History of Saint Louis City and County, from the earliest periods to the present day: including biographical sketches of representative men, Part 35

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Philadelphia : L.H. Everts
Number of Pages: 1358

USA > Missouri > St Louis County > St Louis City > History of Saint Louis City and County, from the earliest periods to the present day: including biographical sketches of representative men > Part 35

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" AND WHEREAS, the accomplishment of the undertaking ap- pears to be probable and within the means of the States interested, and requiring but a small addition of road to what is already built or in the progress of erection ; therefore,

" Resolved, That we cordially approve of the proposition to connect Boston with the Western country by means of a rail-

road as a work of easy accomplishment, and which deserves the support of all the States through which it may pass.

"2. Resolved, That the citizens of St. Louis will lend their assistance and hearty co-operation, so far as their ability ex- tends, in furtherance of the proposition.

"3. Resolved, That a committee of be appointed, who shall constitute a committee of correspondence, and shall gen- erally have authority to do whatever may be in their power to aid in carrying out the contemplated work."

The preamble and resolutions having been read, there was a unanimous call for Mr. Walker, who de- livercd a very interesting discourse, in which he dem- onstrated the practicability of the plan and its great importance to both the East and the West.

The resolutions were then read separately and unanimously adopted, the blank in the third rcsolu- tion ordered to be filled with the number " five," and the chair authorized to appoint the committee.

The chair accordingly appointed William Carr Lane, mayor of the city, Thornton Grimsley, Andrew J. Davis, William Milburn, and Gustavus A. Bird, and by resolution of the meeting the chairman, John F. Darby, was added to the committee.

The same meeting further resolved that a commit- tee should be appointed " to draft a memorial to the Legislature asking the aid of the State government to the amount of five hundred thousand dollars for the construction of a railroad to the mining region ; also to draft a memorial to the mayor and aldermen of this city asking their aid in the same amount for the same objeet; also to draft a memorial to Con- gress asking a donation of every section and frac- tional section thereof of publie lands over which the road should pass; also to draft a memorial to the Legislature asking for a geological survey of the State."

Under this resolution the following committee was appointed : B. W. Ayres, A. Wetmore, G. Morton, Dr. King, J. C. Abbot, A. J. Davis, Charles Collins, John Kingsland, John Simonds, William Smith, and James Russell.

At the same meeting it was resolved that a com- mittee be appointed "to colleet facts relating to the general subject of internal improvement, and to the particular objeet embraced in the first-mentioned reso- lutions." To this committee were appointed J. C. Dinnies, Dr. Englemann, Dr. Merry, Maj. Anderson, Edward Traey, Réné Paul, and D. D. Page.

In January following two charters were granted by the State, one incorporating the St. Louis and Belle- vue Mineral Railroad Company, and the other the Louisiana and Columbia Railroad Company. The charters were similar in their enactments, and were very liberal in their terms. The legislators of that

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day were in doubt whether railroads should be worked by horse- or steam-power, and whether the vehicles and motive-power should be owned by the company or by other parties. They also had very vague concep- tions of the profits likely to accrue to the stockholders. The ruling idea, however, seems to have been the con- struction of improved highways, free to all, and sub- ject only to such restrictions as the public good and the interest of those who had invested capital in them demanded.1

Both of these projected railroad lines were surveyed, but neither was built. The charter of the Louisiana and Columbia road was incorporated ten years after- wards in that granted to the Hannibal and St. Jo Company, and that of the Bellevue road in the Iron Mountain Railroad charter fourteen years afterwards.2

1 The two charters contain the following provisions :

"SEC. 13. It shall be lawful for said corporation to place on or prescribe the kind of carriages that may be used on said road, and by whom used, and whether propelled by steam or other power, for the transportation of passengers, goods, wares, and merchandise of all kinds, and also all kinds of produce. For this purpose the company may construct such turnouts and other things or devices as may be considered necessary or to the interest of the company. All cars, carriages, or other vehicles on said road shall be subject to the direction of the company, and no person shall put any carriage or other vehicle on said road without the permission of said company.

"SEC. 14. The company may charge and receive such tolls and freights for the transportation of persons, commodities, or carriages as shall be to the interest of the same. Such tolls shall be established by the directors, and may from time to time be altered. They may charge tolls and freights on any part of the road that may be in a state for traveling on, whether the rails be laid or not.

