The Topeka state journal., 1899-09-14
RAILROAD NEWS.
Rock Island Expenditures In
Eastern Kansas Large.
Many Improvements Made Since
First of Year.
ROAD IN FINE SHAPE.
Wooden Bridges Have Been Re-
placed by Steel Structures.
New Freight House at Kansas
City Now Occupied

The past few months nave seen d
great number of improvements made
along the eastern division Of the Rock
Island road These improvements con-
sist in the remodelling Of depots, and
identifying of depot grounds. the build
ing of new steel bridges to replace old
wooden structures. the doing away with
cuIverts by replacing them with pipes,
and the building of a new freight de-
Dot at Kansas City
The improvements have consumed
much money and place the road in an
excellent and up to date condition The
Rock Island road has enjoyed a very
lucrative traffic both in freight and
passenger lines this year, and this, to-
gether with the immense business
which is now crowding the road for suf-
ficient cars, has made it possible to
make these improvements
The larger and more important i'm
prOvements are the following:
The depot at Mcfarland has been
moved to the other side of the tracks,
enlarged and newly finished through
out A vitrified brick platform, II by
300 feet has been built A park has
been laid out and proper trees and flow
ers planted. Also a tWo-stOry section
house has been built.
At BeIleviIle the depot has been NOV
ed farther back from the tracks, en-
larged and a vitrified brick platform
laid, 20 by $50 feet. with stone curbing-
A park 75 by 400 feet has been laid out
and planted with appropriate shrubs
and flowers An addition to the lunch
counter was also built and a brick
freight house, "A by "a feet. There was
also put in at Belleyille new 52-foOt
steel turntable.
At HORTON the wooden depot plat
form has been replaced by one of vitri-
fed brick, with stone curbing. Also
park has been laid out
At Fairbury, an eight stall brick
round house with tracks connecting
with new 60-foOt steel turntable has
been erected, and a 60-foot clinker pit
put in.
Along the line. u wooden bridges
have been taken out and their places
filed by pipes and filling to total of
643 feet.
Sixteen bridges have been taken out
and culverts substituted, and 997 feet
of filing put in.
Twenty-Five wooden trestles have been
shortened by putting in 21 steel girders
and lattice spans, making total of
,920 feet of treStle work taken out
Trestle bridges aggregating $50 feet
have been taken out by substituting
pipes, culverts and iron bridges.
The new freight house at Kansas City
has been completed and occupied dur
ing the past week The Office is stu
ated on the corner of Fourteenth and
Wyoming streets. and is built of press
ed brick, with slate roof, copper gut
ters, and other modern building i'm
provements. It is two stories in
height with basement, and inside it is
finished in oak with furniture to match
The floors are supported by steel col
umns which run from basement to roof.
In the basement is located a large
store room for records. and at one side
is the heating plant.
On the first floor are the Office rooms,
a large fire and burglar proof vault,
and such other accessories as go to
make up a complete Office of this kind.
On the second floor are office rooms and
e-+1 for TEn hrTff limo
is lighted throughout by both electric
ity and gas. and has besides three pub
lie telephones. a ten station private
telephone line. Also among the equip
ment is a hydrOstatic copying press,
producing $50 pounds pressure with
very little exertiOn.
The freight house proper is located
directly behind the office connecting
with it. and is one of the finest and
most convenient as we'll as the larg-
est freight house in Kansas City, and
one of the most modern in the west.
This freight house is also built of brick
and is 925 feet long by 81 feet wide. OF
this length. $50 feet is in warehouse, 225
feet platform under roof, and 120 feet
open platform Al the west side Of the
house there are 1. 900 feet of house track
and 2.20O feet of team track. On the
east side there are 900 feet of space
where teams may load and unload
freight. In the warehouse opening to
the east are 81 large doors, which lift
upwards, opening the entire length of
the house. $50 feet. to the public.
The lighting of the freight house is
by means of arc lights placed at con
venient places. Five large platform
scales in the warehouse and one extra
large scale II by p feet for weighing
heavy farm machinery and iron pipes
on the platform. all under the city in
spection. make up the Weighing depart
ment. Also near the large scale is a
huge steel derrick for lifting the heavy
Another good feature of the freight
depot is its excellent location. being
within easy access of the stock yards
as well as in close proximity to the
freight houses of the other railroads. ,
FLAGmEN NEEDED.