ARNOLD, Zara Westcott

ARNOLD

Posted By: Nettie Mae (email)
Date: 5/23/2021 at 17:43:30

From The Clinton Age Dec 31, 1869, Page 2

[For the Clinton Age.]
MR. EDITOR:

Zara Westcott Arnold died suddenly in this city on the morning of the 11th inst. He was found within the premises a few feet from the front gate, about seven o'clock in the morning and expired within fifteen minutes after his removal to the house. Upon a post mortem examination made by Drs. Reynolds and Hobart, it was found that the immediate cause of death was congestion of the brain.
The deceased was one of the most prominent founders of te city of Clinton. In the spring of 1853, a firm in Wall Street in the city of New York employed him to proceed to this county and bid in at the Sheriff's sale the R. R. that had been started from the city of Lyons towards Iowa City, which he bid off for the sum of $30,000. This was done with the design of making use of the work and grade of that road in constructing a road from that point through to the Missouri river. After making several surveys however, this design was abandoned and a new road was adopted starting at its eastern terminus from the present city of Clinton. The original outline and design of the present road which was first called the Mississippi & Iowa Central R. R. and which was afterwards changed to the name of the present Chicago, Iowa & Nebraska R. R., is due to the Wall Street firm and the intelligent and active agency of the subject of this notice. The present Pacific R. R. had began to be agitated and upon a careful survey and inspection of the country it was found that the valley of the Platte river was best adapted to the track of the great contemplated Pacific road and falling nearly within a straight line from the two great points on the Atlantic and Pacific (New York and San Francisco). Adopting this view of extending a straight line from some point on the Missouri River as the Eastern terminus of the then contemplated Pacific route across the State of Iowa, the next question was at what point this straight line would cross the Mississippi river. It was supposed in Wall Street that this point would fall somewhere nearly midway between Davenport and Dubuque and Mr. Arnold was sent out to select and establish the point in question, and after some months spent in surveying, sounding the river frontage and negotiating, he caused the present site of the city of Clinton to be purchased and for that purpose procured the services of Judge Resnor to approach the Pierce's and buy their claims of about three hundred acres, and afterwards, several other adjoining tracts.
It was necessary in the bargaining of these purchases that all negotiations should be conducted with great circumspection as the local and landed interest of Lyons had been first approached with the new project.
After these purchases had been made, Mr. Arnold returned to the city of New York, and a meeting called at the Astor House in that city, the Mississippi & Iowa Central R. R. company and the Iowa Land Co., was formed and the officers of each company elected, Mr. Arnold holding one of the offices in the R. R. company After this simultaneous formation of these two companies, several of the principle officers came on and commenced the surveying of the city plat of the city of Clinton and the now R. R. Mr. Arnold assisting in measuring the first rod of the streets as they now are and forming the city plat and establishing the present bed of the road.
In about one year thereafter the name of the Mississippi & Iowa Central R. R. was changed at the annual meeting of the Directors to the present Chicago Iowa and Nebraska R. R. and Mr. Arnold and others of the first Directors were not reelected on forming the new board.
The original design of this road and city forming the connecting link across the continent has now become realised and established and is to be regreted that the deceased and his co-workers whose clear judgment and business talents have so largely contributed to selecting the site of the building of the city of Clinton and the R. R. should not have been permitted to participate more largely in the benefits.
One of the last public acts of the deceased was to draw up the petition to the city council representing the necessity of conference between the city of Lyons and Clinton, in relation to selecting and agreeing upon a location and a removal of the Court House and county buildings.
Mr. Arnold was born in the town of Norwich, Chenago co., N. Y. on the 29th day of March 1816. His remains have been accompanied by his wife and family to Hindale, Pa., to be buried by the side of his father-in-law, the late Judge Manning.