 | XXIII.
GREAT RAILROAD PROJECT! The Squibob papers |  |
23. XXIII.
GREAT RAILROAD PROJECT!
THE BELVIDERE AND BEHRING'S STRAITS UNION RAILROAD.
The foregoing is the title of a road which has
become a fixed fact in the minds of the projectors.
The proposed road commences at Belvidere, in
the State of Illinois, and runs thence in a northwesterly
direction to Behring's Straits, via Roscoe.
It is also proposed to diverge several branches from
the main line, the first of which is to be known as
“The North Pole Extension Railroad,” and by
which it is proposed to secure the ice-trade.
The main line crosses the before-mentioned
straits by a floating bridge; thence south, by easy
grades, and tunneling the Chinese Wall, to Pekin.
At or near Behring's Straits it is proposed to
diverge with a branch in a southerly direction to
Cape Kamschatka, the said branch to be called the
of this branch is to secure the seal-trade for
the Calcutta market.
It is also proposed to start another branch at or
near the same point of divergence, running in a
westerly direction to Tobolsk, in Siberia, connecting
at that point with an “Underground Exile-escaping
Railroad” to the Dead Sea. The said underground
road to be built under the immediate
supervision of eminent Ohio engineers, they having
had much experience in works of that character.
The services of Captain Ingraham have been
secured as conductor on this road.
From Pekin there will be a branch to Jeddo,
crossing the straits near the island of Niphon by
an immense Pile Bridge. The object of the branch
is to convey troops and munitions of war from the
United States to “civilize” and annex the Japanese,
and also to secure the Japan-ware trade.
From Pekin will diverge another branch, via
Cochin China (to secure the fowl-trade), Farther
India, Borneo, and Sumatra, to the Gold Mines in
sea separating these islands by immense stone culverts
of the latest pattern.
The main line then extends to Calcutta, tunneling
the Himalaya Mountains, connecting at this
point with the “London and Calcutta Union Rail-road,”
and with the plank-road to Booloochistan.
The main line then extends from Calcutta, via
Bagdad, crossing the Red Sea at Moses's Ford,
and the great Sahara Desert to Timbuctoo, connecting
with the “Niger River Valley Union
Railroad” to the coast of Guinea.
The main line then extends through Ethiopia
and the Caffre settlements to the Cape of Good
Hope, there connecting with the “Union Balloon
Company,” plying between Cape Town and Patagonia.
Thence the main line extends up the west coast
of America, via Valparaiso and Panama, to San
Francisco, with a branch to the Lobos Islands (for
the guano trade), and to Astoria, in Oregon.
From San Francisco the line extends on a direct
to New York city.
It would be useless to descant at any length upon
the advantages which this road will possess over
all others. A glance at the map will be sufficient
to impress upon the mind of the most “general
reader” an idea of the stupenduosity of the scheme,
and the mines of wealth which will be necessary
in order to build it. To the man of business, the
extreme facility with which the most distant portions
of the globe can be reached should especially
commend this project; and to the pleasure-seeker,
the ease with which he can be transported to the
Maelstrom (which undoubtedly is the greatest
watering-place in the world) should make this to
appear the project of the age; the work which
will cause this generation to shine in the very extreme
of glory on the farthest limits of time.
We hope soon to announce the successful opening
of this great work.
| XXIII.
GREAT RAILROAD PROJECT! The Squibob papers | |