Chicago, Ills., Dec. 29, 1883
The distances are given in a statement in the latter part of this report, also cost of a railroad complete, ready for train service.
Fort Madison having been selected as the crossing of the Mississippi and Chicago as the eastern terminus, but having no intermediate points fixed, has required the examination of a large extent of country.
Three Engineer parties were organized; one under Horace Ropes, one under H. R. Weeks and one under P. F. Randall, and they began work early in October 1883.
Mr. Ropes' party was the first organized and began at Knoxville, Knox County, and ran a preliminary line west southwest toward Ft. Madison.
Mr. Weeks ran a preliminary line from Knoxville east and northeast to Henry and upon its conclusion to that place, returned to Knoxville and ran a line more to the north, passing La Fayette, Lombard and about two miles north of Fiskilwa and one and one half miles south of Princeton.
Mr. Randall started at Henry and crossed the Illinois River about two miles northeast of that town.
The Illinois Central Railroad at Tonica, the Vermillion River at Lowell. Passed through South Ottawa and crossed the Illinois River about two miles east of Ottawa. From this crossing of the Illinois River he ran in the direction of Newark and from that town on a very direct line to Grand Crossing, passing the towns of Plainfield, Lemont and South Englewood. He then returned to Newark and ran west and southwest, passing Sheridan and crossing the Fox River about two miles west of that town and met Mr. Weeks about seven miles south of Earl.
Mr. Weeks having continued east and northeast from near Princeton, passing Dimmick on the Illinois Central.
Mr. Ropes, on reaching Ft. Madison with his preliminary line, made a crossing of the Mississippi
about one mile south of the main town of Madison, and returned on a trial location using pretty
near the same route as his preliminary as far as Ellison, where he diverged more to the north,
passing about one mile south of Galesburg and intersected Mr. Weeks' line near Victoria.
The main channel will require a bridge of five spans of 300 feet each and a draw-span of 370 feet, and the back channel six spans of 300 feet each. Total length of bridge 3670 feet.
After leaving the bridge the line follows up the valley of the Mississippi, which here, for several miles, lies in a direct course for Chicago.
Seven miles from Madison it passes the town of Pontoosuc, population 300, and two miles farther, Dallas, population 800, and crosses the Burlington and Quincy Branch of the C B & Q at Iowa Junction, 16-1/2 miles from Madison.
At this point the Peoria Branch ot the Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific leaves the C B & Q, in a southerly direction.
The work from Madison to this point will be light, with grades not exceeding 26 feet to the mile and very little curvature, none over three degrees except on Smiths Island, which was run in with a 6 degree, but can be reduced to a four on a final location.
The valley is very fertile, the farmers are well to do and the value of the land is $60.00 per acre.
Fine building stone crops out all along the bluffs. Good quarries have been opened at Niota and Pontoosuc.
Leaving the Mississippi Valley at Iowa Junction 26 feet to the mile grade is usual for six miles, which takes us up and onto the table land between Honey and Ellison Creeks.
On this ascent the work is moderately heavy, but the alignment is fair, 79 per cent being tangent and the maximum curve 4 degrees.
From the summit to Ellison Creek, 8-1/2 miles, the work will be light with a large amount of level ground grade and only one small curve.
At the crossing of Ellison Creek there will be an iron viaduct 300 feet long and fifty feet high.
Thirty-two and one fourth miles from Madison it passes the town of Ellison, population 100. From Ellison to Larchland, distance seven miles, the line is a tangent.
At the latter town the Southern Route via Knoxville diverges to the east; this line will be described in that part of this report devoted to the Southern Route.
From the Mississippi Valley to Larchland, where the line crosses the Rock Island and St. Louis Division of the C B & Q the country is well cultivated except for a short distance near Ellison Creek, and the people express themselves anxious for another road.
By reference to the map accompanying this report it is seen that there is a country about 18 miles by 20 miles square not supplied with a railroad, and our line divides this in two nearly equal parts. The average price of land is about $70.00 per acre.
About four and a half miles east and northeast of Larchland the line crosses the Peoria and Farmington R.R. at a station called Phelps.
