Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-07-09
RAILROAD ROW.

CiftnIinGttO!I OF the 1F0HOte bettOeeh Tue
minneapolis Eastern and Minneapolis d.
sc. L,uis-.Meetim0j Before the Com"ou
Committee Yrsterdny-B Both Corporations
Present Their Case.
The GLOBE has heretofore presented brief
" the matter under discussion between the
Minneapolis Eastern (Which is the Chicago
& Northwestern) and the Minneapolis & St.
Louis, but little fuller statement will serve
to place the matter all the more clearly be-
fore the public.
The Minneapolis Eastern is corporation
formed for the purpose of running line of
road from the Pacific railway bridge down
the bank OF the river into the very heart of
the flour manufacturing district. For some
months the Chicago & Northwestern have
desired to extend their line To this city, so as
to get their fair proportion of freights from
this locality, and SO thCy proposed
to the millers that If they would or
ganize company and secure the right of
way, they (the G. & N. W. would construct
the line, and eventually extend their road to
this city.
A company was at once organized, COM
posed Of the manufacturers whose interests
would be advanced A survey was put in
motion, and an effort made to secure the
right of way. But right on the threshold of
this enterprise, which was of SO
much value to the public, an
obstacle was met with. The Minneapolis
& st. Louis railway III 1870 secured the
right to run two tracks down the river bank,
crossing Hennepin avenue at the western
end of the suspension bridge. When tho
new bridge came to be built, the city con-
structed at the public expense, an approach
roads right of way by putting in retaining
wall, and building a bridge wide enough for
two tracks under which their cars could
pass. Only one track was laid down, how
ever, and the St. Louis road never discover
ed that it had use for any moro than one
until the Minneapolis Eastern began to Sc
cure their right of way. Then at once it
flashed upon the consciousness of the man
ayers of our local corporation (the st. Louis)
that they had long been suffering fcI two
tracks, and so after o'clock P. NJ. one
day last week workmen were employed, and
the I ills laid down SO as to fill the entire
space under the bridge, and thus (as it was
thought) the Eastern road was debarred from
the right of way, without they saw fit to pay
an exorbitant rate for private roperty which
would have to be taken unless they could run
under the bridge beside the St. Louis track.
At the last meeting of the city council an
ordinance was presented granting the right
of way to the Eastern road, giving them
room for one track under thu bridge. This
does not destroy the ii yht Of the st. Louis
road to its two tracks, but does compel it to
tear down the retaining wall and en-
large the opening for their
second track, ut an expense
of flom three to four thousand dollars. This
they very naturally object to doing, aud as
their road has heretofore been coddled and
1attsrel an fed on sugar plums at the ex-
pense of the tax payers OF this city, they
could not comprehend how the sweet-meats
should not be continued even at the risk of
driving the Northwestern corporation away
from the city entirely.
A meeting Of the committee on railroads
Ito which the ordinance was referred) was
held at the council chamber yesterday, md
both interests were represented before it.
The committee was pretty nearly equally di-
vided as to the merits of the case, two of
them favoring the spoiled child of Minnesp-
oils, and two of them looking at
1t as though the spoiled child had
sugar plums enough at the expense
of the tax paying public. and inclined to
vote for she good of the public at large.
1t is barely possible, however, that a
compromise agreement may be made
which will b. satisfactory all around.
Readers of the GLOBE are referred to the
council proceedings elsewhere published, for
the outcome Of the matter and the vote on
the question.