The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1872-04-19
ATCHISON, TOPEKA & SANTA FEE

The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe
railroad company was incorporated by
an act of the Legislative Assembly
OF the territory of Kansas approved
FEBRUARY 18th, 1859. BY an act of
Congress, approved March Sd, 1868, a
grant of land was made by general
government to the state of Kansas to
aid in construction of certain railways
in the state. BY an act of the legisla-
ture of the state of Kansas, approved
FEBRUARY 9th, 1864, the state accepted
the grant Of lands made bv Congress,
and provided for their distribution.
Section Sd of this act grants to the
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroad
company, i'm consideration of their con-
structiOn a railway from Atchison Ella
Topeka to the west line of the state.
in the general direction of Santa Fe,
ten sections of land per mile of road
constructed, which grant was accepted
by the company and the proper certifi-
cate filed.
The organization was maintained,
but work on the road was not COM
mcnced until 1868. In September,
1868, the franchise passed into the
hands of the present stockholders. and
work was begun in October of that
year. Various considerations induced
the company to commence building
from Topeka, south; and August, LIST,
1870, the road was opened to Emporia,
81 miles; July 18th, 1871, it was extern
ded up the Cottonwood river to New
ton, "A miles west of Emporia, and 1856
miles from Topeka. On the compile
tion of the road to Newton, work was
opened on the section between Topeka
and Atchison; and the grading and
masonry are all completed. bridges all
erected and track laying is i'm progress.
This part of the road would have been
opened January LIST, 1872, but for I'M
fortunate failure of contractors to de-
liver iron, on time, the iron having
been purchased for October and No
yember delivery.
Contracts have been let for grading
and masonry of the 115-mile section.
from Newton up the valley of the Ar
kansas river to Fort Larned, which
was to be ready for the track March
LIST. Ii is designed to open this section
for business by July LIST, 1872.
This company is also building a
branch road from Newton to Wichita,
% miles south-which was to be ready
for ties and iron January LIST, lS72-and |
is TO be opened early in the spring
The equipment consists of ID engines, |
Is coaches, 6 baggage cars, % box, 100 |
stock, 100 combination, AZ platform, "a |
coal, and caboose cars.
During 1871 there was constructed |
and ironcd "a miles of road: and the /
company erected machine shop. oil |
house, l carpenter shop, 2 engine
houses, depots, 2 frame broom build
ings for section men, hotel at New
ton, 8 tool houses, water stations,
with stone foundations and tanks en-
closed, and stock yards at four sta
tions-those at Newton capable of
yarding 5000 cattle, with facilities for
loading six ears at one time. The
equipment added during 1871, consisted
of engines. 8 coaches, 4 baggage. 100
stock, 100 combination, 10 box, 30 coal
cars, and cabooscs.
The line now i'm operation. l36 miles.
passes from Topeka to Newton through
Usage, Lyndon, Chase. Marion. and
Sedgwick counties. The located line
west of Newton passes through Sedg-
wick. Reno, Rice. Barton. Stafford.
Pawnee, kiowa and Ford counties. to
Fort Dodge; west of this point coun-
ties are not organized. The present
connections of the road are the Kansas
Pacific at Topeka and the Missouri.
Kansas and Texas at Emporia. When
opened to Atchison the road will have
at Grasshopper Fall with
the Kansas Central Leavenworth 4
Denver) railway-narrow guage: at
Parnell with Union Pacific, Central
Branch: and at Atchison with the |
Missouri Poetic, Kansas City. ST. ,
Joseph 4 Council Bluffs. and Atchison {
4 Nebraska railway, now in oper- |,
with the Atchison branch of |
the Chicago 4 Southwestern road, pro- i
posed to be opened in the spring. I
These companies are uniting for the !
purpose Of building a railway bridge 5
over the Missouri at Atchison, and its I
srectionis promised during the present I
year. q