Three and a half miles from Phelps it comes to a point one mile south of Cameron, population 250, a station on the main line of the C B & Q.
From here it runs to the sharp curve on the C B & Q, 3 miles east of Cameron, where it curves to the north and runs direct to a point one mile south of Galesburg.
From Larchland to Galesburg the work will be light except for a couple of miles near Cameron, where the country is cut up by a number of small streams that unite to form Slug Run, and even here there is a large percent of level grade.
At Galesburg the line is in the extreme southern part of town, 1-1/2 miles from the Court house and one mile from the C B & Q station, but the line can be brought one quarter mile nearer town without increasing the damages of right of way.
Galesburg has a population of 11,500 and some of the leading citizens are in favor of a competing line, and if the line was located nearer the city they would be liberal in aiding the enterprise.
From Larchland to Galesburg the country is extremely fertile and well cultivated, and the people prosperous, but as a rule, are not anxious for more railroads. Land is valued at $60.00 to $100.00 per acre.
South of Galesburg the line crosses the Galesburg and Quincy Division of the C B & Q, the Fulton County Narrow Gauge RR. and the Galesburg and Peoria Division of the C B & Q. Each of these three crossings is at grade.
The country east of Galesburg is very rough and much cut up by streams heading near Wataga and running southeast toward Spoon River.
The beds of these streams lie 50 to 100 feet below the general level of the surrounding country.
Two and six tenths miles from Galesburg the line crosses Court Creek 36 feet above low water and 3 2-10 miles further, Middle Creek.
At the latter crossing I have estimated an iron viaduct 690 feet long and 56 feet high. Nine miles from Galesburg it crosses North Creek which will require an iron viaduct 1500 feet long and 98 feet high.
From North Creek to the connection of Mr. Weeks' line the distance is nearly five miles, but on that portion the work is light and only one curve.
From Court to North Creek 4 degrees curves have been pretty freely used and a large amount of maximum (26 feet) grades; but with the exception of two iron viaducts the work is not excessively heavy.
East of Galesburg the country is not a good agricultural one but is underlaid with fine coal of the same quality as that at Wataga. Veins four feet thick crop out on the bluffs and may be reached by shafts 50 or 60 feet deep; and on Court Creek a firm is making a very fine quality of brick, equal to those of Philadelphia or St. Louis sold in the Chicago market.
A trial line was run in a northeasterly direction from Knoxville, but the first eleven miles of it was so heavy that no estimate has been made upon it to the point where Mr. Ropes' line joined Mr. Weeks'.
Mr. Weeks made a located survey to Lombardville, a town of 100 people on the Buda and Rushville Branch of the C B & Q and preliminary line from there to where he connected with Mr. Randall opposite Earl, in La Salle County.
From Station 568 the line runs in a general direction a little north of east, passing a half mile north of Victoria, population 700, and two miles south of La Fayette, a small station on the Rock Island and Peoria RR and passes two and a half miles north of Toulon, population 1000, the county seat of Stark County. On the located portion there is no grade over 26 feet to the mile and no curves sharper than 3 degrees.
The work is moderately light to Walnut Creek, 7 miles, then rather heavy for five miles, including the crossing of Walnut and Fitch Creeks, then medium work for six miles including the crossing of Indian Creek, then heavier for six miles, in which occurs the crossing of the west fork of Spoon River; then light for five miles including the crossings of the east fork of Spoon and the east fork of Silver Creeks, near Lombardville, which ends the located line.
For two and a half miles farther east the work will be light when we come to the most serious obstacle met with on the survey; that is, the water shed between the Spoon and Illinois Rivers.
This ridge rises 150 feet above the adjacent country and directly across our line, and at its eastern base flows Bureau Creek.
To ascend this ridge from the west requires a grade of 42 feet to the mile for three miles, while the descending grade on the east side is sixty feet to the mile for 6-1/2 miles which terminates in the valley of Bureau Creek, about two miles north of Fiskilwa, population 800.
To ascend the table lands on east of this valley a grade of 53 feet to the mile is used for three miles, not from opposite and 1-1/2 miles south of Princeton on the C B & Q, population 3500. This last grade can be reduced a little on final location.