"SEC. 15. Semi-annual dividends of so muuch profits as the directors may deem expedient shall be made to the stockholders, but no dividends shall be made to a greater amount than the net profits after deducting all expenses, and no dividend shall be more than twenty per cent. per annum on the capital stock paid in."

2 " At the railroad convention," said the Republican of July 28, 1836, " the following-named gentlemen constituted the com- mittee to raise by subscription the necessary means to pay the expenses of a complete reconnoissance and survey of the routes of the two proposed roads, to secure the services of skillful and competent engineers, etc., and cause the work to be done with as little delay as possible : Messrs. George Collier, J. B. Brant, John Smith, John W. Reel, J. H. Gay, of St. Louis ; D. M. Hickman, of Boone; Uriah Sebree, of Howard; Jacob C. Lebo, of Calloway, Andrew Monroe, of Montgomery; David Bailey, of Lincoln; Myers F. Jones and John C. Bricky, of Washington ; Samuel Massey, of Crawford ; Thomas M. Dough- erty and Jacob R. Stine, of St. Louis County."

On the 17th of December the same paper added,-

" All of us remember that we made such ado at the time the railroad convention was held in this town, but that spirit dicd with the disappearance of the members of that body. Several committees were appointed to perform certain specified dutics ; all of them were competent, and had abundant time and a decp interest at stake, and yet not one of them has attended as he

Thus ended the first effort at railroad construction in Missouri.3

Notwithstanding their temporary want of success, however, the citizens of St. Louis continued to mani- fest a lively interest in railroad development, and looked forward with confidence to the day when their cherished desires should be consummated.4

In June, 1839, another town-meeting was held at the court-house for the purpose of devising means to connect St. Louis with Boston by railroad. Noth- ing resulted from a discussion of the subject, as the people still relied too confidently upon the splen- did gcographical position of St. Louis to, sooner or later, attract the needed capital and enterprise for the construction of railroads. At this period (1839) a railroad had been completed to Buffalo, and the route from the West to the East by way of the lakes had begun to attract attention.5

ought to have done, punctually and assiduously, to the duties of his appointment. These gentlemen are the largest property- holders in the city, are all of them wealthy, and it was right to expect that they would feel some little interest in the important matters intrusted to them."

3 In August, 1830, a miniature railroad was exhibited at the old Baptist Church situated at Third and Market Streets. It consisted of a small circular track, fastened to a stage, on which moved a miniature locomotive attached to a car just large enough to hold one person. The speed attained was at the rate of seven miles an hour. A small admission fec was charged, and persons were required to pay "an extra picayune" for the privilege of riding round the track. In its notice of the ex- hibition at the time (Aug. 24, 1830) a local journal said, " The public will be much gratified by a visit to the miniature rail- road exhibited at the old Baptist Church. This combination of art and science, although in miniature, is complete in all its parts, and exhibits in one view all the apparatus necessary for railway traveling. With a few ounces of coal, and a small measure of water, it winds its way round on a circular track of one hun- dred fcet at the rate of seven miles per hour, carrying a person of the largest size in the car."

4 In 1832 the bill incorporating the Cincinnati and St. Louis Railway Company passed the Legislature of Ohio.

The Republican of Aug. 13, 1836, published the report of the engineers appointed to survey the route of a railroad from Marion City to the interior of the country. "It will be scen," added that paper, "that the rails on a part of this road have already been laid, and many miles morc are under contract."

5 " A gentleman and his family left here a few days since in a boat for Peoria. There lie took another boat to Peru, and from Peru was carried overland by stages to Chicago, making the whole trip in three days. At Chicago he took a boat the same evening for Buffalo. Judging from the speed of the lake boats, he would reach Buffalo in about four or five days from the time he left this place, and if he traveled from Buffalo to New York at the rate stated by a traveler in a late number of the Journal of Commerce, he would reach the latter place in less than three days more, making the whole distance from St. Louis to New York in about eight or nine days. The ordinary trip from New York to St. Louis, by the Ohio River, requires between ten and twelve days."-Republican, July 11, 1839.

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HISTORY OF SAINT LOUIS.

