cal and therefore foreordained route of the great Railroad from St. Louis to New Orleans.

For these six grave reasons, I say this city of Helena will be seen by men of faith and foresight, as though its site had been selected by a flight of eagles, to bear irresistible evidence of future greatness. H.

KEOKUK AND MUSCATINE RAILROAD.

We perceive from our exchanges, that the citizens of south-eastern Iowa are earnestly discussing the project of connecting Keokuk and Muscatine by Railroad. This is a move in the right direction and shows that the people of the upper Mississippi are beginning to discover that the bulky and low priced productions of their farms can not be transported on Railroads to eastern markets and exchanged for sugar, salt, iron, and other heavy commodities, upon terms that will authorize them to abandon the southern trade. We regard the Keokuk and Muscatine Railroad as a work, plainly indicated and imperiously demanded by the laws of commerce; and though its accomplishment may be delayed for some years, yet its consummation within a reasonable period is beyond all question.

CLEVELAND AND ST. LOUIS AIR LINE RAILROAD.

This is one of the great lines of railway designed to connect St. Louis with the eastern States which has been projected, as we believe, without co-operation with this city. We have watched the movements of this great enterprise with no ordinary degree of interest, and have published from time to time such facts relating to its progress as we deemed interesting to our patrons.

The company has recently issued a statement of its affairs; portions of which have been published in the American Railroad Journal, whence we copy the following extracts:

This enterprise embraces a line of railway extending from Cleveland to Paris, in the State of Illinois, a distance of 3424 miles, by the actual surveys and location of E. G. Goddard, Esq., the Chief Engineer of the companies, upon a route, differing from a perfectly straight line, between the termini, by a distance of only three miles.

The line commencing at Cleveland, passes across the States of Ohio and Indiana, and about ten miles within the State of Illinois, to a junction at Paris in that State, with the Terre Haute and Alton Railroad, now under construction, and to be finished in June, 1855; thus affording an extension of the line to the City of St. Louis, the whole forming a line unexampled in this country for its directness and low grades, and to which, in its details, the attention of capitalists, and all others interested in its construction, is invited with great confidence.

The entire distance between Cleveland and St. Louis, by this line, is 510 miles, which may be easily reduced by improvements west of Paris, to 500 miles.

The whole distance from Cleveland, to a connection with the Terre Haute and Alton Road, at Paris in Illinois, is 3423 miles, which does not exceed an air line more than three miles, or one mile in every 114 miles. Of straight line there are 230 miles, or twenty-seven twenty eighths of the whole distance, rendering collisions impossible.-Of that straight line, 188 miles, from Tiffin, in Ohio, to Lebanon, in Indiana, are continuous, immediately preceded, on one end, by a straight line of 26 miles, and succeeded on the other, by a straight line of 30 miles, making 244 miles of contiguous straight lines, 188 miles of which are continuous. The angles connecting these lines are so slight as to be of no practical moment, and the only reason why the entire 244 miles are not placed in a single straight line is the desirableness, arising solely from business relations, of reaching the two extreme points, Tiffin and Lebanon, which otherwise would be left northward from one to two miles.

West of the Wabash river, near the westerly end of the line, occur two maximum curves of 1,432.5 feet radius. Aside from these there are none of a less radius than 2,865 feet, while the majority have a radius of 5,740 feet or over one mile.

The maximum grade is 394 feet per mile, and occurs ascending west from the Wabash river, in all 5 70-100 miles.

Of level line there are 75 86-100th miles nearly one quarter of the whole distance.

For about 244 continuous miles, and on the straight lines, no grades exceed 21.12 feet per mile leaving the heavier grades at the remote ends of the line.

Trains passing east ascend no grades exceeding 26.4 feet per mile, and are favored with 19 miles of level and descending grades.

St. Louis will unquestionable stand midway on one of the great lines destined to be speedily constructed to the Pacific Ocean. In this case the Cleveland and St. Louis Railroad must form an essential and important part of such a line. Its terminus at Cleve

land is common to all the Eastern cities, while, with the Cleveland, Terre Haute and Alton and St. Louis Railroads, it makes a line absolutely straight from Buffalo to St. Louis. This line to San Francisco will be found shorter than any other.

We learn from the Railroad Record that the amount of stock authorized is $6,500,000, and that the resources are stock subscriptions $3,200,000, future do. $1,3000,000, and first mortgage convertable bonds $4,500,000, total $9,000,000.

Arrangements have been made to commence the work on independent sections, in both Ohio and Indiana, keeping closely within the means of the company. By building thus in sections, having productive connections, the road will be available as fast as completed.

OHIO AND MISSISSIPPI RAILROAD.

