Randolph County, Indiana - Chapter 13: Trasportation Railroad Building and Freighting, 1914

Chapter 13: Trasportation Railroad Building and Freighting

Transportation has been one of the greatest as well as one of most difficult problems that has ever confronted a people in a new country. At first the travel was by foot or horse and only paths or trails were used for their purposes. Paths were blazed through the forest, trailing in and around hills, so as to make the best possible footing, paying little or no attention to distance. The few articles of commerce, that were imported into the country, were brought by horses or carried upon the shoulders of men, hence the few trails were sufficient to meet the needs of the people. Wagons and carts were used but little as it was impossible to get them through the country. The paths gave way to the trails, and the trails became public highways. These highways were merely places cut through the forest, with stumps being left where they stood, no attention whatever being paid to straightening or grading the road. All that was necessary was to have some way to go.

There were two general places of trade; one at New Orleans, the other Cincinnati. The New Orleans trade was carried to the Mississinewa, on horses, and there loaded into flat boats and flpted down the Mississinewa river in the spring freshet.

Joab Ward was a flat boat builder of that region. He commenced build-. ing boats as early as 1835 and did a thriving business for a great many years. The Mississinewa had been declared a navigable river and was kept somewhat free from snags by the road supervisor, whose duty it was to work the men of his district upon the river. The men who lived within two miles of the river were presumed to work at least two or three days per year to keep the river-bed clear.

Hidgeville and Deerfield were considered the headwaters of navigation, so Mr. Ward took to building boats and selling them to people to take their produce down the river. He would build a boat forty feet long by ten feet wide, at sixty-two and one half cents a foot, that is twenty-five dollars for the boat, all ready for floating. He would cut the timber green from the woods, have two heavy side pieces sloped rounding upward at both ends, cut a gain in the lower edge to receive the end of the. plank, which formed the bottom, pin the bottom plank to the side and middle beam, fasten on some piece of plank at the top of the gunwale, so as to increase the depth of the boat, making it perhaps two feet, stop up the cracks and she was ready to receive her load and to float her along her downward way. . This flat boating could be done only in times of flood. It is said that Mr. Ward built as high as thirty-seven boats in one year. He used to hire hands to work for him and boafd therh at tv^relve and one-half cents a meal. Mr. Edwards Edger was one of the men who used to buy produce and take it to New Orleans on boats built by Mr. Ward.

Mr. Edger had been a boatman all his life and knew exactly how tO- load a boat so as to "jump the dam." His brother-in-law, Mr. Searle, did not understand this art and hence the boat which he attempted to take down the river was capsized while jumping the McKinney dam at Fairview. It is said that Mr. Searle lost something like two thousand dollars worth of produce at that time. Many years afterwards, when the abutments were being placed at the Fairview ridge, the workmen found a part of the old boat which Mr. Searle had lost, perhaps in the year 1839., But -as transportation became better for wagons, the flatboat business became poor and finally disappeared. The state had opened up many highways and had improved them so that \yagons could be drawn to Piqua and Hamilton, Ohio, and carry large loads. The merchants of Randolph county would employ teamsters to haul loads of all kinds of produce to either Piqua or Hamilton and from there to Cincinnati. Upon their' return they would bring a load of merchandise which was to be sold or traded for other produce. One of the early merchants, Mr. Cottom, kept a man, a Mr. Ashton, constantly in his employ, hauling produce^ to Hamilton and returning with a cargo which Mr. Cottom would purchase at Philadelphia, bring overlaiid to Pittsburg, and then down the Ohio to Cincinnati, where they would be gotten by Mr. Ashton and brought to Winchester.

