Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-08-26
LOCATED THE SWITCH
The Council Committee and the
Terminal Company Have
an Understanding.
CONNECTION WITH THE Q PROVIDED

$4,000 Contribution Is Still up in the
Air-He VIII Work Tomorrow.
| Mayor McConochie and the street
and alley committee of the city coun-
Gil met Mr.. Blair of the Terminal COM
pany at the foot of Seventeenth street
at o'clock last evening, for the pur
pose of disposing of the question of the
connecting switch with the Burlington
tracks at that point, heretofore alluded
to, and on which operations were
begun last Sunday, and interrupted by
the city Armed with ordinance and
subsequent resolution and committee
action based thereon, together with
the confirmation by the state ware
house and railroad commission, whose
sanction Is essential to the crossing
| by One railroad of the tracks of an
other, Mr.. Blair soon convinced the
mayor and committee that whether
| the city knew it or not he had
| the documents to show that he
had, in the multiplicity of meas
ures which have on divers and
sundry occasions come before the
council with reference to the Ter
minsl rights acquired and prayed for,
managed to get the desired connecting
Il u.
ing as was this revelation to the al
| dermen present, there was but one
| thing for the aldermen to do-let Mr..
Blair have his way or give him bat
| tie with the odds in his favor at the
1 outset. The connecting link offers no
great hardship as far as the new levee
Is concerned, and laying of the addi-
tional track across the foot of Sew
enteenth will produce a condition, not
at all parallel to the destruc-
tive effect that would have atteL ded
the allowing of the track connection
Mr.. Blair sought in conjunction with
the Burlington a few months ago, and
which the city declined to permit.
The Proposed Track.
| The proposed track, which will be
| the north one leading to the depot
grounds, will tap the Burlington rails
| 80 feet east of Seventeenth street and
run at a slight angle across Seven
| teenth TO the Terminal tracks. 1t will
not penetrate the levee proper at all,
and will not 30 over nine feet
into the paved section of the Sew
! enteenth street intersection north
| of the First avenue track-that is,
according to the line staked
out last evening, it will not
The location of the frogs OF the south
track at least, will be someth hing of a
disadvantage as they will be apt to
| be directly in the middle of Seven
teenth street, but with proper plank
ing the Objectionable phase in this
respect will be in a measure OBJ
waited. But the most compromising
fact about the entire adjustment is
that it elfectually disposes of any ex-
cuse for the Terminal company max
ing any further protestations about
beng blocked in the fulfillment of it's
obligations to the Burlington or of
Rock Island holding the new enter
prise up on any score.
The acquiescence of the mayor and
committee in the position taken by
Mr.. Blair as to his rights, and the ex-
PLANTATION he made to the satisfaction
of the mavor, US to the fuliillment of
his part in the matter of sewer outlet
construction, left but one thing
unsettled, and that Mr.. Blair's
promised 5000 contribution to
the river front improvement. 1t
will he remem bered that in the last
meeting of the city council, Aid. Law
| heads resolution providing that the
| city treat with Mr.. Blair on no further
propositions until he fulfill this part
of his obligation to the city, was re-
ferred to the street and alley commit
tee that has also the switch location
| in hand, SO that it naturally became
proper that both be disposed of at
once. Mr.. Blair was asked by the
committee at the conclusion of the
conference last evening about that
s.. 600, but in reply he simply winked
the other eye, and spoke of how
cruelty the city had treated him al
ready, aud incidentally mentioned
that it was supper time, anyway, a
suggestion that seemed to fit in about
right.
should Have Referred 1t to the Council.
While the location of the switch is
| not 4 serious matter. under the cir
cumstances, the committee would in
view of all the circumstances, and de-
spite the fact that it was given power
TO act, have acted in much more
proper spirit. had it reported to the
council before acting definitely, not
that there is any disposition 10 de-
prive any corporation of conceded
rights, but as the subject is one,
which, as whole, the entire council
' and all citizens are interested in.
1 But Mr.. Blair was in a hurry, and
the stakes were placed. in accordance
with which, it is the expectation. the
rails will be laid tomorrow
The request of Mr.. Blair to lay a
temporary track around a building
just purchased by him at Third ave-
nue. and Forty-siXth street was denied.
with the suggestion that he confine
the operations to his own land.
1t is the duty of the city now that
all track questions along First avenue
have been finally disposed of, to order
every one of them brought to grade
at once and Planked so that the levee
may be made accessible for teams at