Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1886-01-18
AS 1T WAS AND AS TT is.

KEGS Main Track.
AS IT WAS AND AS 1T is.
Sunday morning when the Local off
Gals OF the Chicago, Milwaukee G. 81
Paul railroad gazed about them the,
discovered the existence of o side tract
rnnnin2 ~dlagonaliy across their owl
main track up to and along the soutl
side of the pork house.
Monday morning when the local Off
Gals of the Chicago & Northwestern rail
road took a view of the situation the,
found That the aforesaid side track haC
been moved from the main track of the
Milwaukee and from the one hundred
feet right of way lying on both sides Of
the main track.
WHY IT WAS NECESSARY.
This Is in brief a history OF the i'm.
portant railroad transactions in Yank.
ton between the close of business Satur.
day night and the resumption of bust.
ness Monday morning. 1t was o move
meDt upon the part Of the Northwestern
10 secure access to important Yankton
business aud a counter movement on the
part OF the Milwaukee to prevent the
cousummation OF It's designs.
The Northwestern track runs into
Iankton,ffom tue castor the north side
OF the Milwaukee track to about the zen.
ter OF the city and there crosses to the
south sid OF that track. East of this eros.
sing are the PORK house. all the elevators,
!arge lumber yard, the Excelsior mill
the bOttllDg works, coal yards, etc,
From a point near the eastern city limits
the Milwaukee has run a side track up
the levee which gives it access to eleva-
tors, mill, Lumber yards, etc.
and IA short di ,tance west OF
the eastern limits it has run another
side track alongside the pork house. IL
order to extend equal privileges to ship.
ern to secure like side track facilities
and to accomplish this 1t must run ITS
iron across the main track OF the Mil
waukee. One crossing point would be
sufficient, as from this it could send its
side tracks along the river front and up
to the pork house.
THE LAW IN H CASE.
The statutes of Dakota makeapToyis-
ION for emergencies of his nature, recIt-
ing (section 6, chapter as, laws of 1879
that such intersections Of tracks shall e
made and (sectlOn 7, same enactmeut)
that railroads coming together at ans
point shall have and use equal room,
ground, rights, privileges, and CONVEX
leuces for tracks, switches, sidiugs ana
t%urnouts upon any leVee, river bank or
Fl ont, steam boat or other public landing
and upon any street, block, alley,
square or public ground within any in
corporated town or city," ETC." The law
provides that two railroad companies
thus coming together shall unite for
such intersections and connections
and if there is any compensa-
ton for use of right
OF way ground upon which they cannot
agree the difference shall be adjusted
by commissioners appointed by
the proper authority. 1t does not APP
pear in this case that there was any
conflict between the companies regard
ing this crossing or any requests asked
or refused. The Northwestern, rest
ing upon It's legal rights in the prem
ises, proceeded to occupy the ground,
choosing the quiet of the night, when no
trains were running, for the consumma-
ton of its plans.
A MOONLIGHT JOB.
At half-past twelve o'clock
Sunday night a construction
train and a gang of men, under charge
of E. +. Potter, superintendent of con-
struction, and j. G. Burke, train master,
steamed quietly into Yapkton over the
Northwestern and halted at o point one
mile east OF the Northwestern depot.
They were provided with material and
appliances for railroad building and i'm
mediately proceeded to place a switch
in the Northwestern main line and q side
track therefrom to the pork house, some
forty rods distant. They worked
expeditiously and the task was
completed before daylight. In running
this side track to the pork house it WAS
necessary to cross the Milwaukee track
and at the point of intersections a sym.
metioal frog was inserted which would
enable the Milwaukee trains to pass the
point of contact without jar or jolt or dis
comfort to passengers. The Milwaukee
road bed was restored to its normal
condition and but for the presence OF
the frog no one would have
suspected that the Northwest.
Elm contemplated running cars
ACROSS the track of the Milwaukee
though the connecting switch track be-
tween the lines and the switch track
extension to and beyond the pork house
looked suspicious. But the frog gave
away the scheme. The Northwestern
folks, after the work was completed,
left q couple Of empty fiat cars on the
track between the two main lines anG
the working force steamed ont of town
as quietly AZ it had made the entry,
RETALIAToRy MEASURES.
Sunday morning some one IN the en-
ploy of the Milwaukee dis
covered the railroad improvement
consummated between two day.
and reported the iacts. Aeau