People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1898-03-03

this road at s3O,OOO,OOO. The senator
also spoke about beicg familiar with
the easy grading of the Kansas
Pacific. May l ask the Senator
whether he acquired that knowledge
in his capacity as a civil engineer?
Mr.. Harris: | cid. ! was familiar,
as civil engineer, with the construc-
ton Of tie mainline of the Kansas
Pacific and the branches.
Mr.. morgan: You were a civil en-
gineer on that road?
Mr.. Harris: | was, but l have also
Travelled over it time and time again,
and thousands Of times in the inter.
walls which have elapsed since then.
There can be no question as to the
correctness of my statement. There
are no steep grades on the Kansas
Pacific.
Mr.. Gear: What was the elevation
the senator stated would have t, be
overcome in crossing the divide?
Mr.. Harris: From $50 to 200 feet.
Mr.. Gear: Then, going up the
valley of the Kansas river, for what
distance would that elevation have
to be continuously overcome so as to
operate the road?
Mr.. Harris: In the WyandOtte and
the Northwestern road, which was
built some years ago, running diago-
nally frOmIKansasICity, that road gets
up the divide, as | said, about $50 to
200 feet; but in going westwardly you
have to cross over the tributaries of
the Kansas river, which practically
brings you down into the valley, and
you have to climb up again and over
come that elevation every eight or
ten miles.
Mr. Gear: That has to be over
come by grading and elevating the
road
Mr.. Harris: Certainly. 1t runs
perpendicularly to the line of the
divide, and the divides are perpen-
dlcular to the river. The line OF the
SOcalled parallel road would, as a
matter of course, be perpendicular
across the valley.
Mr.. Gear: How far would a line
of road have to follow up this line out
on the prairie to overcome and avoid
this grade for the rest of the way?
Mr.. Harris: Those valleys extend
clear into Nebraska, l will state to
the senator.
Mr.. Gear: The grades are lessened
as you get thirty or forty miles farther
on.
Mr.. Harris: As a matter of course,
the height of the valley somewhat
decreases as you 90 up.
Mr.. Gear: Yes, very much, Think.
Mr.. Harris: But the Kansas Cen
trial, while l spoke about only lies
from twenty to forty miles north of
Kansas Pacific; so that we do not get
any great benefit from the gradual
rise in the valley as you approach the
head of the stream.
Mr.. Gear: The Kansas Central
practically belongs to the same road.
does it not?
Mr.. Harris: 1t does. They acquired
it not very long ago.
Mr.. Gear: 1t runs about $50 miles,
if am not mistaken.
Mr.. Harris: 1t runs from Leaven-
worth to MiltOnvale-abOut 125 miles,
think.
Mr.. Gear: From Kansas City?
Mr.. Harris: 1t does not touch Kan
sas City.
Mr.. Gear: 1t could be intersected
by line from Kansas City.
Mr.. Harris: They do talk about in
terSecting it in that way. Their plan
is to acquire terminal facilities-con.
meet it with Kansas City-and that
will cost 100000. That is the in
formation, l believe, furnished by the
attOTney-general.
Mr.. Gear: What is the distance?
Mr.. Harris: Twenty-seven miles
from LeavenwOrth to Kansas City.
Then it extends to MiltOnvale. and
connected with it is the road running
up The Saline, until finally they
connect with the Denver extension,
making an exceedingly zigzlg,
crooked, high-grade road; but, as l
have said before. that is not a prop
ositiOn that l feel is worthy ,of
serious consideration by anyone. The
senator from Iowa (Mr. Gear is a
practical mao about those things, and
| think he is quite aware that such a
project as that, even if it did succeed
in attracting little of the traffic.
would be an utterly Improbable and
undesirable piece of property.
Mr.. Gear: What is the distance
from Kansas City to Denver?
Mr.. Harris: Six hundred and thirty
six miles.