Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-11-05
Wall ABOUT WEIR.
The East Moline Enterprise and the Flow
Company That Came Not.

company and the East Moline manu-
featuring site enterprise. the head.
ings being expressive Of the general
tendency of the article, and which
tell about Peoria Capital Ditched''
and "The Fate Of the East Mo.
line Land Speculation" It is
held that Peoria capital fares
badly when invested in other sec
| tons Of the country, "instead OF al
home where the wealth wss original.
~ accumulated" Then the history
OF the Weir Plow company litigation.
its officers and the extent to which
Peoria is interested, all is rec;ted.
The rivalry over the location when
it WAS proposed to remove from
Monmouth and the claims OF Peoris.
Kankakee and Chicago Heights are al
luded to, and finally the carrying off
OF the prize by the East Moline COM
pany in blaze of glory. The cir
cumstances of the transaction be-
tween the company and the land
projectors are related thus:
"An iron-clad, dou ble- bottomed
contract was drawn up and signed by
the officers of both concerns July II.
1895. IL provisions, summed up,
were that the Weir Plow company
should move its entire plant from
Monmouth to East Moline and erect
factory there large enough to en-
pioy between three and five thous-
aad men. Plans were to be ready
by Oct. 1, 1896, and $40. 900 in work
II kot e. l..-
stipulated that the factory DO run
ming at East Moline by Jen. /. 1897.
In return fcr this expenditure Of
capital the East Moline company was
to present the plow people with 49,
acre tract OF land to be located be-
tween the c., Il. /. & p, C., ID. & q.
and c., NJ. & St. p. tracks at Port
Byron junction, which place was to
be renamed East Moline. They also
agreed TO pay the Weir Plow COM
pany $4,000 cash in installments of
$4,000, payable to the extent OF as
per cent Of the architects estimate
with alternate dates fixed. The land
company also agreed to sink a VOL
on the psemises. In November,
1895. the Weir PIow company adver-
tised in Peoria aud other places for
bids, which they subsequently re-
Jected, alleging they ran too high.
it Is said the company wished to
rear up buildings at cost Of in the
neighborhood OF $50, 900, which ex-
penditure the promised bonus and
donated land would liguidate. IL
order to do this they contracted with
Architect G. W. } raeger. OF this city.
intending TO have the plant built by
piece work. Tho plans were accord
ingly revised and work on them was
being actively pushed, when, Dec.
~, 1898. fire consumed the main
part of the old plant at Monmouth,
and greatly hampered MAJ IA featuring
for the trade OF 1886. Added to this
calamity. the high water in the
spring OF 1895 flooded the property
Of the East Moline company and
work was delayed until the latter
part OF May. The Weir Plow COM
pany had nearly completed work on
one OF the main buildings when it's
officers made demand on the land
company for funds. Two drafts
were drawn, each in excess of the
first installment Of $1,000, which
were returned unpaid.
Immediately the Weir Plow COM
pany terminated the contract,
stopped building and brought suit
against the land company in the sum
OF $4,000, the figure named in the
original contract. 1t was heard be-
fore Judge Grosscup, OF Chicago. in
the federal court, and the East Mo.
line company fled a counter-claim Of
stipulated damages in the same sum.
at the conclusion of the trial Judge
Grosscup is said to have intimated
that time was the essence of the con-
tract, and that he could not find
either for the plaintiff or defendant,
but that he would hear from them
on the question of liquidated dam
ages.
Judge David Mccullough and
Attorneys w. w. Hammond and New.
ton Wyeth. o: this city. appeared
for the Weir Plow company, and At
torney John S. Stevens, of Peoria,
and Attorney f. McGipnis, Of ST.
SSeAS' ~ pASoOdhcu Lne luLS[cSsS OF
the East Moline company. Ex-
haustive briefs bearing on the liqui-
dated damages were flied q week $50
last Monday, and Judge Grosscup
Will IN all probability announce his
decision next week.
'In the meantime the East Moline
folks are out 16 acres OF land
which they decided the pIow CON-
pany in lieu of the 10 named in the
contract, abou. $4,000 cash, spent in
sinking well on the property, land
decided to the railroad company for
switching purposes, and money ex-
pended in booming East Moline as q
manufacturing center, death OF the
entire project through failure Of
the pillow company to conform to its
contract, which cannot be estimated
in dollars and cents, and last. bat
not least, attorneys fees. On the
other hand. the Weir Plo~ company
Is out SIS, 600 expended in the cree
ton OF an unoccupied building. II
10 believed that OF the two. the dam
sges CT the land company are