Organization of the Indiana and Illinois Central Railway Company  with the report of the engineer 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 INDIANA AND ILLINOIS CENTRAL RAILWAY COMPANY Pg 1 
 My instructions were to make an examination and survey for a 
 railroad from Indianapolis to Springfield, connecting the capitals of 
 the two States by an air line. I made the survey of the Illinois 
 portion in September last. On arriving at Decatur, Illinois, with 
 my party, I found the road from Springfield to that place, 36-^ 
 miles was in the hands of the "Naples and Decatur Company," 
 the State having sold its interest in the " Northern Cross Railroad" 
 to that company, binding them to complete the road in a certain 
 length of time, and obligating them to expend 100,000 dollars on 
 the work previous to the first of February, 1853. The first seven 
 miles of this road from Springfield east, was graded ready for the 
 superstructure, including the masonry for crossing Sangamon 
 river by the State. From Decatur to Springfield, the Sangamon 
 river runs nearly due west, appropriating to itself the locality of 
 our air line and forcing us to look up some other route. On the 
 south side the route is impracticable, being a very broken country 
 with two extensive tributaries of the Sangamon to be crossed, and 
 the main Sangamon east of the capital. On the north we have 
 only the North Fork of the Sangamon to cross east of Decatur, 
 and from thence the route of the "Naples and Decatur Railroad" 
 is over a level prairie country to Springfield, crossing the main 
 Sangamon seven miles east of the city on the State grade and 
 masonry. 
   
 Decatur itself is 3.5 miles north of our air line : from thence 
 east we diverge south of east crossing " North Fork of the San- 
 gamon," two miles east of Decatur, and reaching our due east 
   
   
   
 line to Indianapolis 8.5 miles from Decatur. From the Sangamon 
 to the Wabash, 80 miles, the road for directness of alignment, 
 easy grades and cheapness of construction cannot probably be 
 surpassed. We cross the intermediate streams Kaskaskia, Embar- 
 rass and Brouiilett's creek, with a grade of 26 feet to the mile, and 
 embankments 12 feet high ; with this exception the grades vary from 
 level to 15 feet per mile, and cuts and fills from to 5 feet in 
 depth. 70 miles of this distance is a perfect air line due east and 
 west. In getting a crossing of the Wabash we are highly favored by 
 nature. The Little Raccoon a .stream about 5 miles in length, 
 coming: in from the west in our course with a valley that lets us 
 down to the valley of the Wabash with an easy grade and light 
 work. 
 
 
 
 INDIANA AND ILLINOIS CENTRAL RAILWAY COMPANY Pg 2 
 On the east side of the Wabash there are no bluffs. We pass 
 into a second bottom prairie that lies above high water. On this 
 second bottom, on the east bank of the river at our crossing, is 
 situated the town of Montezuma, "the Wabash and Erie Canal" 
 running along the west side between it and the river. At Leather- 
 wood creek, 3 miles from the Wabash, Ave leave the prairie bottom 
 and commence gently making the ascent of the table lands, and 
 attain the summit at Rockville the county seat of Parke county, 
 Indiana, 8.5 miles distant from the Wabash. From Rockville to 
 the county line east, William's creek, and Little and Big Raccoon 
 crossing our line at right angles, make considerable broken coun- 
 try, and will be the most expensive part of the whole line ; from 
 thence to Eel river in Putnam county, the country is quite favora- 
 ble, gently undulating and level with occasional small branches ; 
 from Eel river to Danville the county seat of Hendricks county, 
 the country is of a similar character. From Danville to Indian- 
 apolis, 20 miles, the upland table of the coixntry is very level : the 
 main expense will be in the bridging and embankment of the 
 several stream^s, the three White Licks, Abner's creek, two Eagle 
 creeks and White river at Indianapolis. The following are dis- 
 tances to different points from Decatur : 
 Sangamon river, ...... 2. miles. 
   
 Sangamon timber, east side, ----- 8.8 " 
   
 Little Kaskaskia, ------ 14.20 *' 
   
 Lake Fork of Kaskaskia, 26.75 " 
   
 Main Kaskaskia, ------ 31.80 " 
   
 Chicao-o branch of Central Illinois Railroad, - - 36.40 " 
 Scattering Fork of Embarrass river, - - - 39.80 " 
   
   
   
 Main Embarrass, ------- 41.60 miles. 
   
 New Albany, 42.60 " 
   
 Bushy Fork of Embarrass, - ... - 52.80 " 
   
 Brouillett's creek, 65.80 " 
   
 State line, - 76.20 " 
   
 Wabash river and Monte/Axma, - - - - 84.20 " 
   
 Rockville, -------- 92.70 " 
   
 Bainbridge, 115.40 " 
   
 Danville, 130.60 " 
   
 Indianapolis, from Central Depot to Union Depot, 150.10 " 
   
 Total distance from Springfield to Indianapolis, - 186.60 " 
   
 Grades. 
   
