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 37
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The construction of the proposed railroad to the Pacific became a question in politics, and was favored in the "platforms" of both parties and the " pledges" of public men, but was postponed to a " more conve- nient season." The subject, however, continued to hold the earnest attention and interest of the people of St. Louis, and was urged with great force and vigor by Thomas Allen, J. Loughborough, and others.
On Jan. 29, 1850, Thomas Allen, one of the cor- porators mentioned in the charter of the Pacific Railroad, published a note in the Missouri Republican calling for a meeting of the corporators with a view to organization. At this meeting, which was held in the office of the St. Louis Insurance Company, in the city of St. Louis, on Thursday evening, the 31st of January, 1850, there were present John O'Fallon, James H. Lucas, Edward Walsh, George Collier, Daniel D. Page, James E. Yeatman, Joshua B. Brant, Thomas Allen, Adolphus Meier, Adam L. Mills, and Wayman Crow.
On motion of Thomas Allen, the meeting was or- ganized by calling Col. John O'Fallon to the chair, and appointing Wayman Crow secretary.
Mr. Allen then delivered an address, which was published and extensively circulated. It was an able presentation of the Pacific Railroad enterprise, and inspired confidence in the project of building a railroad in Missouri for its local worth, as well as for a link in the great Pacific Railroad. After this address, on motion of Mr. Lucas, it was
" Resolved, That the corporators do now proceed to organize hy the election of a president, secretary, and treasurer."
1149
RAILROADS.
The vote, having been taken, resulted in the clec- tion of Col. John O'Fallon, president ; Thomas Allen, secretary ; and Daniel D. Page, treasurer.
On motion of Mr. Allen, it was
" Resolved, That a committee of three corporators be ap- pointed to open books for subscription to the capital stock of the company ; that said books be opened on Monday, the 4th of February, at ten o'clock, and close at three o'clock P.M., and kept open for six days in the rooms of the Merchants' Ex- change."
The chairman appointed the following gentlemen that committec, viz. : James H. Lucas, James E. Yeatman, and J. B. Brant.
On motion of Mr. Lucas, it was
" Resolved, That the several papers in the city be requested to publish the proceedings of this meeting and the address of Mr. Allen on this subject."
On motion of Mr. Allen, it was
" Resolved, That a committee of three be appointed to prepare a memorial to Congress, praying a donation of alternate sections of land along the route for the construction of the proposed road."
The chairman appointed the following gentlemen that committee: Thomas Allen, James H. Lucas, Wayman Crow.
Before the adjournment of the meeting the cleven gentlemen present pledged themselves to subscribe $154,000 in the aggregate to the stock upon the opening of the books, which pledge they redeemed. Mr. Lucas first started the subscription by offering to be one of three to make up $100,000. In this he was joined by John O'Fallon and D. D. Page. It was understood that there were others ready to sub- scribe, and that $1,000,000 could be raised by the 1st of March.
The subscribers, nearly all of whom expressed their willingness and purpose, if necessary to the progress of the work, to double or more than double their subscriptions, were :
James H. Lucas ..
333 shares, $33,300
John O'Fallon.
334
33,400
Daniel D. Page ...
333
33,300
Thomas Allen.
100
10,000
J. & E. Walsh
100
10,000
James E. Yeatınan.
50
5,000
Joshua B. Brant.
100
10,000
George Collier.
100
10,000
Wayman Crow.
25
2,500
A. L. Mills
50
5,000
Adolphus Meier.
15
1,500
Total .. .1540
$154,000
" We are justified in asserting," added the Repub- lican in its notice of its meeting, " that the eleven gentlemen present, if they had had time for consul- tation and examination of the charter, would have promptly made up the two hundred thousand dollars, and they will yet do it. The three first on the list
agreed to take one hundred thousand dollars, each expressing his willingness to double it if necessary, and for the privilege of subscribing the odd thousand they tossed up, Col. O'Fallon winning it. This sub- scription has been made in good faith by men under their own signature, every one of whom is able not only to fulfill his present pledge, but to go further if it should be necessary. Thcir judgment, fcelings, and interest prompt them to push the measure forward, and we risk nothing in saying that this road will be early commenced and spcedily completed."
At a subsequent meeting a book was ordered to be opened in each ward of the city, and the book at the Merchants' Exchange was ordered to be kept open until the Saturday preceding the last Monday in March. A committee, consisting of Thomas Allen, Edward Walsh, and Adolphus Meier, was appointed to make preliminary arrangements for a general topo- graphical and geological survey of the country upon the proposed route of the road. An clection of nine directors, as provided by the charter, was ordered to be held on the last Monday in March.
