August - 1886
B. F. Booker, Esq.
Engineer in Charge of Surveys - K. C. to Chicago,
Dear Sir:
I have the honor to report the completion of the survey you ordered made from Ottawa, Illinois, via
Bureau to a connection with a line run eastward from Stark by Mr. Robinson.
I send you two sketches of our line which will enable you to plot it on your office maps and a
profile of the same with full notes.
Starting from Station 0 of our line - Ottawa to Chicago, we produced that backward 76.65 stats. to
a connection with the CRI&P RR. at their Ottawa depot (mile post 84 from Chi.) From this point to
Bureau Junction or mile post 114 no line was run, but it was assumed that the line would parallel
the CRI&P and the estimates shown on the profile are derived from a careful personal inspection
of the ground but without the use of instruments.
The country west and southwest of Bureau is very rough and broken and two or three routes
presented themselves as possible but after carefully looking over the ground I decided that the one
here adopted is as short as any.
This route starting from Bureau parallels the CRI&P as far as their main crossing of Bureau Creek,
then taking to the bluffs and using full maximum 0.8 grade (except in one or two instances where
there was no supporting ground) we ascend out of the Bureau Creek bottom and crossing a
dividing ridge, enter a ravine, known as "Dry Branch", which we follow to the head and then
entering one of the upper branches of Senachwine Creek, continue to ascend until we reach the
summit of the high divide just beyond Milo at an elevation of nearly 420 ft. above the Illinois
River. This is about as high an elevation as we could obtain in this portion of the State and is about
60 ft. higher than the highest point crossed by Mr. Weeks at or near Lawn Ridge.
An alternate route would be to turn south from Bureau and then follow up Senachwine Creek. This
might prove to be as good or better than the line selected but the country is so rough and broken it
is impossible to arrive at any definite conclusion without running the line.
Regarding the final location of this line, I believe that starting from Ottawa, it should follow Joliet
Street (the first Street north of the depot) crossing the CB&Q branch at grade and the Fox River
feeder to the canal with an 80' swing bridge, then swinging south across the "Rock Island" and the
Illinois and Michigan Canal overhead the grade having to be built up from a level on both sides.
Thence keeping south of the RR and Canal and passing through the south side of Utica also of La
Salle, we come to Peru, where a great deal of difficulty will be experienced in getting a line through.
The business street of Peru (Water Street) is directly on the banks of the river - just in the rear of
the brick blocks on this street runs the "Rock Island" with scarcely 50 ft. right of way and just
beyond this are steep earth bluffs occupied here and there with a number of second class houses
and one or two manufacturers.
Right of way might be obtained along these bluffs for $50,000.00 but not much less.
This line would place our grade 25 to 30 ft. above the "Rock Island" and would necessitate at least
2000 ft. of viaduct on the south side of the RR to obtain a crossing overhead as it would seem to be
out of the question to keep north of the "Rock Island" through La Salle.
From Peru westward to Bureau the work will be heavy but there are no extraordinary difficulties
to be encountered.
Undoubtedly the best line is along the bluffs of the RR. to a point about ½ mile west of DePue
where an overhead crossing may be built up and then the line parallels the railroad on the south so
far as Bureau.
My profile from Bureau west shows the location of the line on the north side of the track but for a
final location I would recommend passing south of Bureau and crossing the Peoria Br. of the
"Rock Island" at grade then cross Bureau Creek and keep to the south side of the valley (as
indicated by the dotted line (red) on the sketch) and join the present line at the foot of the maximum
grade. This will probably be a shorter line with no heavier work.
The excavation along the bluffs from DePue to Peru will not be particularly heavy but there will be
from ½ to 3/4 solid limestone.
I can see no indications of rock in the heavy work west of Bureau.
A viaduct of perhaps 400' length and 75' high over Spring Creek and the Chicago and N. Western
at Spring Valley and two viaducts each 300 ft. long and 60 or 75 ft high across high ravines
between Peru and La Salle.
In trying to arrive at an estimate of the quantities, I made my notes as referring to a line run south of
the "R-I" all the way from Bureau to Ottawa.
This being all flat river bottom, I could more nearly judge of the amount of work required to
construct a road bed there than along the bluffs and as the emb. would range from 6 to 12 ft. for the
whole distance, I deem that the cost of this supposed line, which might be built with the quantities
noted will exceed the cost of one located along the bluffs.
I think a line avoiding the expensive work at Peru and La Salle could be obtained by ascending the
bluffs west of Peru and passing north of both Peru and La Salle run to Chicago via Wedron and Norway.
