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About The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 15, 1900)
10 Conservative * el ! and recorded on page 320 of records of proceedings of County Commissioners of Otoe county , Nebraska. G. R. McOALLUM , County Clerk. [ SEAL. ] [ STAMP ] In the month of January , 1868 , the company applied to congress for a grant of lauds to aid in building this road , be lieving the general government should act as liberally toward Nebraska as she had with her sister state of Iowa in granting public lands to aid in building railroads , and believing with such laud grants the state of Nebraska might be made equal to the state of Illinois in wealth and population ; and in view of the largo grant of lands and money to the Union Pacific Railroad , running through Nebraska north of the Platte river , we claimed that justice demanded a grant of land to our road , as an east and west road through Nebraska south of the Platte river , running from Ne braska City , the largest city south of the Platte , a city of 8,000 inhabitants , to Lincoln , the capital of the state , and from thence to a connection with the great national highway , the Union Pa cific , at Grand Island or Fort Kearney , thereby placing this section of Nebraska on a through line of railroad , and also a remedy for our isolation by the Platte river. We still hope our rights will ul timately be recognized and the grant made. The survey of the road was com menced in the month of March , 1868. The difficulties known to exist in run ning a railroad from the Missouri river directly west , the company made a com plete and thorough survey of all the water courses and ground west of Ne braska City , and by careful compari son found the route by Walnut creek the cheapest and best much less grade , and much less cost in grading , bridging and right of way , and much more con venient for the railway company , and , as the directors thought , much more convenient for the public , as it did not interfere with or cross any public street or ground , endangering the lives of citizens or teams in the limits of the city. After the location was made by the Walnut creek route , and contracts let , the ceremony of breaking ground was attended by a large gathering of people ple , and eloquent speeches were made by Hon. O. P. Mason , Hon. J. F. Kinney , and Hon. S. H. Oolhoun , mayor of Ne braska City , thus commencing the great work that is to be , when finished , a national highway , and the means of making and building a great city on the site of old Fort Kearney , now Nebraska City. Soon after the cpmmencement of the work , a feeling of dissatisfaction among the people of Nebraska City , at the loca tion of the road on the Walnut creek route , culminated in a large and excited of citizens at the court house , to express their feelings and change the route , being perfectly convinced at that time the road just commenced would be built and when built might operate to the disadvantage of Nebraoka City in bridging the Missouri river for the through line. The result of the meeting was the appointing of a committee to call upon the directors and ascertain on what terms they would change the loca tion. The following was their reply , as published in the Press of June 8 , 1868 : Proportion of the Midland Pad lie Kiill- ivay to the Citizens. WHEREAS , The Midland Pacific Rail way has been located on the Walnut creek route , and the necessary surveys and other preparations on said route for work have boon made , and contracts let for six miles ; and whereas , the con tractors are now at work pushing the construction of said road , and said railway company having secured large donations in Nebraska City and on Wil son creek for depot grounds , and also the right of way along said route ; and , whereas , the said company have only one object in view , and that is to avoid delays and push forward the building of said road with all possible rapidity , and to be able to build as much of said road as possible with the funds within our reach ; therefore Jlcsolicd , That the directors of said railway company will change the loca tion of said railway to the South Table creek route on the following conditions ( in order to compensate said railway company for rights and privileges al ready acquired and expenses already incurred on the Walnut creek route , ) to wit : I. The right of way from the levee at Nebraska City to the west side of Wilson creek , over the route to be de termined and fixed by the directors of said company upon the surveys and re port of the chief engineer of said com pany ; said right of way to be secured free of any cost to said company. II. A donation of five contiguous blocks of lots , including streets and al leys , for grounds for depot , warehouses and machine shops , and for other pur poses ; said blocks to be selected by said board of directors at some point in Ne braska City east of Sixth street. III. A donation of eighty acres of land on the east side of and adjoining Wilson creek , and along the line of said proposed route , for depot grounds and for other purposes ; and also to have pay for extra surveying on the South Table creek route , from the levee to Brownell Creek Junction , in order to put the same in a condition to bo properly worked , as is already done on the Walnut creek route. IV. That the contractors already en gaged upon the Walnut creek route shall be paid for all work done up to the time their contracts are rescinded , und also shall be fully paid or otherwise sat isfied for all damages sustained by them by reason of the rescinding of their said contracts , and also that all the prelim inary arrangements shall be completed before work shall be stopped on the Walnut creek route , by consent of said company , so that the work may be im mediately commenced on the route adopted. V. In view of the expense and trou ble said railway company has been at in order to advance the work to its present condition , and in view of the damage done to said railway company and the destruction of their effort toward the completion of the road by the proposed change in the location thereof , and in view of the greatly increased expense in bridging upon the South Table creek route , and for the purpose of pushing the work more rapidly forward , we also require that fifty thousand dollars worth of the bonds of Otoe county , to be is sued for the purpose of aiding in the construction of the said railway be cashed , and the proceeds thereof paid to the said railway company as follows : Twenty-five per cent on the first of July next , twenty-five per cent on the first of August next , twenty-five per cent on the first of September next , and the re maining twenty-five per cent on the first of October next. All of the above conditions to be em bodied in an agreement , and the per formance of said agreement to be se cured by bond or otherwise , to the com plete satisfaction of said Midland Pa cific Railway Company. F. A. WHITE , President. R. M. ROLFE , Secretary. Nebraska City , June 8 , 1868. At a subsequent meeting of the citi zens , the subject was discussed , and the meeting resolved unanimously if the Midland Pacific Railway Company would accept of $25.000 in Otoe county bonds , being cashed by the citizens , in stead of $50,000 , as by their proposition , they would enter into bonds personally to fulfill said stipulations ; which was accepted by the company , and the loca tion changed by the company at an ex tra expense of grading and bridging of $20,000 paid by the railway company , and a delay of fifteen days in getting the route of South Table creek ready for the contractors. The following is a copy of the bond given by the citizens to the railway company , to change the route : Homl. Know all Men by These Presents , That wo , the undersigned citizens of Nebraska City , Otoo county , and state of Nebraska , are held and firmly bound unto the Midland Pacific Railway Com pany , of said county and state , in the sum of thirty thousand dollars , for the payment of which , well and truly to be made , we bind ourselves , our heirs , ex-