The western division of this important Road is progressing with commendable speed, all things considered, and we are happy to record the fact that the public is beginning to realize the benefits of this great enterprise.

On the 26th day of the present month [August], the road was opened for travel from Illinoistown to Carlisle, a distance of fortysix miles; and it is expected that it will be opened to Sandoval, where it intersects the Illinois Central Railroad, fifty-nine miles from Illinoistown, by the first of October. An additional section of nine miles from Sandoval to Salem is expected to be completed by the first of December.

The southern division of the Illinois Central Railroad is said to be progressing with great speed, and it is understood that a connection between St. Louis and Cairo will be established by the 1st of November.

CHICAGO AND MISSISSIPPI RAILROAD COMPLETED.

We extract the following paragraph from the Allon Telegraph, of the 1st of the present month (Aug.) :

"THROUGH TO CHICAGO.-According to announcement on Saturday, the passenger trains of the Alton and Chicago Railroad began their regular trips yesterday between the two cities, the first train going out under the charge of the veteran Conductor, E. P.

HOLLISTER. This will be gratifying inteiligence to the traveling public, who have heretofore been much annoyed by the frequent changing of cars and baggage, consequent upon making a connection with other roads. The time through from this city to Chicago, is twelve hours, being a large gain, and will enable passengers to reach New York six hours earlier than heretofore. It will be observed that the morning trains will hereafter depart at 9:45, instead of 10 o'clock; and the evening trains start at 6:15, instead of 8 o'clock."

MISSISSIPPI AND TENNESSEE RAILROAD.

We have received the Report of the President, Treasurer and Chief Engineer of this Road, and are gratified to learn that the work is about to be commenced with a fair prospect of its accomplishment within a reasonable period.

We regard the Mississippi and Tennessee railroad as constituting a link in a chain of railways connecting St. Louis with New Orleans, and though we still look with confidence to a connection with New Orleans by the way of Helena, we regard the route by Memphis as the first to be completed.

We learn from the Engineer's Report that the road had been located 60 miles from Memphis, and that in all probability a cheap and practicable line not exceeding 87 miles would be obtained to Grenada, which will be but 3 miles longer than an air line. The maximum grade is 47 feet per mile, and the minimum radius of curvature 1,910 feet. In a distance of 62 miles 640 feet located, the total length of straight line is 52 miles 2,111 feet, and total length of curved line 9 miles 3,809 feet.

In the general estimate, including equipment, depots, engineering, &c., the total cost is set down at $2,000,000. But under the head of "resources," the engineer says that by a partial curtailment of the equipment and the temporary substitution of wooden structures for brick work, the road may be put into oper. ation and do a profitable business for several years for the sum of $1,700,000. To meet this sum we have the following statement

of resources.

$534,725 00

Individual cash subscription...... Memphis city subscription--bonds payable in thirty years, bearing interest at 6 per cent. payable semiannually, for which the city provides a special tax -the proceeds pledged to the purchase of iron..... 150,000 00

Tennessee State loan-bonds payable in 30 years, bearing 6 per cent., payable semi-annually: principal and interest to be paid by the company, and a first mortgage given to the State on 9 miles of the road, as security for their payment-this also pledged to the purchase of iron...

Total........

97,500,000

$782,225,00

Amount required to put the road in operation......$1,700,000 00 Amcunt raised....

Deficit.......

782,225 00

.$917,975 00

to be raised by additional subscription of stock, by stock taken in work, and from the sale of Company Bonds, secured by a first mortgage on the Mississippi portion of the road, and a second mortgage on the Tennessee portion.

Contracts for the grading of seventeen miles have been closed, which is to be completed by the 1st July, 1855; contracts for 18 miles more are to be closed as soon as the notes of location can be completed. A contract has been closed for the trestle work on the first 37 miles from Memphis, and also for the masonry of the first five miles.

LAKE ERIE, WABASH & ST. LOUIS RAILROAD.

This is another important road which has been commenced at a distant point from St. Louis and without co-operation of the citizens of the city. Toledo bids fair to become one of the most important commercial cities on Lake Erie, and being the nearest point at which the lake can be reached from the Mississippi, a direct line of railway from there to St. Louis must be regarded as a work of first rate importance in the system of public improvements of which St. Louis is the center.

We have seen no very recent notice of the progress of this work, but the following paragraph which appeared in the Toledo Blade, some two months since, shows that it was then being prosecuted with much spirit.

THE LAKE ERIE, WABASH AND ST. LOUIS RAILROAD.-The work on this great route is being pushed with great activity, and we are assured that it will be put in operation between here and Fort Wayne before snow flies. The contractors are at work along the