Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-09-09
LOOKtR-ON in IOWA
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For the Tlmes-Republical


Titonka, Sept. S--When you hear a
travelling man say he is going down
THE pumpkinvine" II means he is GO
ing south from Belle Plaine on the C. &
N. w. railroad. And II he mentions that
he will take the slippery" then he in
tends going from Eidora Junction to
Alden on tile C. l. & d. railroad. And
$50 when a year ago certain wealthy men
OF Garner built railroad from that
town to this place they proudly called
it the Cedar Rapids. Garner & North
western railroad, but the public imme-
diately gave 1t another name; It's "the
Klondike route" and Klondike, Slip
roads be long after the present rails
are worn out and the present officers
have become vanderbilts.
There was method in their madness in
naming this road the Klondike. To se-
cure the right-of- way and taxes voted
it had to be finished by Jan. 1, 1899. and
finished it was, by laying the ties on the
ground and spiking on the iron rails
and running train over II. And trip
over it last winter was like going on the
Klondike trail. If there was thawing
day, the melted ice and snow some
times lowered the grade foot or so.
Sometimes one rail went down and the
other didn't. And when spring came
and the sloughs thawed out then there
was danger that it would become a
through line to China. To be sure they
have no telegraph line, no train dis
patcher-they don't need one. They
start a train from Garner at $3.50 a. m.
and get back when they get ready. So
that everything runs smoothly. All of
the officials of the road go over it each
trip. The president, vice president, SUI
perintendent, conductor. genral freight
agent, general passenger agent and
general travelling agent are always on
the train. And this is not saying but
what the company's surgeon and attor-
ney are always there. as well as the
stockholders, for no one seemed to pay
anything except the LOCKER On the day
he worked "thc Klondike.'
But just the same "the Klondike" is
doing business. One town on the road
| shipped thirteen cars of grain in one
Iday. and if there are three better towns
! of their size in Iowa than Crystal Lake,
| Wooden and Titonka the writer does
not know of them. These towns are
only one year old. Each town has three
big lumber yards and big stocks. An
| indistinct remembrance is that each
town has three drug stores, and nice
ones. They are fitted up with all OF
1.-The modern fixtures and appliances
| Meat markets are seen with marble
slabs and counters and in one refrig-
erator as big as small house and
Icosting as much. Two of the towns are
wet" and one is dry The water III
all three of the towns is harder thar
Pharaoh s heart. The hotels are good II
Iali three towns. but ice water seems t
be dangerous for their guests. for It'll
only to be had for the asking. Ths
4 business men are up to date sort of mer
and the stocks of goods of all kinds are
las complete as found in fifty-year-olt
town. Residences are hardly more nu.
4 merous than the business houses, ant
| the number OF single men in each towf
lis a burning disrrace to Iowa, wher
anywhere else in los.a on the arrival OF
la railroad train are enough marriage
\ able girls on the platform to furnish
4 every man in these three towns with s
4 good wife. And 1t has been mentioned
4 to the writer that several of these good
Hooking girls would make the Klondik,
4 "trip IL asked to. Nothing in railroad
4 or town building. on short notice. ha
/ ever been equalled to these three towns
lin Iowa on the klondike route. Ant
some of these business men are finding
more gold in a year than they would III
nearer the north pole. And all this II
(only twenty-seven miles from Garner
land only twelve miles from a dozel
other good Iowa towns.
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