The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-01-08
ANOTHER BIG THING FOR WICHITA.
The Contracts Signed for the Extension OF the
Rock Island to Fort Worth.

Victories and blessings are crowdiug
| thick and fast upon the Peerless Princess.
No previous year since the city was started
made its entry with fuller cornucopia OF
! good things for Wichita than the year
lS92. There has not been single day
since the new year came in but what the
EAGLE has heralded the arrival of some
thing good for Wichita, and from the
present outlook the good news will con-
tlnue to go every morning, uninteruptedly,
TO the breakfast tables Of all the readers OF
the EAGLE. The latest good news to be
conveyed is the uuquestionable fact that
the Rock Island road has let its
contracts for grading and material
for Immediate extension from Minco, l. T.,
to Fort Worth, Tex 1t has been known
here for some time that the company con-
templated extending the road into the in
terror of Texas this winter and pushing it
to the gulf next fall and winter, but no
one knew the route that would be selected
until Wednesday, when Mayor Smith of
Fort Worth received a letter from St.
Louis banker containing the intelligence
as will be seen by the following extract
from double loaded article in the Fort
Worth Gazette of yesterday morning:
For several weeks it has been generally
known that the great Chicago, Rock Island
and Pacific railroad system, the southern
terminus OF which is now at Minco. in the
Indian Territory, would extend its line
into Texas. Almost before the fact was
known the engineers were in the field and
at work running line 10 Red river.
While it was known that the road would
bulld into Texas, it was not positively
l. FaNF-rl AfaNT Ii
he character of the country was such that
the most practical route would bring the
Rock Island TO Fort Worth
Mr.. Robert w. Day Of Topeka, Kan, a
well-known civil engineer. was sent over :
the route, and he was in the city few
days ago, mention Of his presence here
having been made in the Gazette. From
here Mr.. Day went up into Wise county,
where he made horseback survey, and
the next thing heard of him he was in
Galveston with Chief Engineer Parker of
the Rock Island system. All these things
looked as if the Rock Island people meant
business. and yesterday the good news
WAS received here that the Rock Island
was coming to Fort Worth.
The good news was received in 4 letter
by Mayor Smith from prominent banker /
in St. Louis, who wrote that he had seen a !
contract duly sisned up for the steel aud !
rails for the extension of the Chicago, |
Rock Island and Pacific road from Minco, |
IN the Indian ter-itorT, to Fort Worth |
The news Is authentic, reliable, correct, |
true and glorious.
At first sight this information might |
not seem to everybody so suspicious for |
Wichita but those who have studied the /
extent Of the territory through which the |
road will run and its relation to Wich- |
tia can see at glance the Importance of /
the extension. 1t will simply open up |
millions Of acres of undevelOped country /
within the circle of Wichitas commercial /
territory, all of which is very productive !
and of course its development is bound to |
Increase the business of Wichita. The ex-
ension will connect Wichita with the
western part of the Chickasaw nation. the
entire Kiowa reservation, Greer county
md the border counties of Texas. The
Chickasaw nation Is already very well set
led. Hundreds of thousands OF dollars
worth OF goods are consumed there every
-ear and when the extension is completed
his trade will come to Wichita on the
Rock Island instead of to st. Louis and 1
as heretofore over the Denver
nd Fort Worth. The kiowa reserya-
ion viii be settled at no distant
ay and so will all the fertile valleys of
he Red river. It will open up fine mar
et also for the products of southern Kan
as. To demonstrate this corn is selling
ow in all the towns on the northern
order of Texas for % cents a bushel or
t least that is what it is quoted at this
7eek in the Iowa Park Times, the princi-
al paper of Wichita county, Texas, which
rrived at the EAGLE Office yesterday.
Wichita is rapidly becoming the agricul-
ural implement center Of the southwest
nd will have no competitor in supplying
Il the territory and the northern part of
exas, where this extension is built. in .
MS one item of commerce az least.