Rock Island Argus., 1901-01-03
FOR BIG LINE
Tri-city Route Makes Extensive
Land Purchases at
Clinton.
IS FORGING ON TO DUBUoUl
Connections TO South and West--
Conlen Goes to
Texas.

The Davenport. Rock Island &
Northwestern Railway company has
just taken options on tract of land
at Clinton valued at $4,000. The
company has notified the owners of
the property that the land will be
purchased and has asked for deeds on.
the terms mentioned in the options
The land is in the residence portion
of the city and has about 25 tenement
houses standing on it, which will be
removed.
The buying of this piece of land by
the railway company is proof that the
road will build the line surveyed from
Clinton to Dubuque and form big
sys em, connecting with the gulf l,ne-
TO the south and the Great Western
and Illinois Central at Dubuque
From that city the line will be ex
tended to the northern grain fields
The details of the line from Clinton
to Dubuque have all been gone over
and The company has already an
nounced it's intention to build the lin.
as soon as spring work opens up.
Changes OmciaIy Announced.
tells that j. Il Conlen, who left D4v-
export few days ago and with thar
city the position of general road nas
ter of the Rock Island has been elect.
ed to the triune Office of vice presi-
dent, chief engineer and general su-
perintendent of the Rock Islands new
southwestern enterprise, which is to
be the connecting link in the new
coast line. The road. as has been
abundantly stated, is the Chicago,
Rock Island g. Mexico railway. NJ a
Low, of Topeka, Kas,, has been elected
its president. aud the directors are Mr..
Low, Robert Mather and j. Nj john
-on. of Chicago. aud F E Dietrich
of Ft Worth. Work il to be begun al
once on the line. which leaves Liberal
Kas.. aud runs 1l0 miles through
Texas. crossing three of its expan-ive
counties aud reaching the Pecos river
in the neig borhood of Santa Rosa
1t is expected that the line will be
ready for use before the end of the
year. Mr.. Conlen whose record in
this part of the country has been
admirable. win be in a position in.
this new line to win new honors and
molu ments for himself and there i.
not much doubt that he will do it.
Narrow Escape for Bridge.
The c.. B. & q. came near losing
quite long bridge mile or so, south
of the station at Briar Bluff by lire
the other night. 1t seems TO have
caught fire from cinders dropped from
one of the several trains that passed
over it about 10 O'Clock, and was
burning merrily about the center
when Alfred Kiucaid, whose home il
close by, came home from a skate at
Colona. As soon as he saw it he noti-
fed the section men by telephone and
took lantern and tagged trains for
them till they reached the bridge
He stopped a light engine that proba-
bly, would have been wrecked other
wise, as the bridge is on a sharp curve
and ats'the end of cut which COM
pletely hides it until train coming
north would be within very short
distance. With the aid of the crowd
whish soon gathered the fire was put
out before it had destroyed much of
the bridge, only two bents having to
be rebuilt.
Big Business on Burlington.
The Burlington road has issued a
statement showing that it is operat-
ing daily 600 trains on the system
If all the freight trains operated in
one year were hitched together the
string would be so, 900 miles long.
If the passenger trains used during
the year were coupled together they
would cover a distance of $3.50 miles
The report also shows that there are
now in use on the system 600 loco |
motives. 1.200 passenger cars and
10000 freight cars. During the past |
II months an average of 10000
passengers have travelled on the Bur
lington trains every day of the year.
cities and enter IL states. The gross
earnings of the system for the past |
year were $50. 600, 900.