The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-05-14
HILL LOOKS HERE
Magnate of the Great North
ern Looks to Wichita
TO GET TO THE GULF
Regards Wichita as a Pivotal
Point in the System.

It is said that Jim Hill-James J. Hill
or the Great Northern is seeking q
southern outlet, and has his eye on WITCH
tia as pivotal point in the development
of his railroad system toward the Gulf
There is a decided rumor TO this effect
on the street, and it was verified by
Charles z. Cole, the civil engineer, yes
terdaX.
Norfolk, Neb., the nearest point on the
Hill system north Of Wichita, is 300 miles
awav
Mr.. Cole, when asked about the North
and South railroad, said that the origina-
tors of the enterprise stated that for some
time they had been quietly at work get
ting things in shape and that they were in
touch with eastern capitalists, to whom
they had submitted this scheme and all
were favorably impressed and had assur-
ance that there would be no trouble in
raising plenty Of capital to build the road
I'VE propose" said he ''to build a road
from Dakota to the Gulf and is to be
called in the charter the Dakota. Wich-
ita and Gulf. Beginning al Yankton s.
d, where it connects with the Great
Northern system, Of which James G. Hill
is president. From Yankton the road runs
due south to Wichita thence south TO
Sherman, Tex, and then to Port Arthur,
on the Gulf
Such g. road" continued the speaker,
would traverse from end to end one OF
the greatest agricultural sections in the
United States. For Wichita it means a
great deal; it means a city in ten years
or 10000. Such a road would give Kan
sas Oklahoma and Nebraska three great
markets for their livestock products
Kansas City. Omaha and Sioux CITY:
while the farmers in this great wheat
and corn producing state would have the
choice OF markets-the Gulf ports. or ST.
Paul and Minneapolis, the -four produc-
Ing centers of the world Again. it will
be a paying road. We send our products
TO the south and Gulf ports and in return
we bring back lumber from the vast for
ests Of Texas and louisiana: coal from
the Indian nation, and the tropical produc-
tons Of the south. From the north we
are in touch with the great timber and
iron regions Of Minnesota and Wisconsin.
IF you viii look over this map. You
viii see from here to Dakota we parallel
no roads. but cross all of the great lines
-'--4-14-e So7t anu west, giving US ConneC-
tons with the east and west. Again.
from the north, northwest and northeast
TO Kansas. Oklahoma, Texas and the
Gulf this road is by far shorter and more
direct than any other line. Again. if you
will look over the map you will readily
see that Wichita lies midway between
Minneapolis and the Gulf Such being the
fact Wichita viii be the great distrib- |
uting point and center Of a vast territory. !
Taking all things into consideration. there |
could be selected no better point for the /
main offices, workshops and the head /
quarters Of te company than Wichita
Speaking of capital, I will here say. I /
have just received a letter from a promi- /
nent railroad man in the east with whom |
I have had some correspondence. Here is /
what he says: The line you speak Of
the Dakota, Wichita and Cuffs the |
most practical of the many projected in |
the west, and when you are ready to com
mence operations I would ike to put in |
my bid among the many other bidders. to |
equip the road
Later on we win have more to say in |
regard TO this great continental road. and |
show the people Of Wichita and all along |
the line that we mean business, and that |
the scheme is no idle dream; that we |
have men with ample means ready to take /
hold of the enterprise as soon as it is /
got in shape"