Omaha daily bee., 1883-09-17

!
the great Milwaukee line At Cherokee,
Iowa, about midway between Decatur and
Spencer, it will cross the Illinois Central
road. At Oakland in Nebraska it will
connect with the st. Paul & Omaha, and
at Fremont it will interest the Sioux City
branch Of the Northwestern, as well as
the Union Pacific. At Lincoln it will
cross the B. & M. system and in its course
south will cross six branches of the U. =.
in Kansas.
From Salina a road is in course of con-
struction TO Council Grove, where it will
Connect with the Missouri Pacific, reach
ing to oil the great coal fields Of south
eastern Kansas, and opening up to Ne
braska . new source of fuel supply.
Besides these actual ard prospective
connections, the Topeka, SIi,na n West
ern road reaches into some OF the most
important coal fields OF Kansas, and ira
verses the great wheat belt. Millions of
bushels of the fine winter wheat produced
i'll this section Of Kansas is bought and
used by Minneapolis millers every sea-
son, and when this projected route is
completed it will, of course, follow it in
stead of the roundabout way through
Kansas CITY.
The northern end of the line gives di-
rect connection with the p%inerics of Min
nesota and Wisconsin.
The managers assert that the enter
prise is not backed by any particular rail
road company, but that ample capital had
been secured for its construction. All
that is needed is such organization and
assistance as will put the investment into
good and safe shape, and it will be at
once hurried to completion. The com
pany will ask assistance of the communi-
ties through which the road will pass, on
the condition that the road shall be COM
pleted through the county from one end
or the other before a cent is paid. In
this State Oakland will doubtless be the
point at which work will begin, ON ac-
count of superior facilities for having
material laid down. The propositions
submitted to localities in this vicinity will
stipulate for a communication with that
point for q continuous line south.
The cost of the road, exclusive of some
heavy bridging, will be about S12, 900 per
mile. 1t is the intention to limit the
stock and securities issued, to that the
road will have no difficulty in earning
good dividends after the first year OF its
operation.
1t is the intention to consolidate the en-
tire line from Salina, Kansas, to Spencer,
Iowa, as soon as the preliminary work is
done, and the financial and construction
arrangements will all be made upon the
basis of a line 260 miles long. The
Kansas portion of the line is ready for
operations to begin, and work is only
waiting upon the condition of affairs in
Nebraska.
The B. & M. has 80 thoroughly COW
cred the southern tier of counties with
railroad iron that it jealously resents in
%trusion from all but those sufficiently
powerful to give it battle on any field.
The organization of the Salina, Lincoln
& Decatur company was the signal for
hostilities. A new company was imme-
diately put in the field, with the compre-
hensive title of the Chicago, Iowa & Kan
sas Railroad company, with the avowed
purpose of covering nearly the same
route from the Nebraska line to Salina.
Supt. Holdredge and the hackers of the
road visited Odell, the point where the
Salina line will connect with the main
system of the B. e. NJ, and opened stock
subscription books. 1t is a matter of
common rumor that this work will also
be commenced this fall, for the purpose,
| as would appear, of throwing a damper
IN tho Salipo Tipco1p G, naook,r n,o
=. ject.
as a feeder to the b. & M. known as the
Nebraska & Colorado company, which
/ proposes to build west from Beatrice.
The Express says the present line of the
3 Beatrice branch will be followed from
Beatrice to Dewitt, to avoid several cost
: ly bridges and other heavy railroad work.
, The road will be built from De Witt
I across the southeast corner of Saline
county, running north to Plymouth and
Fairbury, in Jefferson county, crossing
) the st. Joe g. Western at or in the vicin-
) ity of Belvidere, running to Hebron and
thence to Chester, on the Republican
Valley line of the B. & M. The entire
line from Beatrice to Chester will not be
completed this winter, as the season for
railroad building is now too far gone to
permit the building of about seventy
miles of road.
The wonderful growth and prosperity
of the Republican Valley in past years is
supplemented the present year with a
| harvest of grain, vegetables and stock
l that puts all previous records in the
shade. Fourteen years ago it was thought
t by many that the region watered by the
Republican, now comprising eight of the
, southern tier of counties in Nebraska,
was a wild waste, and that it could
not be used for any other than
t grazing purposes. The men who settled
in that region then and successfully
braved the privations Of pioneering, can
) now look upon that same region dotted
with thriving villages, substantial homes,
stacks of grain and waving fields of corn.
? The excellence of this valley for stock
, raising has long been known and sought
after. The great herds of buffalo found
by the early settlers left no doubt about
the grass and water. Buffalo grass still
grows and cattle fatten nicely upon it,
and if the snowfall is not too great thrive
0 all winter with no other food. But the