The Bluff Railway Project-1876

SLOAN

Posted By: cheryl moonen (email)
Date: 5/17/2018 at 14:13:00

Dubuque Daily Times, Sunday, Jun 04, 1876, Dubuque, IA, Page: 8

The Bluff Railway Project

Two or three week ago THE TIMES gave to the public the first intimation of the project of constructing a street railway on the bluffs, and a steam elevator to be operated in connection with it. We regarded the project as a feasible one, and well calculated to enlist the attention of every citizen of Dubuque who seeks its growth and the prosperity of the people. That the subject is deemed an important, and practical one is demonstrated by the general interest it has created among all classes of residents. It has been under constant consideration among many prominent men, and has been amplified to nearly double its original proportions, and hence becomes a matter of more or less direct interest to a much larger portion of the people. Its importance and value, when fully comprehended, can scarcely be overestimated.

At first presented it contemplated the construction of the elevator of the Fourth Street, then to connect with a street railway running westward a block or two thence west to Alta Vista Street, thence south to the junction with Julien Avenue. As the Avenue Street Railway will no doubt be built, all that is needed to make the entire Bluff railway complete will be to place a Y at the junction of the branches which run to each of the steam elevator. It is further contemplated to construct branches from each elevator to the Main Street line. When this shall be done there will be a complete system of railways on both the lowlands and the bluffs of the city, which the reader will observe describes an irregular square from the junction of the new project with the Main Street line on Third, thence west on Alpine and Alta Vista to Twelfth, thence east by way of the elevator on Eleventh Street hill to a junction with Main Street. Within and along this described square reside a large share of the people of the city, and when the entire Main Street line, and the entire Julien Avenue line to West Dubuque are considered in addition, the project is seen to be one that will furnish the best possible facilities to many thousands of people. The residents of West Dubuque can take the down-town car and go to the levee, or he may take the up-town car to the Fairground, or the Avenue car and land on Main at its junction with the Avenue. Whoever will take the pains to outline this route in mind or on paper will discover that it will accommodate a larger portion of our population than almost any other that could be named. Mr. T. L. Sloan was here again yesterday and in consultation with many leading citizens concerning the project, and on Tuesday next will be here again, and together with a civil engineer will survey the entire route in order to obtain the data for making estimates of the cost of the entire project. We think that there has been no more important enterprise presented to the people of Dubuque for years and this, and the growing interest it is challenging shows that it so regarded by others. Practically it results in three lines to West Dubuque, provided the Avenue project is pushed on, of which there now seems no doubt.