Wichita eagle., 1886-11-03
THE RAILROADS.
The Battle OF the Giants for the
Southwestern Territory.
Twenty-Five Thousand Men Enlisted-Thc Rock
Islands Fresh Start in KansaS-The Cnf
in East-B0und Rates-GeneraI News.

Special Correspondence Of the Globe Democrat.
CoUNCH. GROVE, Kan, Oct. 30.-Th,
report has been current in Kansas for some
weeks that the Rock Island people were
! likely to enter into some traffic arrange
ment with the Santa Fe whereby the form
er's invasion Of the southwest should stor
at Topeka. The talk among the railroad
men was that the Santa Fe's part of tht
| bargain would be the abandonment Of it,
! Chicago extension There has been some
alleged bargain. For several months the
Rock Island has had graders and con
structiOn gangs strung out all the
way between Topeka and St Joseph, where
it enters this state, but until two days
ago had not thrown spadeful of dirt west
of Topeka This rather stimulated belief
in the story of a compromise. If there
were any negotiations looking TO such an
arrangement they are all OFF The Rock
Island goes west from Topeka with a
rush. On Friday q train-load Of graders
nneypectly disembarked at the little city of
Herington, in Dickinson county. Yester-
day sixteen car loads of mules, plows and
scrapers, and the baggage of q big outfit of
railroad builders reached Hcrington, and
tomorrow the dirt will fly in both direc-
tons, southwest toward Wichita, and
northeast toward Topeka.
ONE OF THE GIANTS.
Two days ago the graders started west
from Topeka toward White City, which is
on the route to Herington. There is no
larger any doubt about the Rock Island
going through Kansas, diagonally from
the northeast to the southwest. At Her
ington, or just below there, the main road
Of the Rock Island will fork, one branch
going due south to Wichita and Hume
well, where the Indian territory is reached,
and the other branch extending southwest
to Hutchinson, and, on The Panhandle Of
Texas, with Ell Paso, on the border of
Mexico, as the ultimate terminus. This is
part Of the battle of the giants now going
on in Kansas, the Indian territory and
North Texas. The Rock Island has per
haps 4 800 men now at work on this
Kansas extension. The grading con-
tracts are limited TO five miles
The Herington incident of yesterday is but
one of many \ train is chartered, and
away goes detachment Of this construc-
ton army over the Missouri Pacific, or the
Santa Fe, or some other road to the point
VI tlOoolh7 oCACStcd W Tic NUN ISld!iu.
Mcn and mules and implements are unload
ed, and before twenty-four hours have pass
cd the regiment is strung out over the prai-
RE, blowing and scraping and leveling
Regularly differed ond equipped is this
army Of railroad builders The system is
perfect Train loads of ties and bridge
timbers follow the advance corps and the
rails come close behind. The Rock Island
is grading, tieing, bridging laying rails
and completing its road through Kansas at
the rate of more than mile day. The
assertion is ventured that there never was
such perfectly organized and rapid railroad
as is now to be seen going Oh
N the southwest.
ANOTHER OF TILE GIANTS.
And the Rock Island is but one of the |
giants. While this company pushes south
west, tapping the Neosh0 Division of the |
i9uld system at White City, aud the To-
)eka, Salina and Western Division Of the |
same at Herington, and goes on to tap at |
half q dozen points further south the Santa |
Fc system, the Missouri Pacific is pushing
westward with a stride fully equal .o, if
lot greater than that of the Rock Island.
BY the time the Rock Island reaches the
L
viii have crossed the west line Of the state.
Vt every junction point from ST. Louis to
'ouncil Grove, at Holden, at Paola, at Lo-
oy, the yards are full or cars loaded with
ails and ties. Such a glut of freight was
lever known. 1t taxes the ingenuity of the
rain dispatchcrs to the utmost Again
nd again, in Il trip to the
ront. delays are encountered by the blocks
Which seems inevitable with such ire
lendous strain on the working capacity of
he road. When two freights meets two
ther freight at switch only long enough
or one freight, and passenger train
ONES up with right of way there is stu
ton calculated to make everybody pro
lne, but such situation is of more than
ally occurrcnc, nov that construction ma
rial is going forward by the hundreds of
lrS.
\ GRAND AGGREGATION.
II seems as if all the rolling stock OF the
)untry has been levied on for this grand
lgagement One finds a Lehigh Valley
n. a Mobile & Ohio car, Union Pacific
II and q Chicago, Milwaukee & st. Pau!
II linked together for the front. Return
rs car Immediately to Grand Rapids to be
aded with implements the notice may +:
3 read, bat all the same that car is ,
eaded for western Kansas with bridge
mbcrs
The Missouri Pacific is probably con :
ructing faster than the Rock Island. al I
iough the showing is not so striking.
! lille the Rock Island is building straight
head on one trunk line the Missouri Paci- ;
c has half Il dozen Kansas irons in the fire. {
here is 4 forty cut off from Kansas {
lily southwest to Paola Between Ottawa
I'd Council Grove the iron $ going down
n q due west route, which was surveyed {
al planned away back before Goald's
me, when the GaFrisons controlled the ,
iiSsouri Pacific. From Council Grove ,
ne west to Salina the Missouri Pacific has
ighty miles Of road in operation. AMI from
alma westward the line reaching out 10
ne Colorado boundary is going down.
his means IN air line for the
iiSsoUri Pacific due west across Missouri
nd Kansas into Colorado. without the
fly miles jog northward from Holden. 1t !
leans ! through east and west route with
ut going around by Kansas City There
probably 10 eXa@geration in saving that
be Missouri Pacific has 5000 men IN lis
corps, for besides hurryinr on
he completion Of this trunk line ii has an
XtcnSicn underway southwest from LEROY,
Kan. 10 the southern Kansas border. and
u extension northeast from Dallas, Tex.
THIRD GIANT.
Such are two Of the giants in this rreat
Engagement. The Santa Fe Is another
IN one new piece of road from Arkansas
lily south through tue Indian Territory 10
he Texas border the Santa Fe has 3.00O
men ii work This is 10
DIN the Santa Fe in Kansas with the
santa re IN Texas before next summer. On
= n.hrr l.rnn..hns in En-s.s IL, So. /