Travel at that time was very difficult and Mr. Ashton was - weeks in making some of his trips. This is not to be wondered at when we think of the character of the roads, over which he had to travel, especially in the spring of the year. So deep was the mud that it often required four or six horses to pull a load of only a few hundred pounds. At times it became necessary to build log strings of causeway or corduroy roads so that the roads would be passable at all. It is said that sometimes logs as much as two feet in diameter vyould have to be put in these places. Poles would then have to be put between the logs, at the .top, and the whole covered with dirt. The dirt would, of- course, wash ofif leaving the very rough road over which the horses and wagons must travel. But this was by far bet- ter than the mud and looked upon as a splendid road at that time. Even the streets of Winchester were at times almost impassable. Mr. Cottom tells the story that while he was in business, a, man came through Winchester with a hour-horse team, pulling a few plows. These had been made in Delaware, Ohio, and the freighter was carrying them to Anderson. On the south side of. the court-house the raud was so deep that the horses could not pull the light load along ; the man became angry and in his fit of anger sold the plows to Mr. Cottom.

Small streams were bridged and eventually the larger streams received a similar attention. The corduroy road, however, suggested an improvement that is known as plank road. Plank roads were built in a great many places over the state but never in Randolph county. Road improvement was a very serious one, not only for the county and townships, but for the state as well. The state realized that if the people were to be happy and progressive they must have means of transportation. As early as 1820 great thoroughfares were provided for all over the state. Randolph county was fortunate in being the center of a number of these roads, as the state provided for a 3 per cent state road fund to be used in their construction.

There were at least five of these state roads starting from Winchester. The first was the "Winchester and Greenville road", the next was the "Winchester and Indianapolis road." This road was to start at the Ohio line, come by way of the Greenville road to Winchester, then by the road that is known as the Winchester and Windsor pike, then the nearest and best way to Indianapolis.

John Foster, who lived near Bartonia, was to be the commissioner. The "Lawrenceburg and Winchester road" was to lead from Lawrenceburg to Brookville, to Connersville, to Centerville, and thence to Winchester. This road was not to be over sixty feet wide and was never built as a state road. It is what is now known as the Bloomingsport pike. The next road was the "Winchester and Portland road." This road led through Deerfield' and was surveyed as far as Berne by the Hon. Jere Smith. Another road was the "Winchester and Newcastle road." This was to start at Winchester and go in a southwesterly direction until it struck the Jacksonburg road in West River township. This is now known as ±he "Bundy pike." The Greenville road was used more than any other for freighting as it led directly to Piqua, Ohio. However, the first road, petitioned for in the county, the road now known as the Lynn pike, was used a great deal, as it led to Hamilton, Ohio.

The above mentioned roads received more attention in the early history of the country than any other roads because of the fact that they were great routes of freighting from Winchester. There were, however, some other important freight routes through the county. One was the angling road from Union City to Deerfield and Ridgeville, and one from Greenville, Ohio, to Marion. These roads were used more by settlers or emigrants ihan by freighters ; they also became the early postal routes of the county, especially the Winchester, Richmond and Ft. ^ayne road. It was not only necessary to haul the freight by wagon from Winchester to other places but it was also necessary to drive all the live stock to Cincinnali or Piqua, Ohio, for sale. Great flocks of turkeys would be driven, as well as great droves of hogs and cattle. This necessitated good roads just as much as the freighters needed them.

Many interesting stories are told of the early freighters driving their herds to Cincirmati. Regular stopping places were provided for along the wa}', at which they would stop to water and feed the stock. It sometimes took as much as from three to four weeks to take a drove of hogs from Winchester to Cincinnati. One would think, at first thought, that turkeys would be exceedingly difficult to drive, but this was not true. It is said they were easier controlled than any other kind of live stock driven in herds. Geese were also driven the same way.

\\'ith such great inconveniences as these it is no wonder that people heralded with great joy the news that steam roads were to be built in this county. Great stories had been told of these wonderful iron horses, running on iron rails, and many a settler became a "Doubting Thomas", when told of the wonderful news.

