Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1895-12-16
WOES OF TILLOTSON.
His Pet Street Railway Project at
Oshkosh is Likely to
MiScarry.

Oshkosh, Wis, zee. 11.-[Special] 1.-The
mystery surrounding the affairs of the
Central Wisconsin Electric Street Rail
way company, the corporation which pro-
poses, in promises, to do so much for the
city of Oshkosh, bid fair to be very
clearly set forth in suit which has
been begun in the United States court.
For nearly two years the company has
been dallying with Oshkosh and all eff
forts to gain knowledge of the parties
back of the project, CT anything about
it, have proven fruitless.
The suit is in equity and in it G. e.
Loss and Philip J. Partenheim seek to
recover the value of large quantity of
about $4,000 The rails in question
were replevined by Marshal Pratt yes
terday and today an effort was made
to secure bond insuring the safety of
the rails; otherwise they will be taken
up.
The suit is one Of extreme interest
to Oshkosh people. The street railway
corporation is known as the Tillotson
company, Tillotson being the promoter
and also the leading mover in the Fox
River Valley line which proposes to con-
meet Oshkosh with Neenah, Menasha,
Appleton and Kaukauna. Oshkosh has
at present a street railroad, a horse car
the city. But the service is poor and
for this reason the company received
but little patronage. Its franchise has
twelve years to run and while the cor
poratiOn is at present said to be losing
money still it's rights are considered of
sufficient value to protect and to COM
mand a large figure. There have been
numerous offers to purchase the line.
but the figures are too high. Neither
will the company equip it's line with
electricity
When Tillotson appeared and asked
for franchise he met with much re-
sistance from the Oshkosh company, but
the city considering that it had nothing
to lose granted the franchise and which
proposes to fairly cObWeb the city with
tracks. But the enterprise appears to
have Jagged somewhat, for it has been
necessary to secure several extensions
of the franchise, and at last $1,000 was
antee of the company's carrying out the
terms of the franchise.
This has led to interesting develop
ments of late. 1t appears that according
to the terms of the franchise the COM
pany must have at least eight miles of
the road completed and in operation by
January 1 of the coming year 1t has
but two miles of track laid and but
few posts erected That is all. A few
days ago, however, there was unusual
activity, the company purchasing tons
of coke and distributing it along the
roads, built big fires to thaw the frozen
earth that the work might be prose-
cuted. Then it was found that the work
was too difficult owing to the severe cold
and so it was given up. On the strength
of this, it is understood, the company
will go before the common council and
ask for another extension.
The company is incorporated with a
capital stock Of $1,0OO,O00, but outside
of few parties in Oshkosh, who are
mostly politicians, little is known of the
company or where its backing comes
from. It was stated a short time ago
that wealthy firm at Cleveland had
taken hold of the matter. 1t is learned
that several Cleveland gentlemen were
sufficiently interested to so to Oshkosh,
make an examination of the proposed
project, but with what result no one
seems to know. The tracks which were
seized by the marshal yesterday are laid
on High street, which runs parallel with
Algoma, one of the principal residence
streets of the city. FeIker, Goldberg &
Felker of the city are the attorneys for
the plaintiffs. The preliminary papers in
the suit will Be filed In few days.