The committee, in accordance with the original action of the incorporators, issued the following notice :
" Books for the subscription of stock to the Pacific Railroad will be opened between the hours of 10 A.M. and 3 p.M. on Mon- day, the 4th of February, at the Merchants' Exchange, and will be kept open for six days.
" JAMES HI. LUCAS, " JAMES E. YEATMAN, " J. B. BRANT, "Committee."
In its issue of February 5th the Republican, de- scribing the opening of the books, said,-
" Nearly the whole amount required to put the Pa- cific Railroad into operation was subscribed yesterday. The books will continue open during the week.
" The Merchants' Exchange, front eleven to twelve o'clock yesterday, was crowded with business men and visitors, called thither to see what progress was making in the subscription.
" The subscription to the stock in the Pacific Rail- road reachcd one hundred and ninety thousand dol- lars yesterday. Ninetcen thousand dollars is wanted to perfect the organization of the company. As soon as this is secured the directors will feel themselves authorized to employ engineers and to go on with the work. It will authorize them also to ask subscrip- tions, on the part of the city and county of St. Louis, of all incorporated companies, and of the counties through which it may be settled that the road shall pass."
On February 7th the following subscriptions were added to those which had already been made :
1150
HISTORY OF SAINT LOUIS.
Shares. Amount.
Auguste Guelberth & Co
20
$2,000
Charles L. Hunt
30
3,000
Thomas Grey.
5
500
John M. Johnson
5
500
L. Deaver.
20
2,000
Thomas B. Chambers
5
500
B. M. Chambers,
5
500
William Turner.
2
200
H. L. Patterson.
20
2,000
Ann C. T. Farrar, by J. T. Swear- ingen.
20
2,000
James Harrison
50
5,000
William Beaumont ...
15
1,500
William Renshaw, Jr.
10
1,000
P. A. Berthold
10
1,000
A. Shurlds Dent
5
500
Fred Dent, Jr
5
500
S. E. Selleck.
5
500
Total
232
$23,200
" When the books were closed yesterday," said a newspaper of Feb. 9, 1850, " the following gentlemen had subscribed the shares and sum placed opposite to their names :
Shares. Amounts.
James H. Lucas.
333
$33,300
John O'Fallon.
334
33,400
Daniel Page.
333
33,300
Thomas Allen
100
10,000
J. and E. Walsh
100
10,000
James E. Yeatman
50
5,000
George Collier.
100
10,000
Joshua B. Brant ..
100
10,000
Crow, McCreery & Co.
25
2,500
A. L. Mills.
50
5,000
Adolphus Meier.
15
1,500
Joseph Charless.
50
5,000
Taylor & Mason
25
2,500
K. Mackenzie.
25
2,500
Switzer, Platte & Co
25
2,500
John B. Sarpy
25
2,500
Louis A. Labeaume.
50
5,000
Chambers & Knapp.
20
2,000
Charles L. Hunt.
20
2,000
John Simonds ...
50
5,000
A. P. Ladew & Co
15
1,500
Sandford J. Smith.
10
1,000
W. Risley & Son ..
10
1,000
R. Simpson ..
10
1,000
R. W. Ulrici
10
1,000
John B. Carson.
5
500
P. M. Dillon ..
30
3,000
P. R. Donnelly.
10
1,000
John R. Baldwin
10
1,000
George I. Barnett.
10
1,000
Charles Sellman.
10
1,000
Evans, Nuckles & Co
10
1,000
Oliver Quinette.
5
500
John Hogan
5
500
J. D. Osborne.
5
500
Alexander, Copp & Co.
10
1,000
Alexander Hallam.
5
500
B. H. Batte
5
500
John W. Harker.
5
500
Wilson & Bros.
10
1,000
Total
2020
$202,000"
" Every day's subscription to the stock of the Pacific Rail- road Company," said a St. Louis newspaper of February 10th, " only serves to show the strong hold which this project is ac- quiring upon the people of St. Louis. Yesterday the stock taken exceeded forty-five thousand dollars, and at the elose of the books the whole amount subscribed was three hundred and five thousand five hundred dollars. When it was considered that the project has only heen before the people for about a week, that it is only ten days since the charter was first puh- lished and a portion of the commissioners met in a quiet way
and resolved that the great work should be commenced, and by way of attestation of their own convictions of what ought to be done subscribed one hundred and fifty-four thousand dollars, it may he claimed, we think, that the people of St. Louis have done nobly.
