Railroad Articles

Researched by Sharon M. Kouns

1858

_IR June 24, 1858 - We have just received a copy of the Cass County Sentinel, published at Rock Bluffs, Nebraska, which looked as if it had been "through the wars," or at least through the floods; it was badly "used up," and in great part not readable, but enough of it was left for us to discover that a great railroad meeting of the citizens of Cleveland, Liberty and Kenosha had been held, to confer with the President of the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad - "to offer such inducements as shall justify the same to locate said road on the middle survey, terminating directly opposite this place." "JACOB LAIR, Esq., (formerly of Ironton,) was chosen President of the meeting." Esq. Lair is at present a citizen of Kenosha, Cass county, Nebraska; and George W. Irwin, son of George Irwin, of Symmes Township, in our county, has his post office at Lewiston, Cass county.

_IR Oct. 10, 1858 - The Ohio Iron & Coal Co., the company that founded Ironton, was organized in the year 1849, with twenty-four members. Eleven of the number have gone to their “final account,” - Andrew Dempsey, Henry S. Willard, George Steece, Henry Blake, Joseph W. Dempsey, Washington Irwin, James W. Means, James A. Richey, James O. Willard, John E. Clark, and Robert B. Hamilton. - Two have disposed of their stock - Smith Ashcraft, and H. C. Rodgers. This leaves now in the Company only 11 of the original members. These are John Campbell, Wm. Ellison, D. W. Woodrow, Jno. Ellison, James Rodgers, Hiram Campbell, Wm. D. Kelly, John Culbertson, John Peters [paper cut off do not have end]

1859*

_IR Oct. 20, 1859 - Mob at Harper’s Ferry. - The telegraph, from Baltimore, on Monday night, 17th, gives a mass of rumors in reference to a mob at Harper’s Ferry. It is called an insurrection of the negroes, and the Virginia and Marylanders appear to be “frightened out of their wits.” The trains on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad has all been stopped, and one of the railroad hands was killed. The military of Frederick, Baltimore, &c., were marching to the “seat of war.” President Buchanan has also ordered United States troops. The facts as to the real cause of the mob, its objects, and number, do not appear. Dispatch from Washington says that, for fear the disturbances might spread to that city, and to Alexandria, the Mayors of these cities have taken precautionary steps for immediate suppression.

1860*

•IR Feb. 16, 1860 - The Covington and Ohio Railroad. - The Ceredo Crescent says: - “The appropriation bill for this road has passed the House of Delegates by a large majority. The amount of the appropriation as passed was $2,500,000. It is generally believed that the bill pass the Senate in its present, or amended, if at all, so as to make a larger sum of appropriation. An effort will be made to have the funds divided so that a portion will be expended on the Western section of the road. - “The line of road as surveyed is 223 miles from Covington to Big Sandy. There are ten tunnels to be constructed, of an aggregate length of 7833 feet; and twenty-nine bridges of from 60 to 150 feet span. The whole cost of the road for this distance, carefully estimated, and accompanied with reasons why the estimate may be relied on, is $10,000,000; and for the road with double track masonry, and making the tunnels for double tracks, it would require about $11,600,000. A little over one million has been worked up on the Eastern division, and little more than half a million on the Western division. So that on the most reliable estimate, something over $8,000,000 is now required to finish the road. Two tunnels have been partly worked out. The longest and hardest one is through the Allegany [sic], 4675 feet long. The boring has been for a double track. This one was bored 2700 feet, more than half the distance. The other tunnel, the next longest, has been more than half bored out. It is estimated that three years would be amply sufficient time to finish the road, if the money is ready to pay for the work.”

•IR Feb. 21, 1860 - Railroads. - Free States vs. Slave States. - The number of miles of Railroad opened in the Free States is 19,754; in the Slave States, 9,647 - the Free States having a little over double the number of miles. - The five States formed out of the old “Northwest Territory,” to which the “Ordinance of 1787?” was applied, have 9,483 miles of railroad - only ____(possibly 694-smk) miles less than of all the Slaves States put together.

•IR Feb. 23, 1860 - Both branches of the Virginia Legislature have passed the bill to make an appropriation of $2,500,000 to the Covington and Ohio Railroad - the road passing through Central Virginia to the Ohio river at the mouth of Big Sandy. It is an item of first-class interest to this Iron Region. The bill passed the House - yeas 107; nays 34, and the Senate, yeas 38; nays 8.

•IR Feb. 23, 1860 - Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad. - Wm. P. Cutler, President of this road, has answered a series of questions proposed to him by the Ohio House of Representatives - that the charter was granted in 1847 from Cincinnati to Belpre or Harmer; in ‘50, power was given to extend to Wheeling, and $250,000 expended between Marietta and Wheeling; entire expenditure except that sum amounts to $13,000,000. The capital stock of the new company, under the arrangement for sale, on the 25th inst., amounts to 7,500,000.

•IR Mar. 1, 1860 - The Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad was sold, last Saturday, by the Receiver, at Chillicothe, under decree of Court. The road, it is now probable, will shortly be completed from Marietta to Wheeling, and every thing in respect to the concern go ahead prosperously.

•IR Sept. 13, 1860 - Alfred Royer will leave the post of Conductor of the Iron Railroad in about a month, and Henry C. Rodgers has been secured to take his place, a fortunate selection, we think.

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1867*

•IJ Sept. 18, 1867 - A man by the name of David Corn, with a companion, met the cars a few days since, coming in near the tunnel, they refused to get of the track and causing the train to come almost to a stop to prevent running over them. As the train passed, Corn threw a stone at one of the brakemen, barely missing him, and striking the passenger car very near a window. He was arrested and brought before Esquire Polley, who fined him $20 and costs, in default of which he was sent to jail.

•IJ Sept. 18, 1867 The Kentucky Improvement Company are pushing the Railroad to Hunnewell Furnace as fast as possible to completion. The Railway to the waters edge in the Ohio is being built, and in a few months our neighbors in Greenupsburg will have the Iron Horse rushing in and out from their town.

•IJ Sept. 18, 1867 - Coalton. - We learn that the Coalton Company are extending their railroad two miles to a new coal bank, and everything is prospering in that neighborhood.

•IR Nov. 13, 1867 - Little locomotive Etna ran into a coal train at Vesuvius Station and was completely destroyed.

•IR Nov. 27, 1867 - The locomotive Olive built at Philadelphia for the Iron R. R. arrived Monday.