The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-04-03
WHY RECEIVER MAS ASKED.
HISTORY OF THE KANSAS CITY.
PITTsBuRG r. GULF.
Road Built Under Considerable Diff
cuIttes. Financial and Otherwise
The suit n Friendly One, to

KANSAS CITY. No. April 2-The re-
ownership for the Kansas CITY. T4tssbmrg
h Gaf railroad. granted in this city
late last nigh. ~ Judge Gibson Of the
circuit court. will according To the CON-
pany's official, interfere IN no way with
the operation q the property. ard the
reorga Dization pIaBg which have been
making for some tine since will, IL Is
claimed. go forward without delay The
receivers all ~ whom are Kansas city
men, are friendly ~ the president 81 th.
road. Arthur y. Stiiiweif who has eng
Beered the property from it's inception.
The suit, they declare IL friendly one
and was made necessary 80 head or
unfr.endly Eastern stoc ghoIders. who cnrs-
tempiated similar aetsan.
The history % the Kansas City Pitts
burg Il Gulf railroad. ard - Joint en-
terprises. the Northern eonnectire lines
and the Port Arthur ship canal. contains
practically realization az 81 iona-dsN.rs,4
short line to the Guf The mr. shing of
the line was accomplished ma My through
tine efforts Of A. f.. S.iigweii formerly
vioe-president, now president II TIE road
The road grew out ~ the old Kansas
City, Nevada g. Fort Smith llne ~ which
j.. l.. Martin vas president. The Sesa-
ia * Fort Smith line was projected TO
run tn the Gulf. but oaiy comparatively
short part of 4 was finished when Mr.
road was built during the financial crisis
OF iss2-isas. and was an undertaking which
few men believed would ever he COM
pleted The original purpose was Ia make
Sabine. Tex. the southern terminus.
Kountz Bros. Of New York. owned sa.-
Coo acres OF land In and around Sable.
Stil!well made a proposition 10 build his
road to Sabine II the Kountzes would give
him 81 per cent OF the interests there.
The Kountzes declined IN. offer. Mr.
StiIlwell then went tn Holland. and in
ferestcd Dutch capitalists in the enter
prise IT was finally decided tn make Port
Arthur, Tex. the roads terminus. and n
build "A ship canal from that point eight
miles Ia Sabine lake. The last spike I'm
the road was driven on September II. 1857.
and the nrst through train reached Port
Arthu. on that day. While the canal was
building, injunction followed injunction 10
delay the work. and IL was only finished
on March q. when the first shipping was
brought up 20 Port Arthur from the Gulf
In the meantime. Mr. stiiiweii assumed
the presidency Of the road. r. l.. Martin
being made vice-president. Branch roads
becoming necessary for northern connsc-
lions, the P!ttsburg Il Gulf Company
bought and built lines giving them oma-
IN and Quincy connections.
These latter lines are not included In
the receiversaip. A bid for the Alton
road. for "A Chicago entrance. was made.
but fell through.
Its long fight To complete the canal
made II apparent several months ago that
the road would not. for the present. be
able tn meet tho lnteres. upon It's bonds
and a reorganization OF the whole proper
~ was talked of. Mr.. Stillweii spent
three months In New York, working on
the project, and when he returned To
Kamas city last week II was announced
that satisfactory plans had been decided
upon and would soon De announced. The
reorganization plan was never made pub