Press enter after choosing selection

The Toledo, Ann Arbor & Northern Railroad

The Toledo, Ann Arbor & Northern Railroad image
Parent Issue
Day
5
Month
November
Year
1875
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

We invite the careful, serious, and ' ful atteution of every citizen of Aun Arbor to the following article clipped from the Toledo ' Commercial of the lst iust. Ann Arbor has ' already put too mach money iuto right of way ' and road-bed to cheerfully or wisely " throw ' up the sponge " and let every dollar of the ' vestment be lost,- not only to the individual stockholders, as already, by the sale of the ' franchises, etc, but to the city. And there is no way that anything may be realized on the investment already made but by putting shoulder to the wheel and helping Mr. Craue complete the road. üur city cannot staud still ; it muet either go ahead or retrograde. To go ahead uew outlets and inleta - uew markets - with railroad competition, are necessary. The item of coal alone, always cheaper in Toledo than Detroit, a necessity to the house and shop, is an argument for the road that will not " down." Then Toledo aftords a better wheat and produce market than Detioit. liut why enumérate, we have done it all before. Let our citizens drop personal jealousiea and distrust, aud for once imítate those of Ypsilanti, work together for the common (jood. The Commercial says ; Tlie interest in the Toledo, Aun Arbor & Northeru Kailroad ís auguieuting. Mr. Crane, the contraotor who purchased tlie road at ita recent sale, has assurancea that the citizons oí Aun Arbur and those living ia its iinmediate viciuity, will contribute 76,000 iii case there ure enough moau besule guarauteed to completa the road írom Toledo to that City, and put itin running trim. Gentlemen who are working in the interests of the Koad in this Oty iwun the (Commercial that a uumbor oí our capitalista are contemplating the building of the Koad in case $100,000 can be ruised on lts line. The proposition ia to raiae $100,000 in ilimatious, whtch would irou the road, and theu bond it for a like amouut, wliich would fence it, erect the necessary buildings, and provide au equippage suilicient ior t.h naoa nf thB Koad tor numbera oi years Therc is still a different of opinión, however, as to whether the road Bliould be made a narrow gauge or a commou gauge Hoad The opimou seems to prevuil, howsrw, tliat the nar. ow gauge would be the proper onu. The argumenta advanced are that the Itoad will ueeessaiily be Bothing more thau a stub road aud consequently it3 trafile will be almost wholly lucal. The couutry tlirougli which it will run is novv eutirely at the mercy of the Michigan Central Road, and the Detroit market. It aadly ueedsoompetítioo both iu freights ana markiil; which it uan get by the building oí this Hoad. But the moment it is built, if a eommon gauge, tho Michigan Central Koad, beiog a ricli Corporation, will reduce ta rales to sueh alow ügure that it will be impossible for the new Road to live ; while, ou the coutrary, iL a narrow gauge, it is argued, ït can be run so that passengers can be carried at the rate of a cent per mile, and freight proportionately. As retarda through treights, cual, etc, it is urged thut a narrow gauge Koad could do the transferring at ita own expense, and theu carry the freight at a leas expense than iiiiv ruad with a common gauge could. Mr. Urane is now working uortli of Ann Arbor to créale au interest in the enterprise. It is probable that should the Koad bo built to Ann Arbor in leas than a year thereatfer it would bu extended nurthwaril to a inoro proper terminus, ei ther Ovvosso or Lausiug ; perhaps to the latter place, that being the Capital ol the State, a thriviug City much largor than Owosso, and sadly in need of a road to compete with the Michigan Central's two lines of Roads which enter it. sutil a lload as this, ita advocates claim, would be one of the most va!uable to tho wholesale and coal interests of Toledo oí all her roads. A gentleman interested in the enterprise - that is, who contemplates investiug in it, iiKikes the following rough estiniates on the coat of completing a uairow gauge Koad to Ann Arbor : Iron, .... $100 000 Fences, ... 20 000 Buildings, - - . 