Omaha daily bee., 1898-11-17
TRACKS WILL Be TORN Up
City Authorities After the Street Grabbing
Railroads in Earnest.
TH0ROUGHfAReS ARE TO Be CLEARED
City Engineer Roscwater Says He
Will Obey the Burmestcr Resolu-
ton to the Lettcr-Situation
in the North Bottoms.

An anti-railroad crusade-purposing to
oust each and every railroad that has un-
lawfully laid tracks upon public streets in /
the northeastern section of the city, with .
Sixteenth street as It's western bounds, and
Webster street as its southern limit-may /
be the consequence Of the disclosure re- /
Gently made that the Chicago. St. Paul, +
e. Omaha railroad one Sunday
several weeks ago laid couple Of tracks
along and ON Fourteenth street without au-
thority from the city.
The fight has broadened. 1t is no longer !
solely waged against the East Omaha Bridge
and Terminal company to prevent that road
from securing entrance into the city along
Fourteenth street. As matter OF fact,
the opposition to this company seems to
have combined with it for the fight. The
contest is no longer to stop the Terminal
company from laying its proposed tracks on
Fourteenth street, nor even to COM
pei the Chicago, st. Paul Minne-
apolis G. Omaha railroad to tear UP the
tracks on that street, but to force that and
other railroad companies to take up tracks
on other streets in that portion of the
city, which, it is alleged, have been laid
unlawfully and without authority. This
seems to be now the main aim Of the prop
erty owners and north bottoms manufacture
ers and the Terminal company is naturally
sided with them. For If the railroads are
forced to pull up their tracks on Fourteenth
and other streets, the Terminal company
hopes to secure the right of way along the
former inasmuch as other thoroughfares
will be made accessible to the business men
Of the north bottoms
Thus the resolution that was introduced in
the council Tuesday night by Councilman
Burmester and passed, ordering the Board
of Public Works to tear up track laid by
| the Chicago st. Paul, Minneapolis Omaha
| railroad on Fourteenth street a couple of
weeks ago. is the first step in this crusade.
| If this Is successful, a good num-
ber of similar resolutions may be
expected to pass. This initiatory
resolution has not yet reached the Board
Of Public Works and no action has there
fore been taken, but Chairman Rosewate,
states that as soon as it reaches him its
instructions will be obeyed to the letter.
Many Unlawful Tracks.
It is stated that there are at least a dozen
| tracks in the section of the city mentioned
that have been laid without the permits
sion Of the city. There are three on -Four
teenth street, including the two that the
Chicago st. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha
put down couple Of weeks ago. a number
on Fifteenth street belonging to the Mis-.
souri, Pacific, still others on Thirteenth
street which belong to one of these roads
or to the Union Pacific. All these track:
arc alleged to be lying there without lega'
permission.
The purpose Of the fight is not simply II
force the railroads to vacate property tha'
belongs to the public and to which they hav,
no right, but is to make preparation fol
the future. II the tracks are al
lowed to lay. the property lyint
east Of Sherman avenue and nortl
Of Burt street would be useless for business
The heavy grades from the bottoms to Sher
man avenue would bar heavy traffic tina
way, and the tracks in the streets woult
shut out the traffic along the thoroughfare
southwark. What the property owners AM
north bottoms manufacturers desire is t.
surmount this condition
Understand that we are not opposing tn
entrance of the East Omaha Terminal com
pany into the city," says j. A. Scott, VIII
represents a good many, interests on tn
north bottoms. "In fact, we believe that
that company intends to bring one or NOR
railroads into the city, 1t should be encour
tracks on Fourteenth street. as proposed, t
get into Omaha, Just consider what our sit
uation will be. Fourteenth street is our onl
level thoroughfare now. and that would b
closed. We cannot go along Fifteenth
because of the Missouri Pacific tracks
Thirteenth street is not opened an
is encumbered with tracks. Those ar
the only streets along which vehicle
could go southwark and our only outle
would be along Grace or some other stree
west to Sherman avenue. But UP t
Sherman avenue, there Is a very heav
J grade on all the streets from the bottom
and on that account they are difficult
not impossible fer heavy wagons.
Will He a Warehouse District.
THAT is our present situation. Conside
what it may become in the future in cas-
that the Terminal company does bring on
; or more railroads into Omaha. There
not the slightest doubt in my mind tina
in such event the north bottoms and tina
part of the city could become a grea
warehouse and manufacturing district o
account Of trackage facilities. 1t would b
impossible to make it such without levt
outlets, however. Therefore We are worl
ing not only for the present, but for tb
future. And we want, not one street. br
, two streets opened Tor exit ana entranc
from and into this district. We will hay
them too. before We get through"
With Fourteenth street cleared, one Of tn
> desired streets will be furnished. Thir
teenth street will probably be the othe
!, Councilman Lobeck has introduced an OF
= dinance in the council declaring the neces
= = sity of opening this street for travel. br
;, difficulties must be overcome. For exam
!, pie, couple Of tracks extend for a Ion
q distance along this proposed street and mu!
be torn up. Then the street cannot eS
tend south Of lizard street. for large built
. ing one OF the Union Pacific shops, stand
In the way, but detour is TO be mad
:, around this. The road will lead south q
Thirteenth 10 lizard. then east to Twelftl
then south on Twelfth through the Unio
Pacific shops to Webster, and west ON Wei
a | ster to Sixteenth.
Both property owners and manufacturer
> are in earnest about the matter and the
4 are preparing to form an organization fc
the purpose of carrying out their object
. thorough investigation OF the rights
. the railroads to the land they are occupyin
: | with tracks is to be made. and if, as