 
 
 
 INDIANA AND ILLINOIS CENTRAL RAILWAY COMPANY Pg 3 
 As to grades on the Indiana portion, I have adopted a maximum 
 grade of 40 feet per mile. By increasing the cost about 100,000 
 dollars the grades can all be reduced to a maximum of 26 feet. I 
 recommend to the company to incur the additional expense : it will 
 be the cheapest in the end. They Avill not only save it in the wear 
 of track and machinery, but they will be enabled to make time, 
 which will be of the first importance to this road. All the roads 
 west of Indianapolis and south of yours, have grades of 40 feet : 
 they are compelled by the broken character of the country to 
 adopt them, and often continuous grades of this character for 3 miles 
 and over at a time. On these roads 26 miles to the hour will 
 probably be the highest speed they can attain. With our road an 
 air line, three-fourths of the distance nearly level and none over 
 26 feet per mile, we can calculate on our express trains making 
 35 miles an hour, enabling us to put our passengers in St. Louis 
 ahead of any other route. West of the Wabash the maximum 
 grades are 26 feet per mile. 
   
 Cost of the road from Decatur to Indianapolis, 150 miles. 
   
 Graduation, masonry and bridging, - - - 8498,897 
 Iron, chairs and spikes, ballasting, oak ties, and lay- 
 ing track, - 1,110,000 
   
 Engineering, right of way, and officers' salaries, - 40,000 
   
 Turn-outs, machine shops, depots and water stations, 80,000 
   
 Machinery, rolling stock and equipments, - - 155,000 
   
 81,883,897 
   
   
   
 Total cost per mile, - - ^ . ^ ^ $12,553 44 
   
 Cost per mile of graduation, masonry and bridging, $3,325 ^ 
   
 These estimates are made with reference to the present increased 
 prices of iron and labor. Should there be a falling off in prices 
 the cost will be considerably diminished from the above figures. 
 The remarkable cheapness of this road may appear somewhat 
 surprising, and when it is known too, that other roads crossing the 
 same country are estimated to cost much more. The Terre Haute 
 and Alton, and the Terre Haute and St. Louis roads are 
 estimated at 18,000 and 20,000 dollars per mile. I account for 
 the difference in this way : the same streams that we cross where 
 there are no bluffs or hilly country, they cross low down nearer 
 their outlets, where they make large depressions in the surface of 
 the country, causing heavy grades and expensive work. The 
 largest portion of our road (the 84 miles west of the Wabash) 
 being of this cheap c]jaracter, makes the aggregate low. 
   
 Character of the Country.   
 
 
 
 INDIANA AND ILLINOIS CENTRAL RAILWAY COMPANY Pg 4 
 From Decatur, east, the first eight miles we pass through tim- 
 ber land, and from thence to the Wabash it is a prairie country, 
 and the timber is confined to the margin of the stream before 
 mentioned, and varying from one to two miles in width. We were 
 otten within one or two miles of circular isolated groves, some of 
 them not containing more than an acre, and others two or three 
 miles in diameter ; we did not happen to pass through any of 
 these. The country is thickly settled on these streams in the tim- 
 ber, the farms extending out into the prairie generally about two 
 miles on each side ; beyond this, the prairie is in a state of nature. 
   
 The country is gently undulating, a rich, deep, alluvial prairie 
 soil, and very productive, as the products of the country gave 
 evidence. There are no swamp or poor, unproductive lands the 
 whole length of the line. On the Wabash the timber lands are 
 about five miles in width ; on the east side we pass through three 
 miles of prairie ; we here leave the last of the prairie, and the 
 country loses its peculiar prairie nature and characteristics. From 
 the State line to Indianapolis, through the counties of Vermillion, 
 Parke, Putnam, Hendricks and Marion, the country is rich, pro- 
 ductive uplands and bottoms, and thickly settled. As to the capa- 
 bilities of the country to furnish a local business for the road, it 
   
   
   
 may be well to make some reference. Besides the ordinary com- 
 merce of carrying off the agricultural products of the country^and 
 transporting merchandise, the transportation of lumber, wood and 
 rails from the heavy timbered country of Indiana to the prairies of 
 Illinois will be an important item of business. To settle these 
 prairies, these articles must be brought from Indiana, and that by 
 said road. At present, the only method is the tedious transporta- 
 tion by teams. In going to Decatur, I met as many as fifteen 
 teams together at a time, going to Parke county, Indiana, for lumber 
 for building purposes, a distance of ninety miles. 
   
