Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-03-22
STEALING A RAILROAD.
The Special Freight Carried Away the
Track Behind 1t.

From the Milwaukee Wisconsin.
did you ever hear of a man stealing
and carrying away a railroad or did you
ever know that a railroad in Wisconsin
was once stolen and carried away?" asked
Edward Barber, an early day railroad man
of Wisconsin, and now the well-known real
estate dealer of Milwaukee.
Never heard Of novel case like that,
eh? Well, 1 was very much of an interest
ed spectator of the stealing of railroad
In Wisconsin in the early days of strug-
Cling railroad enterprises, and as one OF
the officials of the fated road L was COM
PEELED to stand alongside the right of way
and see our railroad picked up and hauled
away-a genuine case of stealing-and it
was all done before the company could get
out any legal papers to stop it. because
the road was stolen on Sunday"
Mr.. Barber then proceeded to give the
details, which are of particular interest
just now in view Of the semi-centennial
of the Chicago, Milwaukee and st. Paul
road.
1t was along in 1859 that the railway en-
terprfse known as the Wisconsin Central
Railway Company (not related or in any
way connected with the present road of
the same name) had its beginning I'm nli-
nois and Wisconsin. Its projectors were
capitalists interested In both states, and
the plan was to construct and operate a
line of railroad from Elgin, ILL.,, to Lake
Geneva, and from the latter point to
Whitewater and Jefferson, Wis. The orig
inal projectors secured and paid for the
right Of way from Elgin to the Wisconsin
state line and from the boundary to JEFF
ferson, and later up as far as Columbus,
in this state. The road, constructed of
scrap IRON placed on scantling run
lengthwise, like the original tramways in
England, was completed and operated from
Elgin to Lake Geneva. No attempt was
made at an extension for some time, but
later the enterprise was taken hold of by
New York capitalists. headed by Euclid
Ckadsey and others, and an effort was at
once made to construct the road to Jeffer-
son and Whitewater from Geneva The
new promoters issued 81 100000 In bonds
which were in addition to the farm and
town bonds already issued and sold for
the benefit of the enterprise. "A contract was
then made with the Canadian railway con-
struction firm of George F. Harris & Co.
Harris Immediately came to Wisconsin
from Canada, bringing with him a large
outfit. consisting OF steam shovels. expe-
rienced workmen. etc., and started in in
dead earnest. He secured w. H Bradford,
now a weil-known retired citizen of Mil
waukee, as his private secretary.
About the same time the new owners or
dered loo tons Of English 'T'' RAN. to be
delivered in Milwaukee,. These rails were
finally unloaded at the dock ut Milwaukee
In bond, and the secretary Of the road.
Edward Barber, was called upon by Col
lector Of Customs Gotleib Weiss to plank
down $500 in gold as duty on the "for-
eign iron" Harris went to work grading
the road from Geneva north and did some
heavy cutting through the Whitewater
bluffs and on through to Jefferson, where
he put IN a bridge over the Rock river. to
connect the road with the Northwestern
line. The English rails were taken to
Whitewater and. laid for q distance of
about two miles. making q spur from the
Milwaukee ana the Mississippi road
Then r1imors Of war depressed business
capitalists became timid and hard times set
In. and the companies with completed roads
found It very. hard to mako both ends
meet, to say nothing Of the prospect fer