The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 14, No. 85, November, 1864: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and PoliticsVarious
History
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 14, No. 85, November, 1864: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics
Various
American periodicals
We write this article in September. Within a few days, and without much
heralding, has occurred an event of prime importance to our country's
future. This is the opening from New York to St. Louis of a continuous
broad-gauge line under the title of the Atlantic and Great Western
Railway. This line is twelve hundred miles long, and pursues the
following route: By the New York and Erie Road, from New York to the
station of Salamanca; thence, by a separate road of the Atlantic and
Great Western, to Dayton, Ohio; thence, over the Cincinnati, Hamilton,
and Dayton Road, to Cincinnati; and finally, by the Ohio and Mississippi
Road, to St. Louis. The first excursion-train accomplished the whole
distance in forty-four hours. We understand that the regular
express-trains of the line will be required to make equally good
time,--ultimately, perhaps, to reduce the time to forty hours.
This valuable connection has been mainly effected by the energy and
talents of two men. Mr. James McHenry, a Pennsylvanian by birth, but of
late years resident abroad, has raised twenty million dollars for the
project in the money-markets of England, Spain, and Germany, the bonds
of the Company obtaining ready sale upon the guaranty of his personal
high character for uprightness and financial ability. Mr. Thomas W.
Kennard, an engineer and capitalist of large views, discretion, and
experience, has managed the interests of the project here at home,
securing the hearty cooperation and good-will of all the roads now made
continuous, and bringing the enterprise to a successful issue with a
skill possible only to first-class commercial genius. The former of
these gentlemen is Financial Director and Contractor, the latter,
Engineer-in-Chief, Vice-President, and General Manager of the line. At
any other period than this their success would have been widely talked
of as a great national benefit. Even now let us not forget the
public-spirited men whose hopeful hands, in the midst of blood and din,
have been sowing seeds of commercial prosperity to glorify with their
perfected harvest the day of our National triumph and reunion.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account