This makes 12-1/2 miles of heavy grades and rather heavy work. From a line of levels ran over the C B & Q RR from 2 miles west of Buda to Princeton, it is now known that a line could be located near their track that would give us grades not to exceed 40 feet to the mile and work rather lighter than our line just described.
This would involve the disadvantage of building close alongside of them from Galesburg to Princeton, a distance of 59 miles. After reaching the table lands near Princeton the line runs in a direct course to the junction with Mr. Randall's line, a distance of more than 31 miles, on all of which good alignment, easy grades and light work will be obtained except of two miles near the crossing of Lovejoy Creek and the East Fork of Bureau where the work is moderately heavy, and one grade for 1-1/4 miles of 32 feet to the mile is now shown on the profile, but this can be reduced to 26 feet on a final location.
Timber and stone will be scarce, but can be found in some localities, while the whole country is underlaid with coal which is worked by shafts about 150 feet deep.
The most noted mines now worked are Coal Hollow, about 5-1/2 miles east of Princeton where there are five or six shafts to the second vein, which here is 4-1/2 feet thick yielding a fair quality of bituminous coal.
On Negro Creek, 6-1/2 miles east of Coal Hollow there is one shaft down to the third vein, which is three feet thick and is of better quality than that of the 2nd vein.
Near all the creeks described, from Victoria to the junction with Mr. Randall's line, the land is too poor and broken for good farming land and is worth about $25.00 per acre, while at all other points the land is in a high state of cultivation and is worth about $60.00 per A.
Seven miles east of connection of Weeks' and Randall's lines it crosses the Big Indian Creek with a 150 ft. span (iron) 45 feet above the water.
A cheaper line could be had by crossing 1/2 mile farther north. Three miles east of Indian it crosses the Fox River Branch of the C B & Q at grade, and near the junction of the Paw Paw Branch of the same RR.
It next crosses the Fox River 70 feet above grade water on two 200 feet spans and 1080 feet of iron viaduct. Near this point is the town of Sheridan, a thriving place of 1500 or 2000 people and six miles farther it passes Newark which, owing to its high elevation, has been avoided by railroads, although a beautiful town of 2500. Our line passes through it, but a better and cheaper line can be obtained 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile farther north. From Newark to Grand Crossing the survey is common to both routes.
One and one half miles east of Newark the line reaches the high country. From Newark to Plainfield it is 20 miles, 18-1/2 miles of which will be a tangent and is through a very fertile country with good improvements and from 10 to 15 miles to any railroad.
At Plainfield it crosses the DuPage River with a 200 ft. span, iron, 15 feet above water. Plainfield has a population of 3000 and the people are very anxious for a railroad to Chicago. From Plainfield to the Des Plaines River is seven miles, and through a good farming country, but mostly devoted to the dairy business, the milk being shipped to Chicago via Alton and St. Louis RR which runs on the east side of the Des Plaines. Here are excellent beds of gravel for ballast. The line runs for five miles up the valley of the Des Plaines to Lemont over one vast bed of limestone only 4 or 5 feet below the surface of the ground. The line passes through a tract of land of 300 acres recently purchased by the Messrs. Norton that is being opened for quarry purposes.
Walker & Company are quite anxious to have the line located near their extensive quarry at Lemont, they alone furnishing from 200 to 500 tons per day. Two miles east of Lemont the line crosses the Des Plaines on two 150 feet iron spans, and two miles farther the Illinois and Michigan canal on one 150 ft. span, and one half mile farther the Chicago and Alton RR. near the town of Sag.
From here it runs up the drainage which supplies the calmut feeder. From Sag to Worth Station, on the Wabash RR. it is eight miles through meadow lands. On the 208th mile it crosses the Wabash and on the 212th mile the Chicago and Grand Trunk near Evergreen Station. Mr. Deen of that place offers valuable assistance in procuring the right of way from there to South Englewood.
On the 214th mile it crosses the Chicago, St. Louis and Pittsburg or Pan Handle RR.
On the 215th mile the line runs through South Englewood on 87th Street.
It crosses the Rock Island & Pacific Railroad near the station of South Englewood.