 The road also passes tlivough the iron and coal region of Parke 
 and Vermillion counties. The transportation of coal from these 
 beds to those portions of Illinois destitute of fuel must eventually 
 furnish to the road an extensive traffic. The beds of iron ore are 
 extensive and produce a superior quality of iron. In making my 
 examination, I had occasion to examine the geological features and 
 character of this bed ; it is about thirty miles in length, extending 
 up and down on both sides of the Wabash, and about eight miles 
 in width. Our road makes a cut through this bed on Leather- 
 wood, three miles east of the Wabash, a good locality for a fur- 
 nace, with coal in the immediate proximity. I visited the only 
 furnace in operation in Vermillion county, and learned from the 
 proprietor, Hugh Stewart, that they manufactured about 1,800 
 tons annually. This was formerly sent to Cincinnati, but is now 
 consumed at Terre Haute, Indianapolis and Lafayette, in the man- 
 ufacture of hollow ware, railroad chairs, and car wheels. With 
 railroad facilities for carrying oft' the iron, the number of furnaces 
 would be increased, adding largely to the business of the road. 
   
 Its connections and relative position lo other and connecting 
   
 roads. 
   
 
 
 
 INDIANA AND ILLINOIS CENTRAL RAILWAY COMPANY Pg 5 
 The cities of the seaboard, Boston, JS'ew York, Philadelphia, 
 Washington and Baltimore, each projected railroads west^for the 
 trade of the great Mississippi valley and the Middle and Western 
 States, and have now continuous lines connecting through — Bos- 
 ton and New York by way of the "Buffalo and Albany R. R." to 
 Buffalo, Dunkirk and Cleveland— New York alone by "New York 
 and Erie R. R." to Dunkirk and Cleveland. Philadelphia, Wash- 
 ington and Baltimore have their roads completed to the Ohio at 
 Pittsburgh and Wheeling, making four great trunk roads direct 
   
 2 
   
   
   
 10 
   
 east and west througli the States of New York and Pennsylvania. 
 Across the State of Ohio, we also have four great east and west 
 trunk roads. 
   
 The "Lake shore road," a continuation of the Boston and IST. 
 roads to Cleveland, and from thence direct to Gallon on the 
 
 west side of the State. The "Ohio and Pennsylvania R. R.," 
 direct from Pittsburgh, by way of Wooster and Mansfield, to Gal- 
 ion. This and the Lake shore unite here and form a n-reat east 
   
 o 
   
 and west trunk road direct to Indianapolis, called the Indianapolis 
 and Bellefontaine R. R. 
   
 From Pittsburgh to Steubenville, on the Ohio, and direct to 
 Newark and Columbus, is the "Steubenville and Indiana R. R.," 
 and also from Wheeling direct to Columbus is the " Central Ohio 
 
 R." They two unite and form a direct trunk road from Colum- 
 
 bus to Indianapolis, through Springfield and Dayton, and the Cen- 
 tral Indiana R. R. So we have four direct trunk east and Avest 
 roads through New York and Pennsylvania ; four through the 
 State of Ohio, and two across Eastern Indiana, converging and 
 coming together at Indianapolis. From Indianapolis west there is 
 no railroad. The centre of the State of Illinois and its capital is 
 yet to be reached by railroad, and also the Mississippi and Mis- 
 souri rivers. From their capital west, they have their system of 
 railroads constructed and constructing, converging and uniting at 
 that point, similar to the capital of Indiana. 
   
 The Alton and Springfield R. R., 72 miles in length, is finished, 
 making, with 20 miles of river navigation, a direct steam connec- 
 tion with St. Louis, 92 miles. From Springfield to Naples, on the 
 Illinois river, 52 miles, the road is finished, and mostly graded from 
 Naples to Quincy, on the Mississippi ; from thence to Palmyra, Mo., 
 this road connects with the great "Hannibal and St. Joseph R. R.," 
 for which a laraje amount of government lands are donated. The 
 stock is taken to build a road direct from Naples to Hannibal, 40 
 miles, across Pike county. From Springfield they are building a 
 road to Chicago, through Bloomington.  
 
 
 
 INDIANA AND ILLINOIS CENTRAL RAILWAY COMPANY Pg 6 
 The object of your road 
 is to connect these two great systems of railroads east of Indian- 
 apolis and west of Springfield, by a direct line from one capital to 
 the other. 
   
