St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-08-07
A RAILROAD WAR.
Fight Between the Manitoba and st.
Louis Over a Crossing.
The Men Waiting For an Injunction
to be Worked UP.

In the spring of 1885 the Minneapolis
q st. Louis railroad began an action in the
Hennepin district court to secure the right
to maintain and operate single track
railroad on strip Of land between
Fourth and Fifth avenues north,
connecting its line with the yards
up the Northern Pacific road, and crossing
the lines of the Manitoba road at the First
street bridge. This petition was granted
by the district court, but an appeal to the
supreme court was taken by the Manitoba.
The Minneapolis q st. Louis then applied
for permission to file bonds so that the
crossing could be laid pending the decision
of the appeal. This was done under the
act of 'S2. which gives railroads the right
to continue such work upon the filing of a
proper bond. The Manitoba also
opposed this. claiming the law was
not constitutional and did not
apply to the case. The supreme court de-
cided against the Manitoba again, and the
Minneapolis & st. Louis two weeks age
filed bonds in $780, 900. Twice after that,
it is claimed, the Minneapolis & st. Louis
asked the Manitoba officials to appoint q
time at which the crossing should be made.
j. j. Hill, president of the Manitoba, it is
claimed, agreed to meeting of the engi-
neers of the two roads, but the appointment
was not kept bv the Manitoba. Last even
ing the Minneapoli$ & St. Louis
people decided to bring matters
to crisis and at an early
hour had a full force of men on the spot
busily engaged in laying rails crossing the
Manitoba track on the same level. AS sOor
as this move came to the ears of the Mani
toba people they also sent out large crew
of men, armed with picks, spades and
shovels, and directed them to lower the
Manitoba tracks about two feet, thus rend-
ering any crossing by the st. Louis people
impossible. AS the second crew of men
put in an appearance the st. Louis men
showed
SIGNS OF HOSTILITY,
and for short time serious trouble was
feared. Both parties rushed at each other,
but beyond the smashing of one or two
lanterns no damage was done. AS the
row began the the police were summoned
and when they appeared the st. Louis men
drew off to one side, leaving the Manitoba
men in full possession. The work of
lowering the tracks went swiftly on, while
large and admiring crowd watched opera
tons from the bridge above and the high
banks.
At 9:15 the few police who had called
returned to the station. The Manitoba
men kept at work digging, and the tracks
sank slowly and surely down. Three or
four engines were kept standing near by,
thus preventing any sudden approach Of
st. Louis trains.
AN INJUNCTION SOUGHT.
AS soon as w. Fl. Truesdale, vice-presi-
6nr1t nf info ,od
what was going on he at once proceeded to
his office and there began to draw up Pc
tition to one of the judges of the courts
praying for an injunction restraining the
Manitoba road from interfering with the
st. Louis people in their work of putting
in their crossing. The document which
Mr.. Truesdale was working upon was a
Lengthy one, and is of necessity
very delicately worded. 81 cannot tell
yet" said Mr.. Truesdale, looking up from
his work. whether an injunction will be
granted tonight or not. In case it is we
shall serve it at once. All we ask for is
that we be let alone and allowed to prose-
cute our work in peace. L informed the
officers Of the Manitoba road this afternoon
that we should proceed at once to put i'll
the crossing, as the courts have
given us the right to do. We did
not work any snap game on them, as
you can see by my giving them notice that
we intended to go ahead and do the work.
Will there be any trouble, you ask? Well,
not unless they disobey this injunction, in
case we secure it. We don't want to hurt
any one, and do not intend to do so, not in
view of the fact that they tried to run an
engine over one of our men tonight" At
II o'clock Mr.. Truesdale had not secured
the injunction, and the Manitoba men were
still at work lowering their tracks.