Hon. O. H. Smith, in his Early Indiana Trials and Sketches, tells the following amusing experience he had in the campaign of 1862. Mr. Smith \v^s a candidate for Congress and had as an opponent the Hon. John Test, one of the strongest men of his day. He was a fine lawyer, a good speaker and had been in Congress three full terms. Mr. Smith found him a very worth}' adversary, and says :

"The contest on my part looked, at first, almost hopeless. Stump speaking was just coming in fashion. The people met our appointments by thousands. The judge had his high character to aid him, and I brought to my aid a strong voice,, reaching to the very extremes of the largest crowds. The judge went for the graduation of the public lands, and I went for home gifts to actual settlers. ^ly position was the rnost acceptable to the masses. We met in Allenville, Switzerland county, on one occasion. The whole country was there. The judge was speaking and for the first time introduced, the new subject of railroads. He avowed himself in favor of them, and said he had voted for the Buffalo and New Orleans road, and then, rising to the top of his voice, 'I tell you, fellow-citizens, that in England they run cars thirty miles an hour, and they will be run at a higher speed in America.' This was enough, the crowd set up a loud laugh at the expense of the judge. An old fellow standing by me, bawled out, 'You are CTazy, or do you think we are fools, a man could not live a moment at that speed.' The day was mine, the judge had ruined his prospects by telling such an improbable story at that day."

The Indianapolis and Bellefontaine railroad was the first to be built in this county and was the second road to enter Indianapolis. The State Legislature passed a bill granting a charter to the Indianapolis and Bellefontaine railroad company permitting them to pass through this state. The original bill directed the road to be built directly east from Muhcie to Union City. This would have established the road one and one-half miles north of Washington street in Winchester. The secret of it was, some parties had taken an option on land one and one-half miles north of Winchester and had secretly engineered the scheme to build the road there, knowing that the -county-seat would eventually be established at that point on the railroad. The scheme was discovered at th6 very last moment, by some citizens of Winchester, and the bill was amended so as to compel the Railroad Company to build the road through Winchester. A reference to the map of the county will show that the course of the road was changed southeast at the west line of White River township. It was begun in 1848 but was not finished until 1853. Stock was subscribed for all over the state, many subscribers giving land instead of money.

It became the duty of the commissioners to have such land assessed or appraised, and in September of 1848 the board appointed Silas Colgrove to appraise the land subscribed as stock in the Indianapolis & Bellefontaine Railroad Company. It is very evident that bad feeling existed between the county commissioners and the railroad company. In November, 1850, the board was called in special session to consider the question of holding a special election in the county. The entry of that meeting is self explanatory and is as follows:

"And the board being called upon by the directors of the Indianapolis & Bellefontaine Railroad Company to call an election of the people of this county for or against the county commissioners taking not exceeding $12,000.00 stock in said railroad company, and after hearing the arguments of counsel for and against calling said election the board refused to call said election." It would seem that the directors of the company attempted to force the commissioners into taking stock and the commissioners justly relieved themselves of that responsibility.

Stock holders of the company became impatient and did not think they should pay tax upon the stock for which they had subscribed. This led U> the following action being taken by the commissioners, June lo, 1852 :

"Ordered by the board that th^auditor in making of the duplicate 01 the taxes for the year 1852 strike out the stock of the Indianapolis & Bellefontaine Railroad Company charged against individual tax payers and that he enter the stock of said company as certified by the secretary and treasurer of said company in the aggregate against the president and directors of said company on the duplicate."

The commissioners did not lose any opportunities to assess them ^-herever possible. This is shown by assessing them to help pay for the bridge, just south of Farmland, in 1853. The road was completed about 1852 and much jo}- was expressed all over the country at its completion.

The road ran a free excursion from Union City to Indianapolis and hundreds of citizens availed themselves of the opportunity of taking a free ride, at the same time visiting for the first time the capital of their state. The excursion started about midnight and people went for miies to meetthe train. Xo stations were established and the trains were stopped anywhere upon being flagged. This was true of the road for a great many years. .-Vll one had to do to stop the train was to flag it in the daytime with any kind of a flag, or wave a light at night.

The story is told that a little after daylight a woman came running out on the track waving her apron; the engineer stopped the train and the woman said to the conductor, "John wants to go but he hasn't yet finished his breakfast, just wait on him a few minutes and he will be ready." We don't know what the conductor said but John took the trip just the same.

No coaches were on this train, simply flat cars were used and boards place across the top of the side-boards for seats. Some of the cars had branches of trees put over them to provide a shade.

For many years a regular schedule was almost impossible ; a train would come "about" on time, usually the "about" ended by the train being about two or three hours late. The engines were all wood burners. , The wood was cut by men and hauled a^ong the right-of-way and corded in long ricks, near the track, when the engine neared this fuel the train would be stopped and the trainmen would load the tender with wood. Thousands and thousands of cords of wood have been sold in this county to the railroad company. '

Great stories are told' of th'e dishonesty of the people cording this wood. It is said that one stump east of Farmland was regularly corded and measured in the body of the wood for something like five years before the company found it out. The engines threw sparks and set fire to a great many piles of wood, and the company gave free passages to many people who fought fire for them.

The writer of this article knows one man and woman who had a life time pass from Farmland to Indianapolis because of the great amount of fuel they had saved the road by putting out fire.

While the work was progressing- rapidly upon the Indianapolis & Bellefontaine Railroad, the Dayton & Union Railroad was also being built. It was the intention to make Union City the conjunction of the two roads, and by pushing the work to the utmost the track layers of the Dayton & Union entered Union City, Christmas Day, December 25, 1852. It is said that on that day the rails extended about one foot upon Indiana soil. The Indianapolis & Bellefontaine road was also nearly completed to Union City and in a few days after this Dayton & Union was completed; the two tracks were joined. And on January 24, 1853, the first through passenger train went from Dayton, by way of Union City, to Indianapolis.

In June the board of commissioners rented a room in the court-house to this company to be used as an office. The original survey of the road contemplated its being built along Meridian street. This would take it on the west side of the court-house.

In September of 1853 Moorman Way and others filed a remonstrance against the board of county commissioners granting the right-of-way to Meridian street in the town of Winchester to the Cincinnati & Ft. Wayne Railroad Company, to construct a railroad, thereon, through said town of Winchester. This led to quite a discussion but eventually the railroad company agreed to go one square west, and the- curve ju?t south of Winchester from Meridian street one square west, and the curve in the north part of town where the track is taken one scjuare east to Meridian street is due to the compromise between the commissioners and railroad company at that time. This rail-

The story is told that when this company was organize;d old William Parry went to New York to consult with Jay Cook in the matter. The office boy of Cook informed him (Cook) that an old Quaker wished to see him. Mr. Cook, anticipating some fun, told the boy to show him in. Mr. Parry introduced himself and said that he understood that Mr. Cook knew how to build a railroad without nftney, meaning of course, by the issuing or bonds. Mr. Cook became interested in the enterprise, through the sincerity of Mr. Parry, and eventually the company was organized and the project commenced. Mr. Parry became first president of the road, and the writer of this article remembers of one time being on a Grand Rapids train that stopped near the home of Mr. Parry and waited until he walked ' from his home to the train.

This railroad company met with some very severe reverses and was unable to provide funds for the completion of the road and as was customary by railroad companies of that period asked the public to contribute toward its construction ; to this end the commissioners were asked to donate money, and on the 9th of December, 1865, made the following entry :

It is hereby ordered by the board of commissioners that the sum of Five Thousand ($5,000.00) Dollars, be, and the same is hereby donated to the Cincinnati & Ft. Wayne Railroad Company to assist in constructing said road. Said sum to be due and payable when the freight and passenger cars run through the county of Randolph."

Many people of the county felt that it was not right to donate it out of the public county funds as the people in parts of the cpunty, not traversed by the road, would receive little or no benefit.