On the 216th mile it crosses the Chicago and Eastern Illinois and the Chicago and Western Indiana
and Belt Railroads, and 217 32/100 miles from Ft. Madison makes connection with the Illinois
Central RR. near Grand Crossing, 10.60 miles south of their depot at the foot of Lake Street,
Chicago.
The balance of the line into Knoxville, a distance of four miles, is very rough, running through a broken and wooded country and here the maximum grade (26 feet to the mile) is freely used. Knoxville has a population of 1600 and was at one time the County seat of Knox County.
From Knoxville to Henry Mr. Weeks made a careful preliminary survey; the distance is 53 93/100 miles. For two miles from Knoxville the line runs on the north side and parallel to the Peoria Division of the C B & Q; it then continues in an eastern direction straight across the country on the south side of Court Creek to Spoon River 10 1/4 miles from Knoxville.
This is a formidable valley to cross and will require an iron bridge of 100 feet span and 130 feet high, over the river channel, and an iron viaduct 2250 feet long and about 110 feet high, across the bottom lands.
The line then runs in almost due east direction for 12 miles, passing two miles south of Rochester, a town of 500 people, situated on Spoon River. Then bearing a little north of east for 6 miles it passes one half mile south of Monica, a station on the Buda & Rushville Branch of the C B & Q RR and through the suburbs on the south side of Princeville, a town of 700, on the Rock Island and Peoria RR. From this point the line runs nearly due northeast for 16-1/2 miles following the divide between the Spoon River and Illinois Rivers.
It passes one mile north of Lawn Ridge a small town of 100, and reaches the summit of the ridge on the east side of Senachwine Creek.
From Knoxville to this summit the maximum grade is 26 feet to the mile. Here the descent to the Illinois River begins, requiring a grade of 40 feet to the mile for 6-1/2 miles. Considerable heavy work and four degree curves will be encountered for four miles along the bluffs. This grade ends at Crow Creek from which point to Henry, about 2-3/4 miles, will be over Sand Prairie.
At Henry the survey joins the line ran by Mr. Randall; Henry, situated on the Illinois Rivers has a population of 2000 and is quite a flourishing town. The most of the country between Knoxville and Henry is a rich well-cultivated and beautiful agricultural country, land being worth from $60.00 to $80.00 per acre.
The broken land near Spoon and Illinois Rivers is not so good and is valued at $25.00 per acre. This part of the State is all underlaid with two or three veins of bituminous coal from 2 to 4-1/2 feet thick. It is worked by drifts, for local use at many points. Timber and building stone are rather scarce, but on Spoon River are some fair quarries and some thin layers of limestone crop out near Princeville.
A partial supply of cross ties may be obtained on Spoon River. My judgment is that this part of the state will afford a large local business for a railroad, and it will be welcomed by most of the citizens.
Two miles east and northeast of Henry the line crosses the Illinois River. The crossing of the main river will require one draw span of 360 feet and two spans of 200 feet each. The bottoms on the east side are one mile wide and one half of this distance is occupied by saw-mill lake; water from 1 to 4 feet deep and the balance is low and swampy covered with timber. The crossing of the Lake will require an iron viaduct 2070 feet long and about fifty feet high. The high bank on the west side is one vast bed of gravel and will furnish excellent ballast.
From the river the line follows up the drainage of Clear Creek. Here we use a grade of 37 feet to the mile and a liberal amount of curvature, but the work is only moderately heavy. Near the head of this creek the line enters a fine country settled principally by stock growers who are 12 to 15 miles from railroad facilities.
Eleven miles from Henry it passes Palatine, a town of 200 people, who are very anxious for a railroad. Seven miles further it crosses the Illinois Central Railroad at Tonica, a town of 500 people. Shippers here say, "We have no direct line to Chicago and will be very glad to have a through line." Four miles farther it passes Lowell, a town of 300 or 400 and nearby it crosses the Vermillion River 120 feet above water, with one span of 200 feet and 960 feet of iron viaduct.
Good building stone is in abundance and coal crops out on the river bluffs. Several shafts are in operation, producing a fair quality of coal.
We have used a grade of 37 feet to the mile for 1.5 miles on the west and one mile on the east bank of the Vermillion, but a crossing two miles south will be better and can be made with a 30 foot grade.