A board of improvements was created by the State in 1840, but nothing was done further than to make a survey for a railroad from St. Louis to the Iron Mountain by the way of Big River, and some surveys of the Osage River with a view of improving its nav- igation.

Missouri Pacific Railway .- As already indi- cated, the commercial sagacity of the people of St. Louis recognized the fact that the capital of the east- ern section of the country would ultimately come to their city in order to construct the railroads which her expanding trade demanded ; that the self-interest of the East would seek the mart where were collected the vast productions of the West ; and that being the most distant city from the East, she was the nearest to the West, the greatest producing as well as the greatest consuming section of the country.

These considerations induced her merchants to pivot, as it were, their great Pacific Railroad on the Mississippi River, with that already great feeder and carrier as the base and eastern terminus, and to " go west" for greater conquests and grander results.1

The successful termination of the Mexican war had added. large areas to the territory of the Union and expanded its boundaries to the Pacific, and it was soon seen that the discovery of gold in California (in 1848) would in a few years open up that country to a trade more valuable even than the gold of her mincs, and people the Pacific slope with an energetic and enterprising race.2

1 " Passing by Smith's foundry yesterday, corner of Pine Street and Post-Office Alley, we there observed certain compo- nents of a species of machinery which will be a new sight to many hereabouts, as it was to us. This was the wheels and axles for a train of railroad freight cars, intended for the con- veyanee of coal from the mine to some point on the Cumber- land River which we could not ascertain. The proprietor has taken a contraet for furnishing the running apparatus for thirty-six cars, together with the eastings of a crane of stupen- dous power for swinging the entire car, with its load, from the track to the boat."-Republican, Aug. 7, 1847.

2 "Seven young gentlemen, citizens of this city," said a St. Louis newspaper of Jan. 21, 1849, "left last evening on the steamer ' Rowena' for the gold regions, via New Orleans, Chagres, and Panama, their final destination being San Fran- cisco. The party consists of Messrs. D. S. Ford, C. H. Fran- cher, William Barlow, T. B. Walker, A. H. Gould, - Hol- brook, and John S. Robb.

"In addition to this company, another consisting of Capt. William Craine, J. M. Julies, James Anthony, - Murray, and - Piper leaves this morning on the steamer 'St. Joseph,' destined for the same point. These parties, the first regularly organized in this city, go, as we learn, fully prepared to encounter all the hardships and dangers of so long a journey, and, what is better, carry with them means sufficient to enter into any suitable or profitable business after their arrival, should they not find that of gold-digging as lucrative as they expect."

From time to time, previous to the year 1849, various propositions were suggested by Whitney, Maury, Degrand, and others for the construction of a railroad from St. Louis to some point on the Pacific coast, and in December, 1848, the Western Journal commenced the publication of a series of articles on Eastern commerce, by J. Loughborough, which were designed to direct attention to the importance of a railroad from the Mississippi valley to the Pacific ; the route favored being that by the mouth of the Kansas and the South Pass. In January of 1849 the editor of the Western Journal advocated the same project.

About this time, in February of 1849, Col. Benton brought before the United States Senate his project for a Pacific railroad, advocating it in a powerful speech, that seemed to have the effect of giving life to the movement, which the public mind had already been prepared for.3

On the 20th of February following a large meeting of the citizens of St. Louis was held, upon a call of the mayor, to take action upon the subject. Judge Krum, then mayor of the city, presided, and a com- mittee, of which Thomas Allen was chairman, re- ported a series of resolutions, strongly in favor of the construction of a " national central highway" to the Pacific. These resolutions were unanimously adopted by the meeting. The Legislature was then in session, and a successful attempt was made to pro- cure a charter for the Pacific Railroad, commencing at St. Louis, and running to the western linc of Van Buren (afterwards Cass) County. It was approved on

In its issue of March 8th the same paper added : " Our city is rapidly filling up with persons from all quarters of the Union, wending their way to the gold regions. A gentleman who has means of arriving at something like reliable informna- tion informs us that there are now in the city several hundred persons from a distance, preparing to start as soon as the weather and season will permit for California. The fine steamer 'Germantown' arrived last evening from the Ohio with a freight and a crowd of passengers, of whom we noticed twenty-two persons and several wagons destined for California. Fourteen of the persons styled themselves as the Buffalo Mining Company, and hail from Buffalo, N. Y. They are com- pletely fitted out with all the utensils, implements, cte., for a long journey and a life in the mountains. The others are from different parts of the Keystone State."

