Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/559

 HISTORY OP SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 499 000.00. This bill was vetoed by the gover- nor, but was later passed over his veto and became a law. In 1856 the company elected Orson Bart- lett as president, and a new survey of the line was made, beginning, this time, at Bird's Point. In 1857 new officers were chosen and the contracts were let for the grading of the road from Bird's Point to Charleston. The first actual work was done on October 1st, 1857. H. J. Deal, who Avas the contractor, threw the first shovel of dirt on that date. The work of construction proceeded slowly, and it was not until April 1st, 1859, that the first train reached Charleston. The engine on this train had been named Sol. G. Kitchen, in honor of Sol. G. Kitchen, of Stoddard county, who was one of the men most inter- ested and active in securing the road. On the 4th of July, 1859, there was held a great celebration in honor of the formal opening of the road. By the beginning of the war, in 1861, there were about twenty miles constructed, and at that time it fell into the hands of the govern- ment and was used for military purposes, which resulted in the loss of the greater part of the rolling stock. This prevented the road from earning even enough to pay the interest on the state bonds, which fell into arrears. The holders of the bonds caused a sale of the road in 1866, which was bought by commis- sioners for the state, who later sold the road to McKay, Simmons & Vogel, the same per- sons M'ho bought the St. Louis & Iron Moun- tain. They paid the state the sum of $350,- 000.00, and then transferred the road to Thomas Allen, the president of the Iron ^Mountain System. It was later extended to Poplar Bluff, and was known as the Cairo, Arkansas & Texas road. It is still popularly called the "Cat Road," the word being formed from the initial letters of Cairo, Ar- kansas and Texas. It remained a separate organization until 1874, when it was con- solidated with the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern, and was afterward designated as the Cairo branch. For many years the Iron Moimtain System was the only great system in Southeast Mis- souri. In fact, for years it was the only sys- tem. After the war, when the road came into the possession of Mr. Thomas Allen it entered upon a period of prosperity and ex- pansion. When the war closed the road ex- tended only as far south as Pilot Knob in Iron county. Shortly after Mr. Allen's pur- chase of the road in January 1867, it was transferred to a corporation known as the St. Louis & Iron IMouiitain Railroad Com- pany. This company was formed by Mr. Allen and his associates and was incorporated July 26, 1867. Mr. Allen was made its presi- dent, a position he held for many years. This company proceeded to construct a line from Pilot Knob to Belmont, a distance of 120 miles. This line opened up the coun- ties of St. Francois, Madison, Bollinger, Scott and Mississippi. The principal towns along it were Farmington, two and one-half miles distant, Fredericktown, Oran, Moi'ley and Charleston. Between 1870 and 1874, the company con- structed a branch called the Arkansas branch from Bismark to the Arkansas line at Moak, a distance of 184 miles. This road passed through Iron, WajTie and Butler counties, the principal towns springing up along it, being Ironton, Piedmont, Williams- ville and Poplar Bluff. In 1872, Thomas Allen conveyed to the St. Louis & Iron Mountain Railroad Com- pany the property of the Cairo, Arkansas &