The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1895-06-07
UNION DEPOT.
RAILWAY MAGNATES AGAIN
VISIT rlANkATO.
The Officials and Board of Trade
Committee Walk Over the Ground
From Washington Street to the
Blue Earth River--Details Discussed
this Time.

| blue Edrtn kiNeT--DctdliS DlSCuSSco
this Time.
The second conference between the
board of trade union depot committee
took place Friday in this city. The
matter was gone into more in detail
this time, and few words were wasted
on preliminaries. The way the con-
ference got down to practical facts
gives promise that success will attend
finally upon the efforts Of the board.
The officials present Friday were E.
w. Winters, general manager of the
Omaha road and also representing the
Northwestern; A. Mohler, general
manage, Col. VIM. Crooks, chief en-.
gineer, and E. H. Clark, superinten.
dent, all of the Minneapolis & st.
Louis road; and w. Irwin, division
superintendent of the Milwaukee
road. The Minneapolis & ST. Louis
officials arrived last evening, while
Mr.. Irwin did not arrive on his
special train until the first conference
this morning was completed.
The frsJ session opened at $3.50
o'clock in room 50 of The Saulpaugh,
on the fourth floor. A few of the
members of the board of trade and
citizens were present, besides the
committee, railroad officials and re-
porters.
Chairman Andrews, of the union
depot committee, stated that the
citizens of Mankato have long been
DESTROYS of having union depot, and
they thought that it would be best
both for the city and the railroads.
County Surveyor A. NJ. Haynes was
present with map of the city of 1889,
showing the present position of the
tracks, with two or three proposed
routes for the Omaha road to go
through the city along the river bank.
The alternative lines were in West
Mankato, and were the same that
were discussed several years ago. One
connects with the present track near
the cement works, second goes
straight through West Mankato and
cuts off little Of the east end of the
city park and joins the present track
past LeHlillier, and third goes
west of Sibley mound, across the Blue
Earth and goes east of the hill to the
same point as the second.
DR.. Andrews stated that the COM
lmittee was prepared to submit plan,
and would receive any plans from the
officials and be ready to meet them.
The officials closely examined the
map, and an informal discussion of
the topography of the ground and the
Feasibility of this or that plan fol-
lowed
Mr.. Winters stated that his road
had two or three alternative routes
through the city, and had an idea
where it would like to 60. Any
changes should be made to accommo-
date union depot. He asked what
it would cost to secure right of way
from Main street to the Blue Earth
river on the second or straight route
proposed, the right of way to be 100
feet wide.
j. N. Hall thought that it could be
secured for 100000 to $4,000, and
Jno. G. Noe thought that it could be
secured for not over $50, OOO.. The dis
tance is over mile.
Mr.. Winter explained that the
change would be so great that the
road would not be justified in secur-
ing right of way of less width than
100 feet.
Col Crooks stated that 100 feet was
not too wide, for if only so feet were
secured now, in five years another
fifty feet would be necessary, and it
would then be worth five times as
much as it would today.
In speaking of the present Omaha
track through the city, Mr.. Winter
said that in his opinion the safest
way to run trains through the city
woule be to run them at rate OF
25 miles an hour. This would prevent
the boys from attempting to catch
onto the cars, as they now do with
the speed of six miles an hour. The
chief danger to life is from this catch
ing onto moving trains. Still, his
road had cheerfully complied with
the ordinance which requires the low
speed, and it would continue to COM
ply with it, although if all the chill
dren in Mankato were his children he
would prefer the higher speed for
their safety,
Mr.. Noe stated that he saw six boys
trying to catch on train yesterday,
andsaw one conductor stopa train and