3 Senator Benton, on the 7th of February, 1849, introduced a bill into the United States Senate to provide for the location and construction of a central national road from the Pacific Ocean to the Mississippi River, to be an iron railway where practicable, and a wagon-road where a railway was not prac- ticable, and proposed to set apart seventy-five per cent. of the proceeds of the sales of the public lands in Oregon and Cali- fornia, and fifty per cent. of the proceeds of all other sales of the public lands, to defray the costs of its location and con- struetion, but nothing practicable ever came of that bill.

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RAILROADS.

the 12th of March, 1849. The line of the proposed road is thus defined in the seventh section of the charter :

" Said company shall have power to survey, make, locate, and construct a railroad from the city of St. Louis to the city of Jefferson, and thence to some point on the western line of Van Buren (now Cass) County, in this State, with a view that the same may be continued hereafter westwardly to the Pacific Ocean." The act vested its powers in twenty-one corporators, of whom nine formed a quorum and might proceed to act.

The corporators were John O'Fallon, Lewis V. Bogy, James H. Lucas, Edward Walsh, George Col- lier, Thomas B. Hudson, Daniel D. Page, Henry M. Shreve, James E. Yeatman, John B. Sarpy, Wayman Crow, Joshua B. Brant, Thomas Allen, Robert Camp- bell, Pierre Chouteau, Jr., Henry Shaw, Bernard Pratte, Ernst Angelrodt, Adolphus Meier, Louis A. Benoist, and Adam L. Mills.

The capital stock of the company as fixed by the charter was ten million dollars.

On the 24th of May, 1849, the City Council of St. Louis passed the following preamble and resolutions :

" WHEREAS, Recent events have directed publie attention to the necessity and importance of early railroad and telegraph connection with California and Oregon, and the general desire seems to be to make St. Louis the starting point for those great national works; and

"WHEREAS, This community is especially interested in the accomplishment of so vast and benefieent an enterprise, and is properly expected to lead in the essential preliminary aetion for concentrating and enlightening public opinion in reference thereto; and

" WHEREAS, It is peculiarly desirable that measures should be promptly adopted in furtheranee of the most feasible plan for making such a eonneelion between St. Louis and the Bay of San Francisco or the Pacific coast ; therefore,

" Be it resolved by the Board of Aldermen, the Board of Delegates concurring, That the mayor be requested to call a mass-meeting of the citizens of St. Louis and surrounding country, to be holden on the first Monday in June next, at four o'clock P.M., in order to appoint the necessary committees, and to make suitable arrangements for a convention of delegates from all the towns, eities, counties, and States which will join in such a movement, said convention to be holden in the city of St. Louis on the third Monday of October next.

" And be it further resolved, That The hospitalities of this city be tendered to all of the delegales to said convention, and that it be recommended to the mass-meeting on the first Mon- day of June next to take all suitable action to proeure attend- anee at the October convention from as many States as possible, together with such information to be laid before said eonven- tion as inay show the value and importance of the route indi- eated, and the respective merits of the various plans which have been submitted to public consideration in reference to this subjeet."

In accordance with the request contained in the resolutions, the mayor caused to be published in the

several newspapers of the city the following notice, dated May 28, 1849, viz. :

"WHEREAS, The Honorable City Council have passed reso- lutions authorizing and requesting the mayor to call a meeting of the citizens of the city of St. Louis and the surrounding country, to be held on the first Monday in June next, in order to appoint the necessary committees and to make suitable ar- rangements for a convention of delegates from all the towns, eities, counties, and States which will join in such a movement, for the purpose of taking into consideration the best and speed- iest plan of railroad and telegraphic connection with California and Oregon and the Pacific coast, said convention to be held in the city of St. Louis on the third Monday of October next : Now, therefore, in compliance with said resolutions, I do hereby re- speetfully request the inhabitants of the eity of St. Louis and the surrounding country to meet at the rotunda of the court- house on Monday, the Ist day of June next, at four o'clock, to take into consideration the above-mentioned subjeet, and such other matters in relation thereto as may come before the meet- ing.

