The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-06-29
PIONEERS FACED DEATH WEST SIDE MANS SPUR
WOULD CONCEDE TO THE
OMAHA
oHAGE ADDRESSES MEETING
BeIievessR the Future of ST. Paul
Would BE Renefted by Refus-
ing to- ALLOW the Spur
iTrack to Be Built.


That theebusiness men of the West side
are desirdtis of granting the Omaha road
permissicn to lay a spur track In their
midst is Conceded. How the people and
property owners in general feel regard
ing the projects.i is largely matter Of
conjecture FL
This fact was demonstrated at the
mass meeting OF citizens held at Paul
Martins hail on the West side last night,
gathering at#which 800 probably lent
their presence, being called at the in
stance Of DR.. Ohage. who desired to
learn the sentiment existing. The bust
ness men of the district were largely in
evidence and they, as a rule, furnished
the remarks called for.
Elmer B.. Mcdonald, Ia West Congress
street, presided over the meeting, and
at his call a number of prominent bust
ness men of the ward assembled the plat
form ana made remarks, principal among
whom were the members of the West
Side Improvement association.
The first to furnish his sentiments was
A. K Pruden, of the st. Paul Cornice
company, a West side institution. Mr.
Pruden reviewed the history Of the de-
Yelopment of the West side and how the
entrance of the Chicago Great Western
road had given the district, which was
then practically slough. a boom. He
thought railroads were necessary for the
development of any city, and for that
reason was unqualif1edly in favor of the
spur. The baths he conceded to be
grand thing, and was sure the Omaha
company would provide safeguards that
would reduce the danger to Patrons to
the minimum. The future of the West
side flats, he contended, laid solely with
it's industrial development
i. b. Doran, prominent member OF
the West Side Improvement association.
spoke practically on the same line as
Mr.. Prudeql, except that he thought the
talk of danger to children had been
cverdrawn track along the levee he
thought the only feasible plan. AS to
q grade crossing over Wabasha street,
ne was opposed. AS enc of the main
arteries to the city it was. dangerous.
WEST SIDE NEEDS IT.
Like those who preceded him, E s.
Vanish also favored the construction of
the spur and along the same right of
way proposed by the railroad company.
He contended that the company had
promised to furnish every safeguard pos
sible, even to stopping trains before the
bath house crossing was reached. The
West side needed it, he said, and no re-
strictions should be placed in it's way
Col. ]. M Hawthorne paid a fitting trib-
giving the city free public baths. but
at the same time he favored the spur.
Others who spoke along the same line
were Charles Haas and ex-Ald. Bell. Mr..
Bell was of the opinion that the baths
could be protected by the construction
of a pile bridge leading from the Wa
basha street structure to the island
The meeting was not in the nature of
a protest, but to ascertain the views of
TOcf -i5 o oi4i 9 -sloI
the change of the tracks so that they
would not interfere with the baths DR.
Ohage, spoke at length on the project
and went into detail to show how the
spur would be a detriment to the island
He said he did not want to be looked
upon as an obstructionist, but simply as
doing what the Omaha road was doing.
looking to the future. A harbor line and
promises hit said looked nice on paper,
but past experience showed that they
amounted to little. Such were easily
broken when necessary. He cited the
case of the union depot, showing that the
government had established a harbor line.
yet the tracks were being extended so
as to take in the actual channel. Had
these tracks been contemplated two years
ago he said he would never have built
the baths. Dr. Ohage showed how the
track could be built so as to skirt the
bluffs, and in support of his argument
furnished figures to show that Wabasha
street at the point where the crossing
would be made had less traffic than Rob-
ert street or West Seventh, where cross
ings now existed.
While all those who spoke favored the
establishment Of the track, a number
favored the Incorporation in the ordi-
nance granting the company the right Of
way Of concessions in the way of safe
guards for the public baths and switch
ing rates that would be on an equality
with the rates given shippers on the 9TH
er side of the river