After leaving the Vermillion the line passes through two thickly settled communities, Bunker Hill and Deer Park. The chief business is raising thoroughbred horses and cattle, and the nearest shipping point is Ottawa, 10 to 12 miles distant.
Thirty miles from Henry it crosses Covel Creek, which requires 960 feet of iron viaduct and 132 ft. high and 1-1/3 miles farther the Streator Branch of the C B & Q.
South Ottawa is 33 miles from Henry and has a population of 1500.
In getting down to the Illinois River the profile shows a grade of 40 feet to the mile, but on a final location this can be reduced somewhat. This crossing of the Illinois River will require two 200 feet spans and three 150 feet spans. A little farther on the line crosses the Illinois & Michigan Canal, requiring one 150 foot draw-span and 400 feet from the Canal it crosses the Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. This is the nearest point to North Ottawa (2 miles distant) a city of 7000. It is the county seat of La Salle County and is the best town for business that our surveys have touched; but as it already has two railroads to Chicago we could scarcely expect to get much of its business unless we can get our line nearer to the town, which it is quite possible to do on a final location.
From Ottawa to Newark it is 19 miles and the line runs through a rich farming country, thickly settled and from 8 to 10 miles from any railroad and the people express themselves anxious for a line to Chicago. The profile shows a grade of 40 feet maximum in getting away from the Illinois River, but by keeping farther to the east and intersecting the northern route at Plainfield instead of Newark, we can get 30 feet grades and cheaper work and save a distance of two miles.
From Newark to Grand Crossing the Southern Route is common with the Northern and has been described in that connection. The value of land from Henry to Newark is quite uniform varying from $60.00 to $70.00 per acre.
I submit these profiles as the date from which the exhibits in the latter part of the report was made. They give the number of cubic yards of each classification in each cut and fill, also the amount of masonry at each bridge.
The number of spans and length of each iron bridge. The lineal feet and vertical feet of each iron viaduct. The lineal feet and thousand feet board measure timber in each wooden bridge and trestle.
On each mile or section a summary of each classification is made, but thinking that perhaps these
profiles might be exhibited at a public letting I have not attached prices, but those will be found in
the exhibits at the close of this report.
Also one map of a part of the State of Illinois, on a scale of one inch equals 4 miles, on which is shown both routes. The other maps named are properly right of way maps, giving property holders' names and the topography of the country in the immediate vicinity of the surveys.
A PROPOSED LINE: I would most earnestly suggest that a survey be made from Princeville on the southern route, crossing the Illinois River at or near Lacon, where a better bridge site can be obtained than the one near Henry, which has the very objectionable feature of the long iron viaduct over the Saw Mill Lake.
From Lacon it would run quite direct to Marseilles on the Rock Island RR. seven miles east of Ottawa. This would give us a better crossing of the Vermillion River and entirely avoid Covel Creek.
The Illinois River crossing near Marseilles will not be any longer than the one near Ottawa. From Marseilles it would run quite direct to Plainfield. A line can be obtained from Princeville to Plainfield with a distance of 96 miles, while that of our survey is 100, thereby saving four miles, or just the distance that the southern route is longer than the northern (See table of distance in latter part of this report). From Fort Madison to Princeville we have no grades to exceed 26 feet to the mile and I feel certain that the proposed line can be run on a 30 to 35 feet grade from Princeville to Grand Crossing. This would avoid the very objectionable feature of the 50 and 60 feet grades in the Bureau Country in this report on the Northern Route. It would also open up a far better country for business than the country in the immediate vicinity of the main line of the C B & Q RR.
I would not consider our surveys complete until a line has been run from Princeville by the way of Lacon, crossing the Illinois Central RR. between Lostant and Tonica, then passing near Marseilles and intersecting our surveys at Plainfield.
In conclusion it is my pleasant duty to acknowledge the intelligent zeal and energy displayed during the progress of this survey by the members of the Engineering Corps. To their efforts are due in a large measure, the results herewith submitted.
Very respectfully
(Signed) R. L. Engle.
Volume 12 pages 6 - portion of page 17 Splinters transcribed in altered form for the web by Matt Lee.
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