The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1886-01-28
KANsAs pRnIEnTs

The State Of Kansas will be q most
important field Of railroad operations
during the present year. The Mis-
souri, Pacific, Burlington, Rock Is
land, AtchisOu, Topeka & Santa Fe
and st Louis and SAM FranciscO have
an eye on this territory, and Ia addi-
tiOn there are q NUMBER OF indeDend-
ent projects under consideration, many
nf the latter being OF q speculative ma
ture, but backed by sufficient capital
20 carry them;unliiiabsOrbed by one Of
the powerful systems struggling for
supremacy la that state. Fort Scott
Is an important center from which
projected lines will radiate, aud Ar
kansas City Il IN the direct line Of adj
vaneement In railroad facilities. The
latter city Is now the terminus Of the
AtchisOn, Topeka and Santa Fe, and
the Beaumont Branch Of the st Louis
and San Francisco. The Santa Fe
Co. have located their extension on q
direct sOutherly line from Arkansas
City, through the Indian Territory,
to Dallas, Tex, and will commence
work on the road next month, giving
q through trunk line 20 the seaeOast 10
Galveston. The Kansas and Arkan-
sas Valley will commence work early
in the spring on their road from Fort
smith, Ark, to Arkansas City,
through the Indian Territory, max
ing 3 through line to New Orleans
aud the Gulf Of Mexico, via Little
Rock also giving & connection with
the Huntington system through the
South. Work will be eOmmenped
soon on the Geuda Springs, Caldwell
and Western Railway, which will be
= continuation of the Frisco from
Arkansas City to Caldwell, Summer
county, Kansas. The Santa Fe have
commenced work on the extension Of
their branch from Butler, Douglas
county, 20 Arkansas City. The same
company are building from Inde-
pendence west, with Arkansas City
as the prospective terminus Of that
branch. Fort SeOtt and Arkansas
City are headquarters for railroad
contractors, AMI large number OF
laborers are being gathered at those
points for AN active spring campaign.
The north and south lines from the
Dakota coal fields 10 New Orleans is
under active course Of construction.
General Manager Potter, Of the Bur
liEgton, will visit Fort Scott in a short
time TO look after the proposed exten-
sion from CarrOllton TO that city and
the opening Of spring will be the sig
nal for unprecedented activity IN rail-
road building In Kansas. IL Is
thought that the Frisco will have It's
line completed TO the State within
thirty days.
The western half Of Kansas, with
an area Of about 10000 square miles,
has a little over 200 miles OF railroad,
while the eastern half Of the state Is
covered with z, 500 miles of track. Il
Is in the western portion Of the state
that activity In railroad building will
be seen. The Santa Fe cOntemplates
the construction OF $50 miles Of road In
the state the Missouri Pacific has
several hundred miles under consider
alton. Tue Burlington Is reaching
down toward southern Kansas the
Rock Island has about $50 miles Of
new road in contemplation, q large
portion Of the amount IN Kansas; the
st. Paul Is invading part OF the state,
and the Union Pacific eObtemplates
some extensions in the same slate.
The inducements which are drawing
these important lines to Kansss in
clude the greatly Increased area under
with the attendant crops,
excelling thOse Of other Western
states. and the rapid growth in the
formerly thinly-peOpled counties west
Of the center Of the state.