Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1880-03-22
IMPORTANT RAILROAD TRANSFER.
Manager Merrill Secures 4 Lease Of the
Sioux City 4 Dakota.
And Yankton becomssths Western Termin'
US OF the Most Powerful Railway
Corporation In the West.

Us Of the Most Powerful Railway
Corporation In the West.
The Chicago, Milwaukee I St. Paul Have
Como 70 Stay.
In our Saturdays issue We announced the
arrival Of . party Of representative men
belonging to the Chicago, Milwaukee, St.
Paul railroad company and>of another party
of men who controlled the destinies of the
late Sioux City 4 Dakota road. They came
from different directions. apparently with
no common purpose, and their meeting in
Ysnkton was seemingly an accidental one.
But accidents Of this nature never occur
with railroad men. When they have
an object. to accomplish they drop down
suddenly upon a chosen spot, place their
heads together, reach a conclusion and skip
out before the contamination of their labors
is really understood in the community which
1t most affects. So 1t was with these parties.
They touched at Yankton for the purpose Of
closing a bargain which had long been in
contemplation. Mr.. Wicker was desirou.
Of trading off the elephant which had for
years remained upon his hands and had
%latterly become unsaleable because Mr.. Blair,
his partner in the ownership, would moi
agree to a transfer of the property. Mr.,
Wicker was president with a long lease
of Office, and the road was virtually under
his management, though the Blair interest
was constantly between him and any agree
ment for . transfer.
The Milwaukee company had an envioul
eye upon the freight business which circum.
stances had centred at Yankton for the COM
ing navigation season, and not having it's
own road completed was DESTROYS of procur.
ing the use of the Wicker and Blair line
with which to operate during the interval.
MI. Wicker was willing and Mr.. Blair was
not. But the former was the manager Of
the whole concern, and if he could keep the
latter out Of the way long enough, the entire
business could be given his official sanction
0uA OhSV W0tCu WOulu 1Su1d4u O1uu-
ing long enough to enable the Milwaukee
folks to carry out their designs. So the
quiet meeting of the operators of the two
lines was arranged at Yankton for Saturday
evening. The papers we're all drawn up
in advance and each railroad was represent.
ed by its attorney. Saturday afternoon and
evening the parties came together at the
Yankton Office of the Sioux City & Dakots
company, when a lease Of the entire proper.
ty was made to the Chicago, Milwaukee &
St. Paul railway company. The possession
of the property was surrendered to s. =
Merrill, general manager Of the G. NJ. & St.
P. Co, who has appointed George E. Mer.
chant superintendent. The leased property
embraces the recently consolidated Dakota
Southern and Sioux City & Pembina rail.
road and will be operated as the Sioux City
and Dakota division of the Chicago, Mil.
waukee & St. Paul railway.
As soon as the arrangement was consum.
mated and the papers filed with the secreta.
~ of the territory, the following orders we're
issued: s
Office of the president of the Sioux City
and Dakota railroad company, Yankton,
March 20, 1880.
To the officers, agents and employees of the
Siour City and Dakota railroad company
The property of this company, having been
BY order of the board of directors, leased to
the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul rail-
Uov oounonv von ORC hoeohv not;EoJ %ho&
all orders and instructions for the running
and operating of the road, will from this
day, be given through s. s Merrill, general
manager Of the Chicago, Milwaukee and
St. Paul railway company.
CHAs. G. WICKER, President.
Office Of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St..
Paul railwsy company, Yankton, March 20,
1880.
NOTICE.: Mr.. George E. Merchant ha.
been duly appointed superintendent of the
Sioux City and Dakota division of the Chi
cago, Milwaukee and St. Paul railway, ex.
lending from Yankton to Sioux City, and
from Sioux City to Sioux Falls.
8. S. MERRILL, General Manager.
1t was after nine O'Clock at night when
the news OF this important change leaked
out, but the lateness of the honr did not
the news from spreading with
and people were soon discussing II
with excited earnestnes-. As soon as the
of the arrangement were understood
it vas general y agreed that 1t was q big
thing for Ysnkton. There was q realizs-
ten that at last we were relieved from un.
just determinations in railway manage
ment and were placed upon a footing with
the rest of the world. SO far as freight rates
were concerned. More than this. we had
suddenly become an important point at the
western terminus of six hundred miles of
trunk line all owned by one company and
that company the most powerful in all the
west. Between the MissIssipni and the