On this line we should have to obtain an elevation of at least 150 ft. above the river to pass well
back of the improvements at Peru and it would seem quite out of the question to get down into the
Illinois bottom again to run via Ottawa.
I was not wholly satisfied with the termination of my line at Milo.
The country is there much broken by the numerous branches of Crow and Hickory Creeks and the
slope of the ridge makes it necessary to cross all of these branches but if Mr. Robinson had not run
his line so far to the north, I would have kept about ½ mile south of Milo and been able to get on
better ground besides having a little spare grade to lighten the Hollows with.
I may be greatly deceived, but I can see no reason why a nearly direct line could not be obtained
from a point ½ mile south of Milo to Castleton.
The extremely heavy work on the last 4 miles of the line cannot be helped much except on the last
mile in the vicinity of Milo, where the summit cut might be mostly thrown out and some of the
embankments largely lessened by keeping the line ½ mile south as above mentioned.
In estimating from my profile stations 2070 to 2210 do not add anything for steep side hillwork.
The grade line as laid shows much more excavation than necessary on the center line and as the
deepest slope cuts will not exceed 30 ft. I think that this excess will amply provide for any under
estimate there might otherwise be.
There are some places where it will take from 8 to 10 curves to fit the ground properly but if 30 ft.
cuts are considered preferable these can be thrown out.
It is impossible for me to judge of the cost of such work as presents itself at La Salle and Peru,
with any degree of accuracy.
I had but little over ½ hour in which to look over the ground there and a total lack of knowledge of
the values of property there, renders the bold guess I have ventured to make as to the cost of right
of way, etc. of but little actual value, still it is the best I could do under the circumstances.
Right of way values on the profile may be considered as "neighborhood" prices and subject to the
usual increase, except when given in a lump sum as at Utica, La Salle, etc. In this latter case they
may be taken as sufficient to meet all expenses.
It is more than probable, in my opinion, that all of the larger places along the river would grant aid
sufficient to secure the right of way through those places, as most of them have manufacturing
interests which would benefit largely by the construction of another trunk line.
From a Gazetteer of Illinois, I learn the following -
Utica - population 1000 has Hydraulic Cement Works, pipe, sewer pipe and "Pioneer"
construction tile works.
La Salle - population 9500 is the head of navigation in the Illinois River and where the Illinois and
Michigan Canal empties into the river.
The bluffs supply fine building stone and sand rock largely used in the manufacture of glass - 7
shafts of coal producing 1000 tons per day.
There are also extensive zinc works employing 600 hands and producing 20 million pounds of
products. Sulphuric acid works - large brewery - extensive bottle works employing 400
hands-cement, brick and drain tile works, planing mills, etc.
Peru - population 5500 at the head of navigation Illinois River, has very extensive zinc works
employing 500 men and producing 12,000,000 lbs. spelter, besides sheet zinc, extensive plow
works, scale and pump manufacturing boiler works, and foundries, machine shops, flour, saw and
planing mills, grain elevators and breweries. In addition to the products of these works, ice, grain
and coal are largely shipped. The shipments of ice reach 50,000 tons annually.
Spring Valley - population 150, a coal mining town and the present terminus of a branch of the
Chicago and North Western Ry.
De Pue - population 500 or 600 has some large ice houses.
Bureau - population 400 a railroad town and junction point for the Peoria Br. of the Chicago Rock
Island & Pacific Ry.
Tiskilwa - population 1000 a brisk little town with good stores, ships grain and live stock.
Milo - population 40. 1 store and 5 or 6 houses, ships to Bradford 5 miles distant.
Along the wide bottoms of the Illinois there is comparatively little cultivation but the highlands as
usual, are occupied by productive farms.
A great deal of stock is raised in the country south of Bureau and Tiskilwa.
Between Bureau and La Salle, coal seems to be abundant, being mined at Laceyville, Spring
Valley, Peru and La Salle.
Veins are also reported existing close to the surface near Tiskilwa and a valuable deposit near
Princeton is known and mined to a small extent.
From La Salle to Ottawa there are strata of sandstone which are almost pure silica and valuable
for the manufacture of glass.
Quarries of good building stone also are in operation at La Salle. Clays suitable for manufacture
purposes are found at Utica and Ottawa.
Gravel of superior quality can be had in abundance at Bureau. In conclusion I would say that we
have pushed our work as rapidly as possible. We had to run a number of trial lines before we
could decide just where to run and it is safe to say that we have shown in our records less than one
half the work actually done - besides this the country has been rough and thickly timbered.
I am Sir -
Yours most respectfully
(signed) Horace Ropes
Volume 12 Splinters page 82 through 86 transcribed in altered form for the web by Matt Lee.
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