The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1899-02-03
WILL EXTEND.
Minneapolis & St. Louis Road
Was not Bluffing.
The Milwaukee Road Does not Own Ma.
son City & Fort Dodge Road, as
Reported.


Reported.
In reply to a published statement that
the rumored extension of the Minneapo-
lis&St Louis road to Omaha was only in
tended to make the Illinois Central show
its hand, an officer of the Minneapolis &
St,>Louis states that the company is very
much in earnest about its Omaha pro
Ject and has no intention of selling out
to the Illinois Central or any other cor
poratlon. 1t has great faith in it's pros
pective line from Omaha to the Twin
Cities because it believes large section
of the competitive territory around
Omaha naturally belongs to the Twin
Cities rather than to Chicago, which
now controls it. This territory produ.
ces bountifully and has great diversified
needs.
Our Omaha line" he said, will be-
come great force in the future com
mercial development of the Twi Cities
1t will run almost direct south give
these cities permanent hold on a wide
area in Iowa and Nebraska. We are
free to take full advantage of the new
environment without sacrificing any in
terests elsewhere. The Minneapolis &
st. Louis is and always intends to be
simon pure northwestern railroad -.
In speaking of the projected railroad
building of the coming year. the Pioneer
Press says.
Hundreds of miles of new railroad
are projected by Minnesota lines and
thousands of men will be employed in
construction work in and near Mime
sofa next summer. Considerable work
will begin as soon as the weather per
mits, notably the projected lines of the
Northwestern from Sanborn to Burt
and from Mankato to New Ulm and of
the Omaha from near Madelia south to
Fairmont. The Duluth, Messaba &
Northern is said to be contemplating
some construction this year as we'll as
cons id 9rable Improvements. Rails will
be laid in all directions by roads great
and small, principally in extension into
new territory.
1t looks as though at least three new
lines would be headed from this terri
tory toward Omaha, viz: those of the
Illinois Central from Fort Dodge, the
Chicago Great Western from Hampton,
Iowa, and the Minneapolis q st. Louis
from New Ulm, The old story about
the Milwaukee, Omaha project is being
revived but there is no foundation forit
yet. The Milwaukee could, if it owned
the Mason City q Fort Dodge, as many
assume it Does easily build short strip
from Fort Dodge to Rockwell City on
the Des MONIES, Northern q Western,
which it has recently acquired, and
from Rockwell City to Manila, thus
securing direct line to Omaha from
st. Paul. But James j. Hill happens to
owns the Mason City & Fort Dodge and
is evidently in no hurry to dispose of it.
The Milwaukee would doubtless like to
buy it and go ahead with the Omaha
project
A dispatch to the Sunday papers of
the Twin Cities from Waseca, says:
The story emanating from Mankato
concerning contemplated removal of the
Chicago & Northwestern shops from
this city to that place is canard. Supt.
w. p Cosgrave is authority for the
statement that the shops will not be
moved"
This handling of railroad trains on
the block system, now in use on the
Omaha road, was first put into use on
the London & Northwestern railroad in
The device was invented by
Saxby and Farmer in 1856. 1t is a
system under the operatian of which
the liability for accident is reduced to
an absolute minimum The road is di
vided into "blocks," the length of each
being about six miles. At eith4r end
of each "block" is stationed night and
day signal operator. By the use of
signals, the mechanism of
which is perfect, but one train is al
lowed to enter block" at time
Thus, every east-bound train on the
line is at all times not less than ONE
block, or six miles ahead of every
east bound train, and so with every
westbound train. The expense of equip
ing railroad with the block signal
is very heavy, but when
once put in the investment is a splendid
one.
EuATnn DunNCR