Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-06-24
cANNoN VALLEY RAILROAD VAR.


General Manager Stickney aud Superin-
tendent Prior Lock Horns on the APP
prosch to Northfield-A Lively Shuttle
for an Old but Valuable swamp Land
Grant.
There is music in the air in and about
Northfeld. To properly account for this and
give the readers of the GLOBE an idea of the
matter it may perhaps be as well to make
some explanations. Some years ago the far
seeing residents of the Cannon river valley
obtained grant of 100000 acres of swamp
lands for the purpose of creating slack water
navigation on the Cannon river and thence
via the intervening lakes between Red Wing
and Mankato, distance of about 100 miles.
The scheme did not materialze, and as the
years rolled by slack water lost cost, as being
too slow. They wanted a railroad, and a
complaisant legislature transferred the grant
from the Slackwater Navigation company to
the Minnesota Central Railway company and
gave it until the first of January, 1883,
to build the road aud secure the grant. Steps
were taken to carry out the project. The diff
ferent towns and cities along the line OF road
were asked to vote bond bonus OF $l50,0O0
to aid its building. Red Wing responded
with $4,000; Faribault, $50, 900; Cannon
Falls, $4,000, and Morristown, $4,000
Bridgewater or Dnndas declined to give Sc, 5000.
and the question of Mortified giving $4,000
is to be submitted to vote OF its citizens at a
special election to be held next Wednesday.
In the meantime the Minnesota Central COM
menced work and section of the road from
Waterville to Faribault is now being built as
rapidly as men and money can do 1t. Now
this upon its face seems to be fair and
square arrangement. The Minnesota Central
road is an independent corporation. 1t is
backed by sufficient money to insure It's con.
struction. Its eastern terminus is Red Wing
and its western end is at MankatO. 1t runs
through one of the Oldest, most populous and
prosperous sections of the state. All along
its line are mills, and it is a low
estimate to state that during the past year the
Chicago, Milwaukee & St.. Paul road has derived
a revenue from this source of half million of
dollars, for freightage on flour alone, to say
nothing of other sources of income. Natur-
ally this mammoth company does not look
upon rival road that will cut off this i'm
mense business with very great favor. The
line of the Minnesota Central is surveyed from
Mankato to Red Wing and its stakes are stuck.
To checkmate this movement the Chicago &
Milwaukee company have decided to build d
road of their own from Red Wing to North
field, where they will intersect with their Iowa
& Minnesota division. To do this they have
stuck their stakes so that they lap one-half
upon the line of the Minnesota Central. This
brings us to the music at Northficld. This
city has about a mile and half or two miles
OF a graded wagon road running towards
Waterford, on the banks of the Cannon river.
This is the only feasible route for railroad
track and both the companies are besieging
the city council of Mortified for the right
of way over this highway. The
Milwaukee company say they have right to
control the territory as they helped develop it,
and say, with show of truth that the Central
road has neither terminus or termini, as it does
not connect with the Omaha road at Mankato,
or with the Milwaukee road at Red Wing. To
Offset this, the Central has the right to bridge
the Mississippi at Red Wing and connect with
the Omaha road in Wisconsin, or, by building
thirty-fye miles of road from Red Wing south,
they can connect with the Northwestern. In
the meantime, Northfsld seems to "hold the
ace" She owns and controls the two miles OF
graded approach to the city, and is asked to
give $4,000 in aid of the Central. That two
miles of graded road within her corporate
limits is trump card, and, if she plays il
right, can win the stakes. The outcome Of this
fight will be watched with interest. and in the
meantime Mr.. Stickney and his associates in
the scheme can go forward and build their
road with the assurance that they have q
property, regardless of the action of other
lines, that will, in the end, prove to be pay
ing investment for all interested in it's Goa
struetion.