Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1901-08-15
MORE ELECTRIC ROAD TALK.
Grand Rapids, Belding a. lonia Rail-
way Co. Organized and said
to be a sure Thing.

Belding people have been looking
for so long now for the electric road
which was projected and promised to
be built from Grand Rapids to Belding
via Grattan that they have become
rather discouraged and pretty nearly
lost faith in electric roads. This be-
ing the case, the announcement in
Grand Rapids daily papers of last Fri
day under bold headlines, of the
formation of a new company to build
a line here, coming in on the JOS.
Kerwin franchise recently acquired,
did not create the stir or interest
that 1t would have done before we
became surfeited with such talk with
too little action to go with it. But
however we give an epitome of the
articles as printed, and leave it with
our readers.
The Grand Rapids, Belding & Ionia
is the name of the new electric inter
urban line, which will, in the near fu-
ture, connect Grand Rapids with
Ionia, Ada, Lowell, Saranac and
Belding. The organization was eff
fected Thursday morning, the articles
of association having been executed
and sent on to Lansing to be filed.
The line will traverse the fertile
agricultural district lying east of
Grand Rapids along the Grand River
valley. The company has capital
stock of 100000, divided into 1000
shares of 800 each as follows: Wal
lace Franklin, Detroit, 334; Thomas
f. Carroll, 333, and Joseph Kerwin,
333 Thomas +. Carroll Is the presi-
dent of the new company; treasurer,
Wallace Franklin: and secretary, JOS
eph Kerwin. All of the necessary
franchises and rights of way have
been secured The sum of 800, 600
will be expended to build the roadbed
and lay the ties and steel rails. This
amount of money is available, so that
work can be commenced at once. AS
shown by the survey the distance will
be thirty-two miles between Grand
Rapids and Ionia, and the distance to
Belding is about the same. Loops
will be be built at Belding and Ionia,
within which the company will erect
their stations and freight houses.
The road enters and leaves Grand
Rapids by the old Robinson road, now
called Robinson avenue, and will tap
the Cherry street line of the Grand
Rapids Railway company, with which
traffic arrangements will be perfect
ed. Outside of Grand Rapies it will
run along the north shore of Fisk
Lake and Reeds Lake and almost di-
rectly east along the Cascade road
until the road for Ada is reached,
where it will leave the Cascade road,
striking of direct to the former viii
lage. Grand river will be crossed at
Ada. Along the north side of the
river the road will follow the river
bends to Lowell. Passing through
there it will go on east through Sara
nae to Ionia The Belding cars will
leave the Ionia cars and the Ionia di
vision of the line at Lowell going
northeast to the terminus.
Wallace Franklin of Detroit, who
financed the Grand Rapids, Grand Ha-
ven q Muskegon and who is the secre-
tary of that company, is behind the
new road to Ionia and Belding and
has financed the project.
The launching so suddenly of this
new road to Belding, all franchised
and with its right of way secured and
its managers ready to commence OPP
erations, will in a way throw into the
background the former projected
road to Belding by way of Grattan,
north along the west side of Grand
river. Both roads, however, will be
built, it is understood, and the new
road is not considered as in competi-
tion with the road first projected, in
which General Manager @. Stuart
Johnson of the street railway COM
Puhg Aio lhNNlNSltus hC lOiu hOi III
along the river will tap the fruit belt
and while it does not touch as many
small towns as the new road it will Sc
cure freight business from the far
mers along its line.
The Grand Rapids, Belding & Ionia
will be in operation in less than two
years if the plans are carried out,
and there seems TO be no reason to
think otherwise. The rights of way
are in some instances good for only
two and one-half and three years, so
that the road will have to be started
by that time or they will be void. 1t
is hoped to begin work this fall.
With good luck, one year from now,
the promoters say, will see the first
cars running. The idea is to finish
with the Muskegon road first.and then
to turn the attention to the newer
| line.
The new Hotel Callow at Ionia, is
very neat, modern brick hotel built