The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-11-22
Is the Santa Fe Planning st.
Louis Lines
RumOrs of an Extension Are
Persistent.
MR.MUDGE DON'T KNOW
Saws Nothing Has Been Told
Him About 1t.
Chanute Thinks 1t Has a Chance
For a Line.

In spite of denials by General Man
ager Nudge and other Santa F'e olnclals
there is a persistent rumor thaI tne
Santa Fe is making plans to enter 0t
Louis in time for the exposition IN 4So4
Now and then a hint is dropped by
Santa Fe man which serves to start all
the old rumors going again, and crop
of new ones. =, e.-
ure much in the St. Louis fair traInc,
/ suppose" was remarked by a State
Journal reporter to an official OIL tne
Santa Fe passenger department yesler-
.sDon't be too sure about that" said
the official. Something is likely 10
happen soon which will change the LOOKS
the time the Worlds fair opens, tne
Santa Fe will be running into 81 LOUIS
over its own track
Against this confidently expressed
opinion is the statement of General
Manager Nudge, which he made JUST
before leaving on his western trip Wed
nesday. He said:
4 do not believe the Santa F'e con-
templates going to St Louis Notnlng
has happened so far, to the best OF my
knowledge, to indicate that any plan
of the kind is under consideration. 1t is
possible that the Chicago ofhclalS ana
owners of the road have such plans
but if they have, 1 do not know 1t II
I did know anything about IT, and II
was a secret. | would not tell, but when
I say that nothing is being contem-
plated, so far as / know, 1t IS without
any secret plans in my mind"
one of the proposed routes for the
Santa Fe to take to reach St LOUIS
is to build an extension from Pekln,
Ill Another plan is to build from Fort
Madison. Still another, and the most
likely one of the three is an extension
from Bucklin, Mo. 1t is about the same
distance rom any of these points to the
objective
Bucklin is in the north central part
of Missouri about 175 miles from st.
Louis. 1t would be the best place for
st. Louis branch because it would ac-
travel.
The Journal has received the follow
ing dispatch from Chanute, Kan, con-
corning the possible extension of the
Santa Fe from Fort Scott eastward,
which has been mentioned in these col
umns in the past:
"Chanute people think that they will
have direct line to st. Louis by means
of a Santa Fe extension. The Santa Fe
has owned the St. Louis, Kansas City
& Colorado railroad, a line about 100
miles long from Union, Mo-, to st. Louis.
An extension of this road from Union
to Versailles, Mo-. is nearly completed.
Work of grading a road from Versailles
to Clinton is in progress.
From Clinton to Kansas City is the
old Blair line. which can be purchased
plete line from Kansas City to ST. Louis.
There are reasons to believe that if
this plan is carried out the Santa Fe
will build through from Clinton to Cha
mute, via Fort Scott, and connect with
the main line at EmpOria over the EN-
DOria-Chanute line This would give
the Santa F'e a big share of the travel
from the southwestern part of Kansas,
and open up a direct line for its new
Oklahoma roads"
This dispatch was shown today to D.
E. Cain. chief clerk for Mr.. Nudge, and
Mr.. Cain said:
1T IS way off. There is no truth in it.
The Santa Fe has no plan of this kind.
There are railroads enough in St Louis,
and don't know as the Santa Fe
would want to get in there. The Santa
Fe does not own the St Louis, Kansas
City & Colorado road. 1t is possible, of
course, that some day these little roads
may be on the market, and then who
ever wants them bad enough to buy
them will get them, suppose. But all
the stories about a Santa Fe line to St.
Louis line are myths The Bucklin ex-
tension is one of these myths"