 By reference to the map, it will be seen that Wheeling, Colum- 
 bus, Indianapolis, and Springfield are on the same parallel of lati- 
 tude, and Hannibal and St. Joseph nearly so, and that this must 
 eventually be the great trunk railroad through the centre of the 
   
   
   
 11 
   
 States from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and that yours is the only 
 link wanting to complete the chain from the Atlantic to the Mis- 
 souri, 1,350 miles, and that every portion of this great central 
 thoroughfare is either finished or being rapidly constructed, except 
 our 150 miles. From Indianapolis there is no railroad leading 
 west. The only road leading in a Avesterly direction is the Indian- 
 apolis and Terre Haute, going southwest in the direction of St. 
 Louis, departing from our line, so that at our crossing of the Wa- 
 bash, 66 miles west, it is 24 miles south. This is not a rival road 
 to yours; it was built to accommodate another section of country, 
 and another line of travel. At Indianapolis we connect with roads 
 south and southeast, direct to Louisville, Madison and Cincinnati, 
 and north and northwest to Peru and Lafayette, on the Wabash, 
 and Alichigan city, on Lake Michigan. Between the termini of 
 our road we cross and connect with several important north and 
 south roads. First at Bainbridge, in Putnam county, we cross the 
 "New Albany and Salem Railroad," extending from New Albany on 
 the Ohio to Michigan City. In Parke county we cross the "Evans- 
 ville and Illinois R. R.," extending from Evansville on the Ohio to 
 Crawfordsville and Lafayette. In Vermillion county we cross the 
 " Wabash Valley R. R.," extending from Toledo on Lake Erie the 
 whole length of the Wasbash and Erie Canal from Toledo to Evans- 
 ville, and near the State line we cross the "Lake Erie, Wabash and 
 St. Louis R. R." on its proposed continuation to Paris, 111. 36.4 
 miles east of Decatur we cross the "Chicago Branch of the Illinois 
 Central R. R.," giving us a direct connection with the moutli of the 
 Ohio at Carlo, and north with Chicago. At Decatur, the county seat 
 of Macon county, we connect with the "Naples and Decatur R. R., ' 
 giving us a direct connection Avith Springfield and also with the 
 " Illinois Central R. R.," giving a direct connection with Lasalle on 
 the Illinois river, and Galena, on the Mississippi. 
   
 A road like this, connecting with the important cities of Illinois 
 by long and direct lines, Chicago, Galena, Lasalle, Springfield, 
 Quincy, Alton, and Cairo, west to St. Louis and St. Joseph, in 
 Mo., north with Michigan city, Detroit and Toledo, south with 
 Louisville and Cincinnati, with its important through connections — 
 these with its remarkable directness, easy grades, and cheap con- 
 struction, recommend it to the confidence of its projectors and 
 friends. However much it may interest community at large, it is 
 the inhabitants, towns and villages along the immediate locality of 
 the road, that are more especially interested in the work.  
 
 
 
 INDIANA AND ILLINOIS CENTRAL RAILWAY COMPANY Pg 7 
 It 
   
   
   
 12 
   
 passes through a section of country now destitute of railroad com- 
 munication, more particularly the towns and villages. The line 
 in its course takes in five important towns of from 600 to 800 in- 
 habitants ; three of them county seats. Two of them, Danville, 
 in Hendricks county, and Rockville, in Parke county, are without 
 any railroad connection. Decatur, the county seat of Macon 
 county, Illinois, is more fortunate, having two railroad connections ; 
 Bainbridge, in Putnam connty, though not a county seat, is a 
 thriving, business place, with a railroad passing through it north 
 and south. Montezuma is quite an important commercial town, 
 finely located on the Wabash river and canal ; it also has no rail- 
 road connections. 
   
 The census statistics show an ao^ffi-eofate of wealth in the five 
 counties of Indiana, not inferior, for the same distance, to any 
 other portion of the State. The four counties of Hendricks, Put- 
 nam, Parke and Vexmillion, pay one fifteenth of the taxes of the 
 State. Forty-five miles of the western end next to Springfield 
 passes through the oldest and best settled portion of the State. 
 The Sangamon cointry being about the first portion of the State 
 settled, and it being interior, it is entirely dependent on railroads 
 for its commerce. Owing to the peculiar locality of the towns, 
 they all being on ihe same line, the route will not be varied from 
 its course by conditional stock, as is too often the case in this coun- 
 try, neither Avill the difference in the conformation of the country 
 call for a divergency in the alignment : and in closing my report, I 
 particularly recommend a straight line and low grades. 
   
 Most of the works in this State, undertaken at an early day, in 
 the incipiency of railroad enterprise, were often under the neces- 
 sity of diverging the 
   
 
 
 Publication Date: January 29th 2015 https://www.bookrix.com/-mk496e398f1e345