" After the close of the books yesterday the directors held a meeting to determine upon further proceedings. We under- stand that they resolved to reopen the books for the subscription of stock at the Merchants' Exchange to-morrow (Monday), and they resolved also to open additional books of subscription in the First, Second, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Wards, the Merchants' Exchange being in the Third Ward, under the supervision of the committee who have had charge of the books; and that they were authorized to employ assistants in the several wards. This arrangement will accommodate a great number of persons, and will add, we have no doubt, to the interest felt in the success of the work."
Two days later (February 12th) it was announced that the following gentlemen had been appointed ward committees to collect subscriptions to the Pacific Rail- road, and to make personal collections for subscrip- tions in their respective wards during the remainder of the week :
First Ward, Edward Haren, R. S. Blennerhassett, D. B. Hill, Adolph Abeles, M. Steitz.
Second Ward, George R. Taylor, George Knapp, G. Schoentaler, M. S. Cerré, John Kern.
Third Ward, Louis A. Labeaume, Asa Wilgus, Ferdinand Overstolz, A. L. Mills, Sullivan Blood.
Fourth Ward, O. D. Filley, G. I. Barnett, Rufus Keyser, A. P. Ladew, Patrick Gorman.
Fifth Ward, A. H. Glasby, John Leach, William Branegan, Charles Dean, John B. Carson.
Sixth Ward, J. H. Sturgeon, Charles Hammond, Smith Robinson, D. W. Dixon, Theodore Labeaume.
At the closing of the books on the 12th of February, 1850, the whole number of shares taken amounted to three hundred and nineteen thousand eight hundred dollars. This, however, did not include any portion of what had been subscribed on the books in possession of the committees of the several wards. On the 1st of May, 1850, it was announced that the city corpora- tion was about to subscribe the five hundred thousand dollars authorized by a vote of the people. " The subscriptions of individuals," it was added, " do not yet amount to that sum."
The amount required by the charter (two hundred thousand dollars) having been secured, the corpora- tion proceeded to organize by the election of a board of directors. The committee appointed to superintend the election consisted of Luther M. Kennett, O. D. Filley, A. Wilgus, Louis A. Labeaume, and George Knapp. At the election which was held on the 25th of March, 1850, at the Merchants' Exchange the fol- lowing were chosen directors : Thomas Allen, John O'Fallon, James H. Lucas, Louis A. Labeaume,
1151
RAILROADS.
Edward Walsh, James E. Yeatman, George Collier, Daniel D. Page, and L. M. Kennett.
On the following day the directors met and clected Thomas Allen president, and Louis A. Labcaume secretary pro tem. There were then twenty-nine million two hundred and sixteen thousand acres of. land in Missouri open to private entry which, as stated in the memorial of the directors to Congress, remained unsold.1
Mr. Allen, the president of the company, who, as we have seen, had been one of the most prominent and efficient promoters of the enterprise from the start, addressed himself to the work before him with characteristic energy and vigor, and under his able. direction the affairs of the company soon took shapc. On the 22d of April it was announced that James P. Kirkwood, of New York, had been appointed chief engineer of the road.'
Mr. Kirkwood was then superintendent of the New York and Erie Railroad. Under his direction three parties of engineers were started on the surveys. Three different routes were surveyed, and a very full and able report made by the engineers, and published with the first annual report of the board of directors. The preliminary surveys were commenced on the 24th of May, and closed on the 29th of November, 1850. Five different lines were surveyed, embracing in the whole over eight hundred miles of survey.
During the progress of the surveys the president, Mr. Allen, personally visited and addressed the people and the county courts of nearly every county from St. Louis to the western boundary, and also laid his plans before the Governor of the State, which the Gov- ernor, after due consideration, substantially adopted. The city and county of St. Louis and the county of Jackson subscribed to the stock. Petitions to Con- gress in behalf of a grant of land, as applied for by the company, were circulated and numerously signed in all the counties along the proposed line, and in due time transmitted to Congress.
At the session of Congress held in 1850-51 a bill passed the Senate of the United States granting for
the railroad alternate sections of land for a space of six miles in width on each side, but was not reached in the House of Representatives. In the same winter of 1850-51, the president of the railroad company having been elected to the State Scnate, a plan for a complete system of railroads for the State was laid before the Legislature by him, including a form of State aid by a loan of the public credit. This plan, which was soon adopted, contemplated the issue of State bonds to the railroad company to an amount equal to the amount first to be advanced by the stock- holders, the company agreeing to pay the interest and principal of the bond, and the State reserving a first lien on the road as security.
