"Che Conservative.
MIDLAND PACIFIC RAILWAY COM
PANY.
Flrat Annual Report and Circular
Made 1808.
( CONT1NUKII KItOM LAST WEEK. )
We are thns prevented for the present
from negotiating the bonds , and this
will delay the road until negotiations
can be made at other points. It is to be
regretted that such is the result ; it is
to bo regretted that the credit of Otoe
county should be destroyed among
strangers , by one of her own citizens ,
and in a way , too , that must affect more
or less the bonds of every county in the
state. Other counties in Nebraska
might aid internal improvements , but
must suffer the general discredit , among
strangers , caused by repudiation by any
one county within the state.
Wo deem it of vital importance to the
business of Nebraska City and Otoe
county , that the Midland Pacific Rail
way should be built as speedily as pos
sible , to retain the trade of the Salt
Creek and Blue River valleys , and also
to make the connection with the Union
Pacific. The rapid building of the road
is much more important to the com
munity at large than to the railway
company. We know that our efforts
will eventually be crowned with success.
We feel a pride and satisfaction in the
amount of work we have done and the
progress we have made. The same
amount of money we have already ex
pended will grade the road to the twenty-
five mile stake. We have only the
bridging and ties and grade from Hodge's
to provide for , to commence running a
successful railroad in Otoo county.
Below is the report of a committee of
citizens who examined the work ;
We , the undersigned committee , ap
pointed by the citizens of Nebraska
Oity at a meeting on Tuesday evening
last , for the purpose of viewing the
graded portion of the Midland Pacific
Railroad and reporting to the citizens of
Nebraska City the amount of road
graded , the condition of the road bed ,
and the number of hands employed by
the Midland Pacific Railroad Company
in the construction of said railroad , most
respectfully beg leave to submit the
following :
Your committee were furnished with
suitable conveyances by the courtesy of
the Midland Pacific Railway Company
and commenced their tour of inspection
at the house of Henry A. Newman , in
* ; South Nebraska Oity , at which point
the road bed starts west. Your com
mittee carefully examined and inspected
said road bed , from that point to the
house of Mr. Hedge , situated on the
northwest quarter of the northwest
quarter of section twenty-one (21) ( ) , of
township number eight (8) ( ) , range thir
teen , making eight miles of railroad bed ;
and your committee report that the
whole of said road bed is nearly com
pleted and ready for the ties , except
some few cuts and fills at three different
points on the line to-wit : One fill
northeast of Mr. High's house and one
cut northwest of Mr. High's house and
at the summit , at which different points
there are from one hundred and fifty to
two hundred men employed by the Rail
way Company , who are diligently at
work in completing said road bed , and
we are informed by the company that
the contractors were under bonds to
complete said eight mile section by the
first of December next , but wore assured
that the whole of said eight miles of
road bed would be completed and ready
for the ties by the 20th of November
next ; and as far as the observation of
your committee goes , considering the
fact that there are many heavy cuts and
fills that had to be made by the company
in constructing said eight miles of road
red , and considering the condition of the
said eight miles section , and also con
sidering the fact that from Mr. Hodge's
to Mr. Wilson's , there miles , there is
scarcely no grade , as the road runs near
Fox Creek , and the grade from Fox
Creek to the Nemaha is nothing com
pared with the grade in coming from
Nebraska City to Mr. Hodge's , wo are of
the opinion that the company can build
twelve miles of the road west from
Hodge's quicker and with less money
than it has cost to build said eight miles
from Nebraska City west. Your com
mittee would also remark , that some
parts of the road bed that we saw is as
nice road bed as can be found in any
section of the country , and that the
whole of that which is completed is done
in a good and substantial manner , and
is highly creditable to the railroad com
pany.
Your committee would therefore say
that we are of the opinion that the Mid
land Pacific Railway Company is doing
everything in its power to complete the
road as fast as possible , and have faith
fully expended on the road all the
money that they have received by sub
scription from our citizens , and also all
the money that they have been able to
raise from the sale of the Otoe county
bonds , and also $37,263 besides of their
own money , as appears from the fol
lowing statement made by the company
and furnished the committee :
Amount paid out $50,568 46
Collected on donation 1,600.00
Collected on subscription to bonds. . . 11,700.00
. . $13,800.00
Leaving $13,300 as having been spent
by the company of citizens' money , and
$37,208 , as heretofore stated , as having
been spent by the company nearly
three times as much money as furnished
by the citizens. Your committee also
submit the engineer's report of the num
ber of yards of dirt estimated in the
eight mile section as follows :
Earthwork on section 2 17,018 cubic yards.
8 44,208
4 18,892
5 48,041
6 40,635
7 108,425
8 84,100
Total " "
810,831
C. M. C. SNOA'KK , Chief Engineer.
Which statement embraces cuts and
fills as follows : 115,000 yards cuts , and
195,000 yards fills. And your committee
further are of the opinion that it is abso
lutely necessary a railroad should be
completed from Nebraska City west , at
the earliest practicable moment , and
that as the Midland Pacific Railroad
Company have faithfully prosecuted
their road thus far under disadvan
tageous circumstances , and as it is a
company composed of men residing in
our midst , and having interests identi
fied with our interests as citizens of
Nebraska City , we would recommend
that the citizens of this city and county
should encourage and do all in their
power to assist by subscription to Otoe
county bonds or otherwise the Midland
Pacific Railroad Company in the prose
cution of the railroad west.
D. J. McCANN.
C. W. SEYMOUR.
WM. PAYNE.
(
B. J. JOHNSTON.
JOHN H. CROXTON.
WM. E. DILLON.
ROBERT HAWKE.
GEORGE MOHRENSTECHER.
JOHN BEUTER.
J. J. HOCHSTETLER.
Statement of Expenditures
UP TO DKCRM1IKH 10 , 1868 TKN JULES OV GHAI ) .
ING NEAHLY COMPLETED.
Whole amount expended for grad
ing , engineering and incidental
expenses $61,562.75
Expended for depot grounds and
right of way 25,000.00
Total ? 8U,502.75
The subject of granting the state
lauds , given to the state of Nebraska for
internal improvements , to railroads , is
exciting considerable discussion among
the newspapers of the state. The policy
suggested by the demagogues , is to
divert the lands from internal improve
ments and give them to settlers at $1 25
per acre. They hope to convince the
people in the interior of the state , where
the vacant state lands are , that it is
more to their interest to have a settler
for a neighbor who has money sufficient
to pay for a hundred and sixty acres of
land at $1.25 per acre than to have a
railroad that brings him lumber , wood
and coal , and a score of rich neighbors ,
and gives him a market at his door for
his wheat , corn oats , hogs and beef.
The Blow process of settling our large
prairies is well illustrated by the follow"