JAMES G. BARRY, Mayor."

A meeting of persons interested was held at the court-house, in accordance with the above notice, at which the Hon. J. G. Barry, mayor, was called to the chair, and Col. John O'Fallon, David Chambers, and A. R. McNair appointed vice-presidents, Capt. Rich- ard Phillips and A. B. Chambers secretaries.

The chairman explained the object of the meet- ing, and alluded to the vast importance of the sub- ject, its extent and influence upon the political and commercial prosperity of the country, and the neces- sity and duty of the citizens of St. Louis to take an active part in furtherance of the enterprise.

On motion of Mr. Blennerhassett, it was ordered that a committee of ten be appointed by the chair to report a preamble and resolutions for the action of the meeting.

The chair selected the following to compose the committee : R. S. Blennerhassett, Thomas Colien, Robert Campbell, Pierce C. Grace, George L. Lack- land, Sr., Matthias Steitz, William Ennis, Mann But- ler, L. V. Bogy, and William Milburn, who, by their chairman, reported the following preamble and reso- lutions :

"WHEREAS, The idea of establishing a thoroughfare of travel and of commerce between Europe and Asia, across the continent of America, has ever been cherished by the statesman and philanthropist sinec the days of Columbus; and whereas, the discovery and application of steam as a motive-power, the rapid extension of the means of electric communication, the recent events in our history which have extended our domain to the Pacific Ocean, the extraordinary discoveries of gold in Culifor- nia, and the peaceable and prosperous condition of our beloved country, all conspire to place the eonsummation of this long- cherished project in the power of the American people; and whereas, the great number of projects for a railway across the continent which have been presented to Congress and canvassed before the country, as also the debate with regard to the prac- versity of opinion in respect to the location and manner of pro- tieability of a telegraphic line, are ealeulated to produce a di-

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HISTORY OF SAINT LOUIS.

viding the necessary means of construction in the case of both projects, and consequently to embarrass the action of the na- tional legislature upon such subjects; and considering it of vital importance in the adoption of measures purely national in all their bearings, and calculated to affect the condition of the whole race of man, whether civilized or savage, that the heart of the nation should be united in the great work, and be- lieving that this favorable condition of the public mind can best be promoted through the agency of a convention that shall be purely national in all respects, be it, therefore,

" Resolved, That this meeting cordially approve of the recom- mendation made by the city authorities of holding a great na- tional convention in St. Louis, on the third Monday of October next, for the purpose of taking into consideration the expedi- ency and practicability of establishing a line of electric tele- graph, and of constructing a railway from St. Louis to the Bay of San Francisco.

" Resolved, That the project of a great line of railway across the American continent is in all its aspects a national project, that as such it is due to every State and section of the Union that their opinions and views shall be heard, and their in- terest fairly considered, and that we deprecate any attempt to excite sectional jealousy, party rivalry, or personal feelings in reference to this important subject.

" Resolved, That the chairman of this meeting appoint a com- mittee of twenty-five, whose duty it shall be to prepare an ad- dress to the people of the United States, urging them to take into their serious consideration these interesting subjects; to open and conduct a correspondence with every portion of the Union, in such manner as to further the objects of this meet- ing; to collect, prepare, and publish all the facts calculated to recommend these subjects to public consideration, and to sug- gest when and how they ought to be accomplished; and, finally, to prepare and classify, and have printed for the use of the members of the October convention, every fact within their power calculated to shed light upon these subjects, to- gether with a map and profile sections, made up from the best authorities.

" Resolved, That we feel deeply gratified in witnessing that many portions of the Union are awakening to the importance of this great subject, and feel satisfied that our fellow-citizens generally will cordially co-operate in bringing into successful operation the great national measures which are contemplated by the convention of October next.

" Resolved, That the mayor and Council of the city of St. Louis and the county court bc hereby requested to appropriate out of their treasury such sum or snms as in their judgment, npon consultation with said committee, shall be requisite to carry into effect the foregoing resolutions.

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History of Saint Louis City and County, from the earliest periods to the present day: including biographical sketches of representative men, Part 35

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898 Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Philadelphia : L.H. Everts Number of Pages: 1358

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Philadelphia : L.H. Everts
Number of Pages: 1358