Sufficient sentiment was created in this matter, that on the 22nd day of October, 1869, Thomas Ward and one hundred tMtnt)-nine other freeholders of White River township petitioned the county commissioners to call a special election of the voters of that township to pass judgment upon the question of making an appropriation of $31,513.20 to aid in the construction ' of the- Cincinnati, Richmond & Ft. Wayne Railroad in and through said township. (From $31,000.00 by taking stock in said company to that amount. )

The commissioners were satisfied that the petition had been properly signed by the requisite numbers of free-holders and ordered- an election to be held December 7, 1869.

John F. Hunt and thirty others filed a similar petition from Washington township, asking for an appropriation of $14,596.90. The total appropriations would be $54,000.00.

White River Toiwiship - Winchester precinct, 479 for the appropriation, 248 against. Maxville precinct, 9 for the appropriation, 5i against; making a majority of 179 for the appropriation.

Washington To-wnship - Liberty precinct, 40 for the appropriation, 131 against; Lynn precinct, 63 for the. appropriation, 70 against; making a majority of 98 against the appropriation.

Hoping that the sentiment in Washington township would be changed, another petition signed by James Barnes and forty-two other citizens and free-holders of Washington township, was presented the last of December, 1869. This petition was passed upon by the commissioners the day of January, 1870. This petition called for an appropriation of $13,700.00. The commissioners acted favorably upon it and an election was held in Washington township on Tuesday the ist day of March, 1870. The results of the election were :

Lynn precinct, 80 for the appropriation and 59 against ; Liberty precinct, 41 for the_ appropriation and 164 against; making a majority of 102 in the township against the appropriation.

In June, 1870, the commissioners made, a "levy of taxes for appropriation to aid in the construction of the Cincinnati, Richmond & Ft. Wayne Railroad, to be levied on the taxable property of White river and Franklin townships represent one percentum of the valuation of taxable property of said townships."

"The board having under consideration the matter pertaining to the proper dispensation of the amount heretofore collected in White River and Franklin townships for the purpose of aiding in the construction of the

Cincinnati, Richmond & Ft. Wayne Railroad, through said townships, by taking stock in said road as authorized by a vote of the qualified voters of said townships, at elections held therein on the 7th day of December, 1869' - said board make the following order, towit :

"It is ordered by the board that the sum of seven thousand two hundred and fifty ($7,250.00) dollars be, and the same is hereby appropriated out of the. funds heretofore raised for that purpose in White River township, and also the sum of one ftiousand ($1,000.00) dollars in Franklin township is hereby appropriated making. in all the sum of eight thousand two hundred and fifty dollars for the purpose of taking stock in the Cincinnati, Richmond & Ft. Wayne Railroad - said amount to be applied to aid in the construction of said railroad, through said townships, provided however, that the said sum of seven thousand two hundred and fifty dollars, and one thousand dollars, hereby so appropriated shall not be paid until certificate of stock in said railroad company shall have been made and issued for the full amount of said sums, respectively, and deposited with the treasurer of said county of Randilph to the credit and for the use of said townships.of White River and Franklin. When said provisions shall have been fulfy complied with the auditor of said county is hereby authorized and directed to draw his warrants on the county treasurer in favor of the treasurer of said railroad company for said above named sums, amounting in all to eight thousand two hundred and fifty dollars ($8,250.00).

This in a measure relieved the county, of having to pay the $5,000.00 formerly donated, hence on Monday, March 3, 1873, the board rescinded the former order as follows :

"Ordered by the board that the order made by the board of commissioners, December 9, 1865, donating five thousand ($5,000.00) dollars to the Cincinnati & Ft. Wayne Railroad Company, to assist in constructing said road. Being made without authority of law. Be hereby rescinded annulled and expunged from said record.''

The commissioners attempted to refund $8,023.07, with interest, to those assessed in White River and Franklin townships to pay the taxes voted for Decem.ber 7, 1869, claiming that the said tax 'was "vitiated it by the efficiency in the auditors notice of 'said election." But the end of the trouljle ^^'as not yet.

