Omaha daily bee., 1900-01-23
IMPROVEMENTS AT TRANSFER
Union Pacific 0ontemplates the Erection
More Big Elevators,
MAKE IT A GRAlN-SHIPPING CENTER
Yards to lie Graded and Enlarged and
Much Money Expended in Inn
proving Terminal Facilities
of the Company.
IAKs IT A GRAlN-SHlPPING CENTER

of the Company.
President Burt OF the Union Pacific rail
way, in an interview, has assured the spe
cial committee of the city council to which
the matter was referred, that his company
has no intention Of abandoning the transfer
depot in this city, but on the other hand
that a number of extensive improvements
arc contemplated and will be shortly car.
ried out there.
The committee told President Burt that II
had been appointed to investigate two com
plants that had been made to the city coun.
Gil against his road. One was the abandon
ment of the dummy" trains between this
city and Omaha. The second was that
the Union Pacific and other roads connect
ing with it had ceased to make Council
Bluffs their terminus end were transferring
their passengers and freight in Omaha in
stead of at the transfer depot.
In answer to the first complaint President
Burt admitted to the committee that the
dummy" service had been practically
abandoned because it had long ceased to be
a paying venture. The street railway be-
tween Council Bluffs and Omaha he said
haG absorbed all the business that formerly
made the dummy" service profitable. He
said, further, that passengers preferred to
leave the trains at Council Bluffs and make
their way across the river by street car,
rather than continue on the trains and then
have to board a motor at the depot to get
up town. Under these conditions, Presi-
dent Burt said, he could not see why Coun-
Gil Bluffs should insist on or even desire
a continuance of the dummy train service.
the motor company certainly reaped
a benefit by its abandonment and the city
did also, indirectly.
improvements Contemplated.
AS to the second complaint that the
Union Pacific had ceased to recognize Coun-
ell Bluffs as the terminus and that the
transfer was to be made simply "whistlng
station" President Burt entered an EN-
phatic denial. He called the attention OF
the committee to the fact that it was
through the influence of the Union Pacific
that the mammoth Peavey elevator had
been erected at the transfer last year. He
also surprised the members of the commit
tee by stating that negotiations were now
in progress for the erection of two and
possibly three modern grain elevators at
the transfer of even larger proportions than
tie Peavey structure. If the negotiations
proceed to a satisfactory termination, it is
the intention at present, he said, to have
these elevators constructed this year. The
erection of these two or three elevators, with
the two already here, he said would estab-
lish Council Bluffs as one of the leading
grain shipping centers of the west
AS a further proof that the company had
no intention of taking its business away
from the transfer, President Burt showed
tail the improvements which the Union Pa
cifc is contemplating and in fact has par
TALLY commenced in its yards here. These
changes, when completed, will nearly double
the capacity of the yards, which will be
graded as to be what is known as "grav-
ity' yard throughout. The dirt required to
grade the yards will be brought from South
Omaha The company will also surface its
yards and tracks on Union avenue to Broad
way with gravel from Sherman, Wyo.
Committee submits Its Report.
The committee, consisting of Aldermen L.
NJ. Shubert, j. d. Johnson and John Brough,
prepared the following report which it sub
mitted to the city council at the meeting
last night:
we, your committee appointed to inyesti-
between this city and Omaha, and also to
inves tigate the report that the various
railroad companies are running their ira ms
direct to Omaha, and by thus operating
them reducing our city to simply
whistling station" report as follows:
That we have investigated the report and
find that the Union Pacific Railroad com
pany has abandoned the dummy" trains,
except certain runs during the morning
and evening. We have conferred with the
officials of the company and they dsclaim
any intention of abandoning the transfer
station and say they intend to maintain
said transfer station in the future as they
have in the past. Also that they intend in
the next two years, and probably within
the next twelve months, to invest a very
large sum in improvements in Council
BLUFFS by making additions to their build
lngS, both passenger and freight, Increase
their trackage, enlarge their yards and
make other improvements which at the
present time they are in a position to make
Your committee is unable at the present
time to recommend any measures to be
taken in this matter as several fine points
of law are involved regarding the rights
of the various roads.
The commercial committee has submitted
report TO us Which sets out all the facts
as bo the rights of the different railroads
entering our city and we herewith submit
me same for your consideration. Your
committee believes that II committee of
representative citizens. who would consider
this question in a fair-minded way, care
fuzzy weighing both the rights OF the city
and of the railroads. were appointed TO
take this matter uD with the various COM
panies, they might be able to arrive at
some satisfactory agreement Whereby the
city would get valuable considerations
which would be Of far greater value TO our
trains between this city and Omaha. The
railroad company claims that the electric
me mas so demoralized the business that
there IS no longer any profit or even reve-
nue. in running said dummy trains
Davis sells paints.