The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1899-10-19

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Another Freight and Passenger Line to
Chicago Within a Year = Plans of the
Terminal Company Are Laid Bare TO the
Business Men of Milwaukee - Kenosha
Men Interested.
A large and enthusiastic meeting of
manufacturers, shippers and business
men generally was held in the rooms of
the Merchants and Manufacturers
association in Milwaukee Yesterday
afternoon at $3.50 O'Clock for the pur-
pose of considering the proposition of
the Milwaukee Traffic & Terminal
Railroad company to connect Mi1wau-
kee with the inner and outer belt lines
of Chicago, and give the city the
benefit of all the railroads that enter
Chicago for the purpose of obtaining
| freight rates to different points in the
country.
It was clearly apparent at the begin
ming of the meeting that the Wisconsin
Central Railway company is one Of the
hackers of the project, and it was
stated that if the people of Milwaukee
and other cities interested take hold of
the subject vigorously the plan will be
carried through.
The meeting held yesterday after
noon will be of great interest to the
people of Kenosha as it will insure for
this city another passenger and freight
line to Chicago. Mr.. E. P. Eackett,
the promoter of the proposed line,
stated the matter as follows: The
building of the line means the bringing
of the Wisconsin Central system to
Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha and
Waukegan and providing for these
cities new line to Chicago It will
mean more than this, as it will give
the manufacturers of the cities direct
connection with the great trunk lines
running East and West from Chicago.
The meeting received the proposition
of Mr.. Hackett with great enthusiasm
and immediate steps are being taken to
raise the money required for the build
ing of the road.
Alexander Clarke, of Chicago, who
represented the interests of Waukegan,
spoke of the matter as follows:
''Parties in Chicago have tried to get
belt line facilities for the territory
north of the city such as have built up
the Calumet region on the south
Nothing was available for this purpose
short of Waukegan. Up to the time of
the introduction of the outer belt line
nothing was done at Waukegan. Now
the shore is lined with factories. The
objection to the outer belt line is that
it does not get into the city of Chicago.
! Let us see what are the effects of these
belt lines: Until the introduction of
| the Western Indiana belt line the Ca1u-
ment district was a bowling wilder
ness. That was in 1880, when the line
was built. It is true that there were
splendid trunk lines traversing this
district, but they got through it as fast
as possible. There was a bitter fight,
but it was carried through and is
magnificent success.
milwaukee should be in touch with
such a system. No city in the country
of it's size, except San Francisco, has
SO few railroads. If you want to keep
up with the territory around you you
must comein touch with this belt line
Mr.. Clark then showed the course of
the proposed line. It used the tracks
of the Wisconsin Central railroad
| from Chicago to Leithon, from which
point the road branched off in north
easter1y direction to Waukegan, and
the proposition was to continue it on
the right-of-way of the Electric line
from Waukegan to Kenosha. The dis
lance of sixteen miles between Wau-
kegan and Kenosha is still to be built,
having been delayed by litigation. The
Milwaukee Traffic and Terminal COM
pany proposed to build the line from
Kenosha to Milwaukee. The original
idea was to make it freight line only,
but it has since been arranged so that
the Wisconsin Central is to make use
of it as a passenger as we'll as a freight
| line, on the same basis as other neutral
companies
Mr.. Clarke then spoke of the deve1-
opment of Chicago Heights by the
West Indiana belt line, and resuming
the consideration of the pending prop
osition, said cit will be the business
of this line to develop your territory.
| What you want to do is to get in touch
with every railroad in Chicago. You
have two good roads here now; have
nothing to say against them. They
will meet this proposition with the an
swer, You have Chicago rates now.
Well act as the intermediator for you,
and that is all you want You cannot
make your manufacturers believe this.
They prefer to deal with the railroads
themselves. AS general proposition
you can rest assured that you will get
good Chicago terminals If you want
to get into and around Chicago you
had better make arrangements with
this company. The Chicago Terminal
Transfer company is out for business;
it needs it, and it will give you good
treatment. The question is, do you
want this line in Milwaukee? There
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