On the 8th of December, 1873, the commissioners were confronted with a new dilemma. It was shown them that at their June term, 1870, they had "pretended and attempted to , levy a tax of $1.00 on each $100.00 of taxable property of the taxpayers, of White River township, and that in June, 1871, they had attempted to levy a tax of eighty-five cents on the $100.00. That these levies were placed upon the duplicate and delivered to the treasurer for collection and that the tax payers had paid the treasurer the tax upon the duplicate of 1870 and 1871, under protest, the sum of $12,823.59." That the commissioners had paid $7,250.00 of this money to the Cincinnati, Richmond & Ft. Wayne Railroad Company and that afterwards on the 8th of March, 1872, James J. Clayton, for himself and other taxpayers of White River township, had instituted suit against James H. Bowen, then treasurer of said county, to enjoin the collection of railroad tax and that the treasurer "was by said court enjoined on account of illegalities of said tax from collecting this tax."

The commissioners were asked to refund "pro rata to the tax payers who paid said railroad tax" all of said tax in the hands of bimon Ramsey, the treasurer, the sum being $5,573.59. The commissioners ordered that this sum of money be refunded as asked for and attempted to do so December 9th v^'hen it was :

"Ordered by the board that the order of the board of commissioners, St,: tember . 9th, 1873, refunding $8,023.07 of railroad tax collected to aid the construction of the Cincinnati, Richmond & Ft. Wayne Railroad and remaining in the hands of the county treasurer, be and the same is hereby rescinded on account of its defectiveness, and said money refunded in accordance with orders No. 96 and 97, on commissioner's record No. 5, December 9th, and loth, A. D., 1873."

This order was, itself, defective and on the following day an effective order was, made as follows: (This order was complied with by the county treasurer. )

"Ordered by the board that two thousand four hundred and forty-nine dollars and forty-eight cents ($2,449.48) of railroad tax, collected off of the tax payers of Franklin township, to aid in the construction of the C. R. & Ft. W. Railroad, and remaining in the hands of the county treasurer, be and the same is hereby refunded 'back' to all parties paying said railroad tax, in the same manner as set forth in order No. 96, commissioner's record No. 5, (see p. 65), refunding White river township railroad tax: That is to say : That there shall be refunded and paid to each and all taxpayers of -Franklin township, who paid any of such railiroad tax an equal rate per cent on the amount of such tax that each taxpayer paid into the county treasury, so that when each taxpayer entitled thereto shall have received his eqral per cent on- the amount he shall have paid,- that said sum of $2,449.48 shall be exhausted: And the auditor is hereby ordered and directed on demand of any such taxpayer under this order, and in all other respects to carry out and comply with this order."

For many years no trains were run on first day, because of the conscientious scruples which the president; Mr. Parry, had upon that matter. It was originally intended to take %ie road directly north to Portland, which would have been through Deerfield. It is said that through the obstinacy of one or two men the road was changed to the present location. Had it not have been for the short-sightedness of these people Deerfield would no doubt today be as large or larger than the near by town, Ridgeville.

Pan-Handle Railroad

The third road to be built in the county was the division of the Pan- Handle road, east of Union City. This road was first built from Columbus to Union City and was completed about 1866. At that time Union City was a terminus of this road. The western division or Union City to Logansport was built sometime later. The two roads have since been consolidated and are under the Pennsylvania system, one of the greatest railroad systems of the world.

This incorporation controls a great portion of the entire mileage of roads of the United States. This branch of the road is one of the principal trunk lines between Pittsburg and Chicago.

The Indiana, Bloomington & Western Railroad Company was organized in 1880 for the purpose of building a railroad from Indianaipolis to Springfield, Ohio. In 1881 they asked subsidies of the townships in Randolph county to which they proposed to construct their railway.

On the 23rd of April, 1881, the commissioner met in special session to receiv£ petition from citizens of these four townships. At that meeting they found the petition of West River and Greensfork townships defective on account of not being signed by the legally required number of freeholders. The petitions of Nettle Creek and Washingtoin were held good.

