Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-12-18
CHICAGO AND WICHITA.
The Extension OF the Rock isiant
and Pacific to Wichita.

CHICAGO AND WICHITA.
The Extension OF the Rock Island
and Pacific to Wichita.
Ii will be remembered that some
weeks since Senator Plumb, Gov. Os-
born, and A. w. Oliver, NJ. W. Levy,
Y. F. Niederlander and the editor of
this paper, visited Chicago in the in
terest of Kansas. While the visit was
an unofficial one, farther than the rep
resentatire character of the men who
composed the delegation, yet, as the
Kansas City and other papers have
mentioned the matter quite often, We
now feel justified in saying that sew
eral days were spent in consultations
with the representatives of the trunk
line interests of that city. The ST.
Louis, Kansas City and Topeka papers
are mistaken in saying that the dele
CATION were working for any particu-
lar point in Kansas in preference to
any others, or against any points out
side of Kansas. They simply went
there armed with statistics, and each
man personally being well equipped
with a knowledge, particular and gen.
eral, of this state, laid the facts
before each interest in turn
with view ofimpressipg them with
the idea that they must put their roads
out to the source of supplies instead
of waiting at the Missouri river for
such supplies to be brought to them.
The results of that one weeks labor
have been seen and heard OF
almost daily ever since. The only
railroad magnate talked TO who dis
pu;ed the position taken by the COM
mittee, or denied the facts submitted,
was Phil Armour, principal director
in the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul,
and who owns the packing houses al
Kansas City; but even he. in the end,
acknowledged that his road would be
extended, not only 10 Kansas City,
down on the west side of the Missouri
river, but that branch would be run
out into Kansas, probably to Topeka,
from some point on the Missouri river
as far north at least as Leavenworth,
Atchison or farther north.
We have said but little touching
what was really accomplished by that
visit, or of what was said by the diff
ferent arrangements in confidence,
but the following from the Kansas
City Times is probably not great
ways from the truth Of one instance:
the Times says:
For a long time it has been an open
secret that the Rock Island had designs
on Kansas. Innumerable rumors have
been IN circulation of late alleging the
intention of the Rock Island TO extend
its line next season and assigning a
number of routes which are to be
taken. The most plausible of these is
10 The effect that the company will
build line from Atchison, through
Topeka, 10 Emporia. and thence 10
Wichita, with road from Topeka TO
Kansas City. Not long since Senator
Plumb, accompanied by several Kan
sas gentlemen, called on General Man
agcr Cable of the Rock Island. While
M one in this city Is informed AS to
Ghe result of the interview, it is under
stood, Mr. Cable gave the senator as
H.. lao. rao1 mill ba htils
In this event Senator Plumb's Emporia
road viii become valuable.
The Chicago Times contains the
following:
st. Joseph, makes the statement that |
the line is To be pushed across the |
Missouri river at all early day, and |
out into the boundless west. One |
line IL 10 he extended into Nebraska |
aud the other southwest through Kau-
sas. At just what point on the Mis-
souri, river the crossing is TO be made |
is not known, but the general belief is |
that st. Joseph will be the place.
This surmise is founded on the fact |
tina, the extension from Winston TO |
ST. Joseph has been built with extra |
care, the grading is excellent, the rails
of the very best, the bridges of more |
than the usual strength aud solidity |
given 10 branch lines, and the road
has cost several hundred dollars more
per mile TO build it than any 9TH
er branch line, equaling the
main line in all its respects. |
Color is given TO the report that
the extensions are to be made into
western territory by the fact that sew
cral surveying parties are in the field
west of the Missouri river, laying out
lines in the direction indicated. In
with President X. Il. Cable
with reference to the above, he re-
marked that the official referred to,
Mr.. Low, the solicitor of the company
at ST. JOSEPH, presumably knew what
he was talking about. II the settle
ment of the question as TO the point
of crossing the Missouri river was re-
ferred TO him, he should recommend
either st. Joseph or Atchison as
proper points. Mr.. Cable neither af-
iirmed nor denied the intentions of
the Rock Island to build as stated, but
there is little douut that the extensions
are under consideration and contem-
plated, and all indications point to St.
Joseph as the place of crossing. Such
a move would make St. joseph a very
important center in a railroad sense,
and s prospective rival of Kansas
City"