A brief history of Peoria - University Library

36. PEORIA
a single city. This railway forms a busy thoroughfare between the
"Tri-cities" and Peoria, passing through the beautiful, thrifty agri-
cultural section which ranks in wealth and prosperity with any in
the great Mississippi Valley.
TOI.EDO, PEORIA & WESTERN RAII^WAY.
The Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway runs from the Indiana
State Line to the Mississippi River at Keokuk. Burlington and
Warsaw. It is a part of the great Pennsylvania Railroad, possibly
the greatest equipped system in the world, and has a close affiliation
in its west end with the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy R. R. This
road runs through the best grain and stock region in the West. Its
general freight offices and main shops are located at Peoria-
VANDAI,IA I^INE.
The Vandalia Line is the Cora Belt Line and an important
feeder to the Pennsylvania System of roads running between Peoria
and Terre Haute. No counties in Illinois are so productive with
corn as the district crossed by this line. It opens up the block coal
fields of Indiana and the iron industries in that vicinity to Western
markets.
Thus it will be seen that Peoria with its many railroads and
over one hundred well equipped passenger trains daily coudng and
going, is well supplied with railroad facilities.
TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE SERVICE
Peoria is well supplied with both telegraph and telephone service.
The Western Union and Postal Telegraph Companies both
having large well equipped offices in various parts of the city.
THE WESTERN UNION TEIvEGRAPH CO.
employs a manager, chief operator, ten operators, five clerks and
bookkeeper, eight messengers and two linemen.
It has seventy wires connected with its office running on every
railroad entering the city, 1575 cells of battery, three branch offices^
one at the National Hotel, one at 103 South Adams street and one at
the stock yards.
It has thirteen direct wires to Chicago and can switch through
other offices enough to make the number twenty one.
THE POSTAL TELEGRAPH CABLE CO.
has twenty Chicago wires. Eight to St. Louis. Kansas City and
Springfield, six to Davenport, Des Moines and Omaha. The company
has a full corps of assistants and nine sub-stations in difi'erent
parts of the city.
THE PEORIA TELEPHONE EXCHANGE
is the second in size in the State of Illinois. The plant has been
rebuilt throughout during the past two years, both as to line and
machinery. There are 890 subscribers connected with this Exchange
and to acconmodate these patrons there are in use 31 miles
of poles, 2-'4 miles of 200 wire cable, i'i miles of 100 wire cable and
2}i miles of 50 wire cable, in addition to 500 miles of naked wire.