They adjourned until the 25th of April when at a special session they found the petitions valid and appointed election inspectors at an election, which they ordered to be held on the 28th day of May.

The election was a hotly contested one and many a quarrel and dispute arose over the matter of the proposed road. The people of Spartanburg were told that if the subsidy was not voted for favorably m Greensfork township, the road would not pass' through that town. The 'people thinking that the road would come anyhow used their efforts against voting for the tax and defeated it very decisively. To their sorrow they learned in a short time that the threat of the officials of the road was true and they were destined to be -off the railroad for all times to come.

Ordered that a tax of one per cent be levied on valuation of the real " and personal property of Nettle Creek township, for the construction of the Indiana, Bloomington & Western Railroad, through said township.

The road was completed in due time but to do so it required that^the ties be laid on brush or any material that could be thrown in some of the swamps near Modoc. In fact the first train attempting to go over the road was wrecked by the engine literally falling off the, track. The train, however, passed over in time to enable the company to claim the subsidy which had been voted.

Lake Erie

There has been attempts made to build roads in this county that were not successful. One was the Lake Erie ,& Lauisville Railroad, which was organized under the laws of this state and proposed to cross this county on the line from Cambridge City to Union City. This road would cross Washington township and Wayne township diagonally, passing near Bloomingsport in the first and South Salem in the latter. Much work was done upon this road in the way of constructing the road bed and laying the ties upon which to place the rails. The old rails can yet be distinguished very clearly just at the north edge, of Bloomingsport.

This road was sometimes called the "Calico" road. In order to help in its constructioh, Isaac P. Gray and many others, of Wayne township, petitioned the county commissioners to call an election in Wayne township to vote upon the question of giving a subsidy of $8,000^00 from that township to aid in building this road. The road was to be completed by the first day of August, 1871.

Nathan W. Johnson and a great many others filed a similar petition from Washington township. The commissioners found the petition correct and ordered an election to be held on Monday, the 18th day of July, 1870, at the polls of the several voting places of these two townships.

Liberty precinct, thirty-three (33) votes were cast for the railroad appropriation and' ninety-one (91) were cast against the railroad appropriation. ' Lynn precinpt, thirty-three (33) votes were cast for the railroad appropriation and twelve (12) votes were cast against the railroad appropriation.

"At Lynn precinct twenty-five of the ballots that were cast had written thereon the words 'against the appropriation/ also three ballots that were cast at said election at Lynn having 'thereon the woris 'against the railroad appropriation' were variously marked by writing and scribbling thereon in letters and characters other than the names of the persons voting the same." From the above it would seem that elections had been very hotly contested. The canvassing board reported the election having carried in Wayne township and in Washington township they said :

"Whereby it appears and is hereby certified, that, at said election in Washington township the whole number of votes cast, was two hundred and sixty-three votes, ninety-seven votes for said railroad appropriaation, thirty-one votes against said appropriation and one hundred thirtyfive votes informal."

The results of this election stopped the building of this road and the enterprise was never pushed further. It has been a very unfortunate thing, indeed, that this is true because the road would have been of a great value to the country through which it would 'have- passed.

Bluffton & Union

Another contemplated road was the Bluffton & Union. This road was first contemplated about 1855, when a railroad was contemplated from Union to Portland in Jay county. A great deal of the grading was done and some rails were said to have been laid but the project fell through at that stage. About 1866 it was revived, new stock was obtained, considerable more work was done and it was said that the road would be opened for travel in a short time.

The matter failed again, however, remained dormant until 1882. During the early part- of that year the company was organized as the Bluffton & Union Railroad Company and asked for a subsidy from Wayne township and Jackson township, $22,500.00 from the former and $5,600 from the latter. The commissioners honored the petition and ordered an election held on the 24th day of July, 1882, for Wayne township and June 27, 1882, for Jackson township. It was thought by the voters that it would be sure to carry in Wayne tOAvnship and that this might have a wholesome effect upon the voters of Jackson. The result would indicate their judgment very good.