The first act was approved Feb. 22, 1851, and pro- vided for the issue to the extent of two millions of State bonds to the Pacific Railroad Company, in sums of fifty thousand dollars, upon satisfactory evidence being furnished to the Governor at each application that a like sum of fifty thousand dollars had been ex- pended by the company, derived from sources other than State bonds, and provided that the bonds should not be sold below par. These bonds having twenty years to run, and bearing six per cent. interest, were sold at a premium for more than a year and a half, and some were sold as high as 110. Some important amend- ments to the charter were granted at the same session by an act approved March 1, 1851. Congress, on the 10th of June, 1852, passed an act granting to the State of Missouri the alternate sections of land in a strip of six sections in width ou cach side of the linc, for the construction of a railroad from St. Louis to the western boundary of the State. Soon after the passage of this act the company petitioned the Gover- nor to call an extra session of the Legislature, and the then Governor, Hon. Austin A. King, complied with the request.
So largely had individuals entered the public lands the previous year or two in consequence of the rail- road surveys, that it was soon discovered that the grant would be of little value for constructing a rail- road in a direct line westward from St. Louis to the western boundary. Therefore, in view of the immense district of country lying at the southwest, known to be desirable in soil, climate, and minerals, yet inacces- sible, and also in view of the probability that a good route for the national road to California might be found along the thirty-fifth parallel, it was deemed advisable to make a fork in the line of road, and run the main trunk nearly west in the direction of Kan- sas via the State capital, and the fork or branch in the southwestern direction. To the road from St. Louis to the point of divergence from the main line,
1 At this time not a single railway touched the Mississippi on either side at St. Louis. The Erie Railroad was not com- pleted, and only seven thousand miles of railroad had been con- structed in the United States.
2 " Pacific Railroad .- The commencement of this great and, to our city, important work we presume will take place imme- diately. Mr. Kirkwood, late engineer of the New York and Erie Railroad, now engineer of the Pacific Railroad, arrived in our city yesterday morning accompanied by two assistants. In a very short time the corps of engineers will be organized and the reconnaissance and the location commenced."-Republican, May 21, 1850.
1152
HISTORY OF SAINT LOUIS.
-
and thence to the southwest boundary of the State, the State granted the lands by the act of Dec. 20, 1852, without bonus and with an exemption from taxation until the road could pay a dividend, and with also a further loan of $1,000,000 to the main line, and $1,000,000 to the Southwest Branch. The right of pre-emption to actual settlers already on the lands at $2.50 per acre was, however, reserved.
Mr. Allen, president of the company, was appointed the agent of the State to select the lands, and for that purpose went to Washington City. The lands se- lected amounted to about 1,200,000 acres.
The Pacific Railroad Company, having surveyed a route for a branch railroad to the Iron Mountain, to cross the Maramec near the mouth of Calvey Creek, in Franklin County, and run on an interior ridge west of Big River, via Potosi, and having reported that the Iron Mountain could thus be reached by building about sixty miles additional of railroad, at a cost of two or two and a half million dollars, the Legislature granted a loan to the company for that branch of seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The demand having arisen for a " direct line" to the Iron Mountain from St. Louis, this loan was subsequently yielded and trans- ferred to the St. Louis and Iron Mountain Railroad.
On the 12th of March, 1851, the board of direc- tors resolved to commence the construction of the Pa- cific road, and were called upon for the first time to consider the question of route. The road had origi- nally been defined as to Jefferson and Cass County, but, now free to seek the best route through the State, it became evident that more extended surveys must be made before they could act intelligently. A division of forty miles only was located, as being com- mon to all the routes that they could take.
At the time it was in contemplation to make other surveys, not only connecting in detail those already made, but to try other routes, passing farther inland or towards the southwest. But it had been found that speculators followed the track of the engineers and entered all the best land, and it was thought ad- visable not to make any more surveys until a land grant had passed Congress, and the land was put out of market.
In the mean time vigorous efforts were made to in- crease the subscriptions to the stock of the company to one million five hundred thousand dollars, in order that the latter might avail itself of the State's sub- scription.
