Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-12-14
InterUicav Nth M,.. Merrill.

GLOBE reporter met Mr.. s. s. Merrill at The
Merchants last evening, and proceeded to bust.
ness by asking him the result Of the conference
with the st. Panl & Sioux City people,
We met them, said sir. Merrill and talked
matters over and had the papers and plats be.
fore us, but did not get through, and shall
meet again to morrow (to-day.)
Reporter--Does there seem to be prospect
of an agreement?
MIR. M.-Oh, yes; think we shall have no
trouble in coming to understanding. We
have told them, as we told the GLOBE that, we
had no inten ton to interfere with their RIGHTS
or their proposed shops.
Rep.-Have you agreed about the right Of
Mr.. M.-That is the point on which we differ.
We claim to own an undivided half in the right
of way with the Sioux City company, while
they claim to own the north half and give us
the south half. This point we deny
Rep-Mr. Bishop claims to have your de-
tailed statement dividing the property as they
claim.
Mr.. MI know that, but we don't SO under
stand it. We have the original contract Civ
ing the undivided half. We are consider
ing this question and shall meet again to-mor-
row to see if we agree.
Rep.-If you do agree, do you expect 20
push the road right along this winter.
Mr. M-We should not do the earth work,
but the rock work and the bridge would be
pushed right along through the winter, prob
ably.
Rep.-You have not yet explained why you
began work in the middle of the night,
Mr.. MI can explain that. We thought
there was only one way to get out on our line
without great trouble and expense. Our en-
gineers had reported. We heard that the
Sioux City company and other parties
would commence work line to Minneapolis
Tuesday morning, and we decided 30 begin
first in order to secure an outlet for the route
we had surveyed last July. That was all there
was to it. l have been up there since / came
yesterday, and l find there are three or four ways
to get out so that there is trouble on that
score rs expected. 1. was, perhaps, unneces-
sary to begin as we did but the information
we had led us to think it was important to oc-
cupy the ground and we did so. We don't
want to interfere with the Sioux City shops in
any way and don't propose to. They had a re-
port that we had tried to buy the tract which
they wanted, but we have satisfied them that
that was not true. We never thought of get
ting ything but the right Of way. think we
shall be able to agree grades so that all will
be satisfactory between the two companies.
Rep.-Did the report that the Chicago, Bur-
lington & Quincy road was endeavoring to
reach st. Paul by way Of the Minneapolis &
ST. Louis route have anything to do with your
sudden start?
Mr.. MI never heard of that until to-day.
We have no objection to the Chicago, Burling-
ton u Quincy coming to ST. Paul There is
plenty of room for the tracks, and we don't
care how many come in.
MIR. Merrill here turned interlocuter and ask
ed il the people of st. Paul did not want this
short line to Minneapolis. He was informed
that they did unanimously, but they feared
that some scheme other than that was on foot.
1t was opposition to this supposed hostile
scheme which aroused the people of St. Paul,
and not opposition to the short line Mr..
Merrill renewed his assurances that they had
no other object except to build short line to
Minneapolis. They were friendly to st. Paul
and had no desire to injure The city in any
way.
MIR. Merrill also stated that in a few days
they proposed to put on trains running dire
from st. Paul to Montevideo, being nearly $50
miles of the Hastings & Dakota road He
thought they would arrange to run over the
Sioux City road to Shal1oree. and from there
take their Hastings & Dakota line. IF they
did not do that they would run via Earning
ton.
With promise to renew the call to-day af-
ter the second conference, the GLOBE envoy de-
parted.
COST OF THE ROAD.
Supt. Prior, in a talk with GLOBE reporter,
said the proposed short line of road would cost
1888, 900; of that sum 100000 was required
for the bridge. He was anxious to go ahead
and make the expenditure, large portion of
it was rock work which could be done in the
winter as we'll as in the summer. For a
year and a half they had been running eight
trains daily with air brakes and all
modern improvements. between St. Paul and
Minneapolis, and it had not paid. They want
ed to get short line that could be run in
twenty minutes and see how that would work