From the above it will be seen that a great majority of both townships favored it. It is also the significant. fact that in Wayne township the two country precincts were almost unanimous in their opposition. The vote being only six in favor of the appropriation and one hundred fifty-nine against.

Elections were being held at the same time in Jay county and the opposition was so great that the vote did not carry. Hence the project was given up and a new board was devifed. It was then decided to build a road from Union City by way of Camden, Antioch, Boundary City and New Pittsburg to Bluffton. This would have it pass through Franklin township and to this end Henry C. Kitselman and fifty others petitioned the commissioner on the 17th day of July, 1882, to hold an election in Franklin township, for the purpose of ascertaining if the voters would donate $12,000.00 to the proposed road.

Making a total of 225 for and 185 against the appropriation. This like the others, however, was a failure and nothing more was done towards the building of the road.

In the early part of 1891 the Chicago, Union City and Cincinnati Railroad Company was organized, the purpose of which was to build a road on the pld right-of-way out of Union City. Again a subsidy was asked for and' an election held in Wayne township and Jackson township, July 7, 1891, which resulted as follows :

From which it will be noticed as before that the city favored the subsidy while a majority of the voters of the country were radically opposed to it.

This made the result in Wayne township 454 for and 399 opposed. Jackson township 88 for and 171 opposed, riiaking a total of 542 for ana 570 opposed in the two townships. This was the last of the Chicago, Union City and Cincinnati Railroad Company.

Union City And Huntington

This project, however, could come to life oftener than the proverbial cat for in the latter part of 1895 the Union City and Huntington Railroad Company was organized with the same old view in mind. They asked for a subsidy in Wayne township and on April 14, 1896, the election was held with the following result :

It will be observed that the results were very similar to those of former elections. This, so far as we are able to ascertain, has been the end of building railroad out of Union City northwest.

Cincinnati, Richmond And Muncie

The only remaining steam road to be built in the county was the Cincinnati, Richmond and Muncie Railroad which passes through Losantville. This road is sometimes called the "Crooked Road to Muncie," and any one having ridden over it will readily see the application of the name. It was built in 1900, but was not a financial success and went into the hands of a receiver February 13, 1908, at which time James P Goodrich, of Winchester, was appointed receiver.

Mr. Goodrich was able in less than four years to put the road upon a sound financial basis and satisfy the United States federal authorities that he

When one stands near a railroad today and sees the monster engines go past at the rate of sixty, seventy or eighty miles an hour pulling passenger trains having from five to fourteen coaches; and freight trains from fifty to one hundred coaches, it is almost impossible to imagine the condition when the roads were first built.

Trains of fifty loaded cars travel today at a high rate of speed where trains forty or fifty years ago used to "stick" with but few small cars.

No one factor has made rapid transit possible more than the air-brake. Formerly when a train was to be stopped, the engineer blew one long blast on the whistle, and the brakeman would run over the train or through the cars to the hand brakes and stop the train "by hand." This took quite a distance to stop a train with any speed. Today a train going seventy miles per hour will come to a. stop in much less time than a train one-fourth its length would fifty years ago with a hand brake.

No factor has done more for the advancement of commercial intei^ests than steam power, but a new power has come into existence. This great force, known to the world as electricity, is understood only through its effects.

Three electric lines have been planned to cross- Randolph county ; two of them not having been built. One of these was to be built from Richmond to Portland, passing through Lynn, Winchester and Ridgeville ; the other was to be built from Richmond to Portland passing through Arba, Spartanburg, Union City and Xew Pittsburg. The other, built from Union City to ?,'Ii-.ncie, passing through Union City, Winchester, Farmland and Parker, of this

Rapid transportation trains every hour of the day, convenient express and freight service have popularized the electric railroad, and they are looked upon as being as indispensible as steam roads.