The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-09-20
quarters.

Major Jones better known as Buffalo
Jones, was in the city yesterday. He came
up to meet Private Secretary Fred Close
of the governors staff, both of whom were
wanted in Texas concerning some details
OF the North and South" road, spoken OF
so much. That road, it appears from the
statement Of Mr.. Jones Is now more than
dream-it is reality Fifty miles of it is
already built from Fort Boliver north and
arrangements have been made to build 300
miles of it at the rate of two miles per day.
About 200 miles Of this will be in Texas
ana 100 or I25 in Kansas. They have Sc
cured promise of s., 600, 600 from English
capitalists to be secured with fl st mort
gage bonds at the completion of every i've
miles. The agent of the company of CAPT.
talists mentioned, after the proposition
was first submitted to them, visited this
country. interviewed the promoters Of the
enterprise aud prepared favorable report.
so favorable that two members of the con-
struction company returned with him TO
England to make arrangements for the
steel necessary to build the road.
The English capitailsts,it appears won Id
put no money in the road except
upon agreement that 1t should
the rails must be of steel but the ties and
bridges as well. This will save the enor-
nous cost of kee ping an Old style road IN
repair. The steel is manufact ured by some
peculiar process that it will not rust ana
is guaranteed for forty years. With this
material road VIII cost about S4,OOO per
mile more than an ordinary old style road,
but the wise heads of England who control
fat purses see that the annual! cost OF re-
pairing mile of the old style road would
be vastly greater than the interest on the
difference in cost. Besides that item alone
there are other points in its favor such as
personal and property damages which
would be reduced 10 minimum, and the
increased time which could be made by
trains, the company calculating that n
speed of at least sixty miles can be made
OH road built exclusively OF steel.
In Texas no bonds are voted to a railroad
from munich Dalities. and before road can
be built in that state, permission must be
acquired from the state. Texas holding
that it must and will protect people who
invest in its railroad property. The COM
missioners ascertain the cost per mile OF a
contemplated road and will not allow bonds
to be issued to any company OF investors Tor
a greater sum than said cost. In other
words if a road can be built for SIG, 600 per
mile Texas will not allow it to be bonded
for $50, 600 per mile as is done IN most OF the
states-it cannot be bonded for more than
the SO go and if railroad companies don't
want to build on those terms they can
stay out of the state. Mr.. Jones thought
the road would cost about $1,000 per mile
for building and equipping and would
eventually exted from Manitoba to Fort
Boliver, where there Is from twenty-five to
fifty feet of water. The latter place is
about six miles from Galveston. He
would not state its route through Kansas
which, he says, will depend largely on
what the Kansas people will do for it. but
lie thought that the Wichita people should
interest themselves in il. He thought 1T
very probable that Wichita, by the proper
effort. could get the machine shops as
well MS the headquarters of the road; for
the law makes 1t compulsory TO have
headquarters in this state.
Mr. Close and Mr.. Jones, with repre-
sentative of the English capitalists, Left
for Austin. lex, last evening.