The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1877-04-12
THE FORT SCOTT RAILROAD MEETING
Report Of the COMMITTEES to the City Council

as Tie St. LOUIS, L orr ScolI ~ NOFtu-
western railroad, made the following
report at the Monday night meeting
of the Council:
To the Honorable, the Mayor oad
Common Council of the City Of
Wichitd
GENTLEMEN The undersigued,a APP
pointed by your honorable body to
represent the city of Wichita at a rail-
road meeting held at Fort Scott, Kan
sas, on the Sd and 4th inst, begs leave
TO report as follows:
An informal meeting of the repre-
sentatiyes of the various cities and
counties through which the proposed
road is to pass. was holden on the Sd
inst, at the Gulf House in Fort Scott.
The object of this meeting was for
the purpose of interchanging views,
and TO receive propositions from capi-
talists to build narrow gauge road.
Messrs. Burgess, Edgerton & Alex
ander, railroad builders, were present
and, after due deliberation, peremp-
torily refused to make or receive any
proposition from the St. Louis, Fort
Scott & Northwestern railroad com
-pany. They were led to this cenclu-
sion from the following motives: The
above road is chartered to run through
the counties Of Bourbon, Allen and
Woodson. Bourbon county has here
tofoTe voted and issued bonds to the
Lawrence, Leavenworlh & Galveston,
and 20 the Missouri, Kansas 81 Texas
railroads; the county new refuses to
pay The interest on the bonds of the
latter company, the amount of said
bonds being $4,000. The refusal to
pay this interest virtually repudiates
these bonds; hence, in consequence of
the uncertainty that ''their redeemer
liveth," no Bourbon county bonds
could be disposed of, even if issued.
Allen county is divided by sectional
interests and conflicts. lola and Hum
boldt are situated near the north and
"; necessarily one of these cities
would be left out in The line of an
east and west. The section OF country
so left would use every effort, and
could, no doubt, succeed in defeating
the voting of county subsidies. Wood
soon county is actualed by the same
noble motives. Sectional contentious
for supremacy of one portion Of the
county over the other would insure
the defeat of any proposition to grant
aid for this or any other road.
For these and divers other reasons
Messrs. urgess & Co. preferred to
transfer their base of operations to
'green fields and pastures news" from
this desire new company. phenix
like, sprang into existence. The St.
Louis & Kansas Central company was
chartered Oh the 5th inst. The initial
point is at Girard, running thence
through the counties of Crawford,
Neosho, Wilson, Greenwood, Butler,
Sedgwick, Reno, Rice and terminate
at Ellsworth, in the county of that
name. At Eldorado branch of this
road runs through the counties of
Butter, Harvey, Mcpherson and ter
minating with the main line at Els
worth. on the Kansas Pacific railroad
The directors OF this road consist OF
the following gentlemen, the original
number named in the charter having
been increased from seven to thirteen: |
J. ID. Barker, Crawford county; Ed
ward Tucker, Greenwood county; III. |
W. Beck, Butler county; j. Kelly and |
Nj. w. Levy, Sedgwick county; a. Il.
Horner, Reno county; Moses Birch,
Rice county; L. Jackson, Ellsworth |
county; ID. Hamill, Harvey county; |
J. Z. Simpson and j. Lamer, McPher-
son county: T. f. Garner, Saline
county; J. w. Powers, Ellsworth
county.
At a meeting Of the directors held
at Fort Scott, April 9Th, the follow
ing officers were elected:
President-A. Il. Horner, Reno Co..
Vice Pres.-J. ID. Barker, Crawford.
Treasurer-T j. Barthlow, st. Louis.
Secretary-M. W. Levy. Sedgwick.
A contract was subsequently ell
tered into between the st. Louis &
Kansas Central railroad company and
Z. Burgess & Co., of st. Louis, for the
construction of this road. The details
are incomplete, but will be placed be-
fore your honorable body at your next
meeting. The purpose of the contract
is as follows:
The various counties through which
the road passes are to vote their bonds
in the sum of $4,000 per mile; these
bonds are TO be placed in escrow in
the State Savings Association, of st.
Louis, TO be held in trust until GER
tificate is issued by the County COM
missioners of the respective counties,
of the completion of ten miles OF road.
The trustee shall then deliver to E.
Burgess s. Co. $40, 600 of the bonds so J
issued. and so to continue until the
road is completed, the contractor TO
finish ten miles before any payment
shall become due. The county shall,
In addition to said bonds, pay the
said contractors $500 per mile in cash, ,
or in lieu thereof $500 in the stock of
the railrotd. company, which will be |
issued 10 the counties in considera- !
ton OF the amount, voted in bonds. ,
Under this contract the Union Trust +,
Company, of New York, were desig- 5
mated as trdstees for the first mort ,
gage bonds. The treasurer of the ,
company is authorized by the tenor ,
of the contract to sell the bonds of the .
counties aud apply the proceeds TO
the purposes named therein, Messrs.
Burgess & Co. reserving the right to
locate the road over the most feasible c
roote, touching such points as are
named i'll the charter of the company. !