The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-01-06
FIRST WORK DONE
New Street Car Company
Locates Park Bridges.
PURCHASE OF 10000 TIES
Will Let Bridge Contracts and
Begin Work Today.

Mr.. Mckinley of Illinois, and Mr.. Mel
son, superintendent of construction for
the new street railway company, in COM
pany with some of the city officials, were
out yesterday locating the bridges that
are to be built across Little river for
the Riverside park line. One bridge will
be built 100 feet west of the Griswold
park road bridge. The line will run
thence directly north across Central
Riverside park, and the other bridge will
be located about 100 feet west of the pres
ent bridge leading from Central River
side TO Greiffenstein park. 1t is Mr. Mel
sons intention to let the contracts for
the construction Of these bridges today,
after which work will be commenced i'm
mediately, as it is the intention of the
company to do its first work on the new
park line and complete the construction
of it while the work of repair is being
pushed on the old lines. Mr.. Nelson said
yesterday that probably 100 men would be
employed in the new construction work,
while a force Of fifty men will be en-
ployed repairing the old tracks ready for
the reception Of the new cars that are
due to arrive sometime between Febru-
airy and March. When the new lines
have been finished it is the intention to
transfer the force of men to the old lines
and to tear up the track and rebuild it as
rapidly as possible. According to these
plans it can be seen that Wichita is not
only to have a splendid system and good
service, but the entire system will be
bran new and in every manner equal to
the best electric railway systems in the
country.
Mr.. c. L. Nelson and Mr.. Mckinley
closed a deal yesterday for the first ma
terial laid down, having purchased of
Mr.. B. +. Mclean 1900 ties for con-
struetion work, making a cash payment
Of $1,000 on this purchase The ties are
ready for delivery, being ricked already
on the company's property on Tenth
street. Several thousand more ties will
be purchased as they are needed.
The old Wichita Street Railway, Elec-
trio Light and Power company is now
absolutely the property of Mr.. Edward
transfer of the property was made Janu-
airy l, notification having just reached
Mr.. Coler Sim. who represented the local
interests of the old company Mr.. Wood
man assumes all liabilities and is en-
titled to all receipts from and including
January l, and Mr.. A T. Bachelor of
Keene n. H, has nothing more to do
with the property which he has worried
with so long. Evidently the final trans
action brought relief to him, for in the
best of humor he sent< Mayor Ross his
congratulations and best wishes for a
happy New Year.
Mr.. Mckinley, who has the electric
lighting franchise, has also accomplished
some good work in that line since he
came this week, and he will have,
large force of men employed in putting
in the new arc lights and rewriting the
city as soon as material can be secured!
he and the city engineer and Chief of
Police Cubbon were out yesterday locat-
ing the arc lights for the streets. A
stake was driven every place a new
light is to be hung and map was made
of the lighting district.
II is pretty certain that Mr.. W. Q.
Church, who managed the old system so
well under the most adverse circum-
stances. will be retained as manager of
the new company. This will be glad news
to his many friends here. No written
contract has been signed, but a verbal
understanding exists between Mr.. Nc
Kinley and Mr. Church which retains Mr.
Church until the completion Of the road
after which it is expected that a perma-
nent arrangement will be made. Mr.
Mckinley said it had never been the pol
icy OF Mr. Woodman to modest the work
ing force of the systems he has pur-
chased and in view of this fact it is likely
that all the present force of the Wichita
system Will be maintained and largely |
added to- Mr.. Chureh's experience with |
the old system has been very valuable |
To him and he has made the management |
of street railway systems a study for /
years. He is popular and accommodate /
ing. and with his knowledge of the local /
conditions will be able to make the new |
line pay.
After the news of yesterdays transac- |
lions were confirmed over the telephone I
BY Mr.. Mclean and others, the express
sions which followed We're: well, that /
looks like business" and "at last" and /
other similar calculations of great cheer |
and satisfaction. for the transactions t
mean that work on the new system /
was well in sight and that waiting was
soon tn become past history.