15 OüO Tln-ee Eugiues, - - 15 000 Twenty Box-cars, - - - 8 00O Five Flat Car, - - 1 500 Six Passenger Conchos, - - 7 200 Three Baggage, Expruss and Mail Cars, combiuüd, - - - 1 500 Contiugeucies, - - - 7 000 Total, I75 000 This he admita, is but an off-hand estimate, subject to changes ei ther way. Hls plan is to collect by subscription 4100,000, and tlien bond the road for an equal assessment which, he claims will t'ully equip it. The bonds, he believes, could be disposed of among the stoctholders, which would virtual ly place the road out of deht. However, Mr. Crane, the present owner of the Road, will probabiy be in the City next week, when sometiiing more i nite will he ascoitained. The Yp.ilanti Commercial permita a i dent fco mak.1 ffry facea at Aun Arbor, becauae sha luis " bardly brewertes enougb to furafch thoirowit beer," hik! to compliment xpsilanti enterpriae In haring " t iull complement of brewerlea." Didl tlioso ipsilanti breweriea grow up, thrlve, and latten undor the administration of the late Mayar Snyder, or are they the fralts of the tiquor tax law, in whlch Bepuhlican legislatovs fished for the Üeriii;iti rote by dlscrinunating in iavor !' beer L.' That's tlio great moral %ueation awaiting au auswetr from " Pat." - Afin Arbor Argus. And what about the maiu points of compairison, neighbor P You seem to overlook tli.e substantial po-ints which the correapouden-t meiitioned to the advaiituge of this city, and comiescend to mint and cumraiu. At the samo time we will cont'ess that the corresponáentf made too much of our breweries. Theró is one less than when Mayor was inaugura ted iii 18"íí. - Ypstlanti Commercial. It's the main points n you are after, eh ! Well, what did your correspondent i'overlook.." Did he see and " make a note of " the larfe factory of Keek & Co. P the school seat and furniture factory of Bodwell? the planïng milla of the Luick Bros., and Noble Y the largB carriage factory of Handy, Wurster & MoLean (which turns out more work than any Ypsilanti concern in that line), and we might enumérate a host of others did our space pe cmit, and were we suro that our thrifty m 5chanics and manufacturero would thauk us for FBEE advertising. We have no jealousies f Ypsilanti and rejoice in her growth and prospority, but while her enterprising journalis ts are " on the brag " we suggost that they add nothing to their greatness or their cause by continually throwing stonea at their ueighborBAnd the Sentmei, too, heads anarticle "Universtiy Poor," and forthwith proceeds to picture the decay of Anu Arbor, the etagnation in business, the depression in property, etc. All tliismay be so, but what say the Supervisors, the official appraisers oi the wealth of tl ie couuty? For two years the Supervisors of Ann Arbor and Ypsilauti have assessod tl ie real and personal property as follows : Ann Arbor, 1874, 11,019,895 1876, . 1,579,074 Falling off, $40,821 Ypsilauti, 1874, 11,055,830 " 1875, 1,036,12 Falling off, $19,7:ï 2 ?se figures show a vcry small perceutage ot decrease against Anu Arbor. But what said the Board ot Supervisors, the " high oU oourt" of estimates, infallible in the eyis of the law, and froul the decisión of whicin there 13 no appeal t The Board " oqualized " ' the two cities as follows : Aim Arbor, 1874 1,474,000 " " 1876, l,326,()0O Depreoiation, $147,4110 Ypsüauti, 1874, $918,000 " 1875, 727,100 Depreciation, $190,9C0. That ís, the Board ot Supervisors, coniposed of tweutyfive " representativo men," acting under the solemnity ot au official oath, declare in their verdict thai Ann Arbor has deprecisted or gone to the dogs during the year $147,400 trom a basta of $1,474,000, and Ypsilantt $190,900 from a starting point of only $918;000. At that rate of deercase which city wilt first reach the " demnition bow wowa." - It is perhaps but fair to both cities to say that the Supervisors lowered (unwisely we think)the valuation oL the county trom last year $1,000,000, or teu per cent., at which rate Ann. Arbor, witii equal depreciation throughout tha couuty, should have been lowered $147,40(1 just the Supervisor figures, and Ypsilanti but $91,800, not half the Supervisors' figures. How does that strike our bragging cotemporaries." ,

Article

Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus