The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1895-12-06
THE RAILROAD MOVES.
A CHICAGO s NORTHWESTERN
OFFICIAL TALKS.
he Explains Under What Circum.
stances the Extension from r1an-
kato Would go to Sleepy Eye In
stead of New UIm-St. Peter Fa.
vors the Proposed Milwaukee Ex-
tension to Benton junction.

A prominent official of the Chicago
& Northwestern road was in the city
Friday, and was interviewed by the
FREE PRESS in regard to the pro-
posed extension of the road to New
Ulm or Sleepy Eye. He did not de-
sire to be quoted, so we will withhold
his name. 'The whole trouble"
said he, sis due to the proposed
crossing of our road the other side of
New Ulm by the Winthrop branch of
the M. & ST. L. road. This crossing
will occur on a side hill which our
trains can only go up now by getting
fast start at the foot. BY the aid
of two engines we can manage to get
fourteen cars up the grade now. If
the crossing is put in on grade, then
our trains will have to stop On the
side hill, and cannot get started
again. The M. & ST. L. can just as
well go under our track there, and
there would then be no trouble. 1t
would have to make seven foot fill
to cross our track on grade, while it
admits that it could make a seven
foot cut as we'll as not. Our track
could be raised six feet at that point,
and we would be willing that the NJ.
& St. L. should do this. The M. &
St. L. could then pass under our
track and cause no trouble. The in
terlocking switch would not be SER
viceable, owing to a bend at the point
of crossing.
sour road will take steps to pre-
vent the M. & st. L. crossing us on
grade, and the matter will come be-
fore Judge Weber. Upon the de-
cision of this question will depend
where the extension of the road from
Mankato goes to, whether to New
Ulm or Sleepy Eye. We have a
heavy through freight business from
the west, and it must have every
facility for quick handling. 1t would
save about two miles to have an air
line to Sleepy Eye over one to New
Ulm. If the M. & St. L. will 60 I'M
der our road on the hill side, the @.
& N. w. will undoubtedly soon
straighten it's road between Mankato
and New Ulm. The Winthrop branch
is an assured thing, and it would be
useless for our road to try to defeat
it now, and we are not trying to.
'The fact that the Omaha road is
about to change it's tracks in Manka-
to at large expense indicates that
the @. & n. W. road is getting in a
position to do something to straighten
and shorten it's line, and it is now
reasonable to suppose that the time
is near at hand when decisive action
will be taken"
A gentleman from New Ulm who
was in the city today said that. about
fifteen of the eighteen miles of road
for the Winthrop branch has been
graded, but that nothing has yet
been done on the west side of the
river, where the crossing will occur.
The New Ulm ReUieaU comments on
the proposed moves as follows:
The Northwestern has no idea
whatever of building from Mankato
to Sleepy Eye passing south of New
Ulm, and moments thought will
demonstrate the unreasonableness of
1such move. What they do propose
is to build up the river from Mankato
to New Ulm, providing no change is
made in their grades here and this
proposition will be carried into ex-
cution next year. New Ulm could
only welcome such change, as being
greatly to her advantage.