"There was a good deal of encouragement," said the Repub- lican of May 12, 1851, " in the meeting in relation to the Pacific Railroad which took place on Saturday evening. Mr. Allen stated a variety of facts in relation to the road. Speaking of
the financial condition of the company, he said that the indi- vidual subscriptions amounted to about four hundred and fifty thousand dollars, the city had subscribed five hundred thousand dollars, the county of St. Louis one hundred thousand dollars, the county of Jackson one hundred thousand dollars, and other subscriptions would make the sum up to nearly twelve hundred thousand dollars. The directors desired to swell this sum to ·fifteen hundred thousand dollars, and hence the present effort. Whenever the last-named sum is subscribed, the company can then avail itself of the credit of the State to the amount of two millions of dollars, and then there would he a capital of three and a half millions of dollars to go to work with. The engineer es- timates the entire cost of the road, assuming that it is three hundred miles in length, at six millions of dollars. This in- cludes everything, payments for depots, cars, locomotives, etc. We have a right to expect that Congress will do justice to this State at the next session by making adequate grants of lands for the use of this road and that of the Hannibal and St. Joseph Company, and this will go very far towards the completion of the work."
At this meeting a resolution was adopted providing for com- mittees "to canvass the several wards for subscriptions of stock to the railroad. Subsequently the following committees were appointed :
"First Ward, Adolph Abeles, Henry A. Lynch, Frederick W. Beckwith, Brannock Jones, Lewis Clark, L. C. Degenhardt, William Friend, H. Niemeyer, Thomas T. Gantt, John C. Rust.
"Second Ward, George R. Taylor, Solomon Smith, Matthew Steitz, William Palm, Francis P. Blair, J. B. Sickles, Hiram Shaw, John Kern, Alexander Keyser, Robert Simpson.
" Third Ward, R. S. Elliott, Asa Wilgus, A. Miltelherger, George R. Reed, John C. Meier, John C. Ivory, William H. Carroll, Adolphus Meier, Nathan Ranney, John Shade.
" Fourth Ward, William T. Christy, John Finney, S. H. Rob- hins, O. D. Filley, F. B. Chiles, A. J. P. Garesche, T. W. Hoit, John S. Watson, P. R. McCreery, J. D. Houseman.
" Fifth Ward, A. P. Ladew, John Leach, Willis R. Prichard, F. Laubmann, G. B. Allen, L. Holthaus, Leroy Kingsland, H. H. Cohen, Louis Bach, James Fortune."
At a meeting of the directors held on the 18th of June, 1851, at which A. S. Mitchell acted as secre- tary, the board proceeded to locate the First Division of the road. The various surveyed routes and their estimated costs having been presented and explained by James P. Kirkwood, chief engineer, Mr. Lucas offered the following resolution :
" Resolved, That the route through Chouteau Pond valley and the valley of the Des Peres to the Mara- mec valley, and up the Maramec valley for a distance of about thirty-nine miles from St. Louis, commencing in St. Louis at Fourteenth Street, be adopted as the First Division of the Pacific Railroad."
The yeas and nays were demanded on this resolu- tion, and the result was as follows :
Yeas, Messrs. Allen, Bridge, Haren, Harrison, Kennett, Labeaume, Lucas, Walsh, and Yeatman,-9. Nays, none; the entire board present and voting.
In deciding upon this location the board took into consideration not only the estimated cost of the dif-
1153
RAILROADS.
ferent lines, but the need of a branch to the Iron Mountain and the southwest part of the State.
On motion of Mr. Kennett, the following resolution in relation to calls on stock in the Pacific Railroad was adopted :
" Resolved, That not exceeding thirty per cent. upon the capital stock of the company shall be called in any one year during the construction of the road."1
An election for directors of the road was held on
1 "The report of J. P. Kirkwood, chief engineer of the road, to the board of directors, in June, 1851, contained the follow- ing information as to the lines he had surveyed, their lengths and estimated eost :
Miles.
.
Missouri River route (by Crevecœur Lake to Jefferson)
121.87 $2,989,157 Maramee route, inland to Jefferson City
149.03 3,752,854 Maramee combination route by Mara- mee and Gray's Gap.
130.58 3,145,303
" The board of directors were divided in opinion as to which route, under all the eireumstanees, should be adopted. At the eastern end of the line, and more practically in St. Louis, there was very decided opposition to the selection of the route shown above as the Missouri River route, for this principal reason, that, as was urged, the river itself afforded sufficient facilities to the whole country through which it ran, and that the road should be so located as to open and develop a country not pene- trated by any natural highway. Under these circumstanees of opposition to the route shown by the engineer's report to be the shortest, as well as the least expensive, it was determined to locate the road as far as Franklin, thirty-seven miles. This point was selected for the reason that it was the extreme western point from which, after further deliberation and examination, it would be possible, without seriously inereased eost, to eon- tinue the location either on the inland or the Missouri River route. To accomplish this object they were compelled to aban- don the route deseribed above by Crevecœur Lake, which strikes the Missouri River eighteen miles and three-quarters from St. Louis, though that was the shortest and the most economieal.
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