Craddock, and without his knowledge they inserted his name. Charles Voris was in the State Senate and the bill was placed in his hands, and, like all other similar bills at that time, was passed without comment or amendment. When the incorporators met, they spent the early part of the day in making each other's acquaint- ance, as well as informally talked over who they would elect for officers. The common sentiment among them was that it was Voris' charter, and, as a matter of course, he should have the first place. Craddock's proxy at this point did what no one could well do for himself, that is, to put his principal up for President and urge and advocate his claims until even Voris withdrew in his favor, and T. D. Craddock was unanimously elected President: J. B. Titus, Treasurer, and C. H. Bull, Secretary. No man was probably ever more surprised than was Mr. Craddock, when notified of his election.
On the 14th of the following month, the board assembled at Windsor, and the organi- zation was completed by the adoption of a constitution and by-laws, and H. C. Bradsby was appointed the general financial agent of the company. Meetings were at once called all along the line, addresses made, a general
interest in the enterprise awakened, elections held at various places, and the sum of $520,- 000 was voted as a donation, from the north line of Piatt County to the city of Effing- ham, Douglas Township voting $50,000. Surveyors were set to work immediately, Mr. Craddock advancing the money therefor, and a survey of the whole line made. The towns along the line, through their Councils or Trustees, voted various sums and reimbursed Craddock for the money advanced to do the surveying.
The county of Moultrie voted $100,000 to the road, and, as that county was without any railroad, its people were deeply interest- ed in the enterprise. At one of the railroad meetings in Sullivan, Jonathan Patterson, or, as he is widely known, "Uncle Donty," who owned a mill there and had to haul his flour through the deep, black mud to Mattoon for shipment, was called out at the meeting, and when he came to describe the woes of the deep, waxy mnd, how it hemmed them about like a wall and a deep, deep ditch, he abso- lutely grew eloquent, so much so indeed, that calls for him were made in every direc- tion to speak at railroad meetings.
The survey was made, the half-million dollar donations voted, all the paper. work and wind department of a grand railroad speedily arranged, and here matters stopped, complacently awaiting the coming of some trillionaire contractor to built it. The board would call meetings and adjourn and meet again, and then another effort would be made to secure a $20,000 donation from Summit Township in this county. Stock books were opened at every point along the line, but a half-dozen public-spirited citizens of Effingham were the only ones that sub- cribed any stock. except a single share here and there, enough to be eligible to an office in the company. The enthusiasm of the peo-
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Herny B. Reply
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ple soon began to cool, when they perceived the wheels really stopped, and soon it had reached the point that Craddock was the only man left that would risk a dollar on the fut- ure prospects of the road; he never appar- ently faggod, or hesitated, and his efforts necessitated constant trips to the different cities in the hunt of parties to come forward and build the road. Two or three contractors were agreed upon, but when it came to the point the parties had no money and feared to attempt to work on a credit until the dona- tions would pay the road's way to completion and the contracts were abandoned. In the meantime, H. C. Bradsby had been elected a director in the place of C. H. Bull, and he was also elected Secretary and a member of the Executive Committee. The number of the board had been increased, and W. H. Barlow, S. W. Little and D. B. Alexander, of Effing- ham, were made members.
In proportion as the prospects of building the road were prolonged, the enthusiasm of friends cooled, and the board finally said to Craddock and Bradsby, take the concern and build it if you can. To better help carry this idea out, an executive committee of three (of which they were members), with all the powers of the corporation full and completo -a majority to control-was created. and they were thus made the full representativos, with all powers of the organization. They continned the hunt, and opened up negotia- tions with any and all probable builders who would stop and listen to their scheme. At this time there was a warm rivalry existing between T. B. Blackstone, of the Chicago & Alton Railroad, and Boody, of the Wabaslı, for tho control of the Decatur & State Line Railroad from Decatur to Chicago. The Wabash had just completed a road from Decatur to St. Louis and to make a terrible rival for the Chicago & Alton, it only had
to secure the road from Decatur to Chi- cago. Hence, negotiations were opened with Blackstone, who lent a favorable ear. He agreed to take a perpetual lease of the Bloom- ington & Ohio road and indorse its bonds to the amount of $17,500 a mile and furnish the rolling stock, operate the same and pay the interest, provided, that he could make a similar arrangement with the Decatur & State Line road, and thus form a junction of the two railroads at a point a short distance northeast of Decatur. This would not only destroy the rivalry of the Wabash line, but it would give the Chicago & Alton a strong lever upon the Illinois Central. There were over $600,000 donations on the State Line road, and, as above said, over $500,000 on the Bloomington & Ohio. The $17,500 was enough money secured to build the road and have at least $1,000 a mile on each line of the road. The engineer estimated that on every mile of the Bloomington & Ohio road, there was a cer- tain profit. under this arrangement of $2,500 besides the donations. Probably no two men ever left Chicago with brighter hopes in ref- erence to a business transaction than did the representatives of the Bloomington & Ohio, when they left, Mr. Blackstone's office to go to Decatur to coufer with E. O. Smith, the President of the State Line road, and inform him of the fortune they brought for him, and in return only asked his concurrence for his road in the scheme. But, to their amaze- ment, Smith hesitated-the sum of money named stunned him, and, in short, Boody got hold of him, and convinced him that he had better cast his fortunes with the Wabash, and, while he would only make a small amount of money, yet it would be certain, and thus won him over. Boody and the Wa- bash soon failed, and this scheme, as well as the bright hopes of tho Bloomington & Ohio, were as the fabric of a vision, or anything G
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