Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1893-04-12


culverts and small bridges The road
bed for such road would cost approx
imately s15,0 900 per mile, which would
be:
Road-bed...... S,000, ,000
Bridges l,25O 900
Culverts and small bridges .......... 1,000,00
Cross ties observation-disclosures. 2eO0O0O
Steel rails, so pounds to the yard lo,Soo, 200
Stations. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. $4,000
Right OF way and terminals. ......... 100000
Track laying .....-.-................,. 1,330,000
Engineering expense .............. 1890 600
Add per cent for sidings. ............ 10000
Organization, Observation-Disclosures. $4,000
Cost Of road bed ready for equipment So sOo, 200
Add TO this the cost OF equipment as a
frst-class road, $50 freight and pas
senger engines, 80 palace, 40 bag
gage, 10 cabooses and 500 freight
cars COST. .-.-......-....S . osSo,OOO
Total approximate cost. S34 s26 200
This sum must be procured from the
several states buying stock of and issu-
ing bonds to the company in proportion
to the number of miles constructed in
each state as follows:
Texas ...-......-... ........... $40 miles
Indian Nation. 230 miles
Kansas 2i0 miles
s.oot aoha ---...'.-.. ~ miles
south Dakota. ........................ go miles
North Dakota......... 80 miles
Total ......................i,s3O $50 miles
at the rate of SO, 100 per mile. The
question is, how would this scheme be
managed? A company of private indi-
viduals would have to procure a charter
for the purpose of organization and the
several state legislatures, or the gov
ernors appointing directors to represent
the state in the company, or would
each state manage the part or section
within its own borders? How can the
tolls be collected, and who will take
charge of the funds? ! must admit
that am little skeptical in regard to
the success OF the scheme in it's present
shape, and would hesitate to advise any
state to go into scheme of the kind
prodosed l think if there is to be a
great north and : s,uth road to be built,
that our dear cd friend, Uncle Sam,
would be the proper party to take hold
of such scheme. Where the interests
of one-third of the inhabitants of this
broad country are concerned in such an
undertaking, it would be an Interstate
railroad and properly would come under
government control.
! think that the government could
build such a road and manage it with
greater economy, more satisfaction,
and would give greater benefit to the
people interested in cheap transporta-
ton than if it were managed by a cor
poration or by the several states living
contiguous to it
The proper location for such a road
would be north and south from Calves
ton to the head of Lake Superior Not
as our Kansas friend suggests, which
would locate it too far west of the CEN,
ter of population in the great valley
and would antagonize the eastern
portion of the valley against such a
scheme. The location should be CEN
trail, and road projected nearly due.
north and south would be of the most
general benefit to the several states
that would be expected to contribute TO
the enterprise. Branches could be con-
structed leading off to the right and
left at convenient distances. which
would not cost so much to construct
and which would accommodate the peo-.
pie in the interior section of the several
states as satisfactorily as if a double
track trunk line passed through the
neighborhood A direct north and
south road would be better for vast
majority of the people west of the Mis-
sissippi than one commencing at Gal
weston, running to Arkansas CITY,
Hastings and Bismarck k-Daniel OFla-
herty, in Kansas CITY Times