Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-04-04
Burlington Will Improve ST. Paul
st. Louis Line.
IT WOULD REDUCE THE MILEAGE
Would Do Away With About Ten
Miles of Road, Including Several
Hills and Bad Curves - How 1t
Would Be Done. t

The present seems to be the season
of cut-offs on railroads. The road af-
fected by the latest cutoff story is
the Burlington. and it's line between
st. Paul and st. Louis is the part on
which the change is to be made, ac-
cording to rumors and indications.
This, it is said, will shorten the piece
of track referred to by ten miles, and
will also cut out several bad curves
and do away with some steep grades.
This proposed piece of construction
is between Carbon Cliff and a point
some distance west of Briar Bluff, a
small town some four or five miles
south and west of Colona, in Henry
county, Illinois.
1t will be remembered that surveys
were made last summer by the 90"
engineers for cutoff between Colo
ma and point west of Briar Bluff.
This piece of track would not be over
five or six miles in length, and yet it
would avoid one of the worst reverse
curves on the St. Louis division and
save nearly two miles in distance.
The newly proposed plan would not
only avoid the reverse curve, cut out
heavy grade or two, but would save
nearly ten miles of track.
AS the line now is, the St Paul-St.
Louis trains will come down on this
side of the river, pass over the D., R.
|. & N. w. bridge up thru Rock Island
and Moline and as far east as Bars
tow, twelve miles from Rock Island
before turning south. From Barstow
the line crosse Rock river, curves
around the end of the Rock river
bluffs to Colona; executes couple of
gymnastics in the way of steep grades
and reverse curves, and then works
its way southwesterly to point in
Henry county almost directly south
to Carbon Cliff, before it cuts into the
hills in order to gain the high lands
back from the river
The Proposition.
AS matters now stand the d. R. l.
& N. w. has a line from East Moline
a common junction point for four
railways. directly to Carbon Cliff and
from there to Rock river. 1t also has
secured from congress franchise for
bridge over that stream. 1t is pro-
posed to build this bridge and then
construct the line from that point ov.
er to connect with the present line OF
the st. Louis division of the %" at a
point somewhere near to the the place
it cuts into the hills to reach the high.
lands
In this manner four miles would be
saved between East Moline and Bars
tow, and three miles returning to a
point opposite Carbon Cliff in Henry
county, and nearly three additions
miles would also be saved in the in
termediate curvatures and detours
With a saving of some fifteen miles
between Fulton and Rock Island b!
running the trains on the west side Of
| the Mississippi between Clinton and
Davenport instead of around by Den
rock, and ten miles by this cutoff. 8
total saving of twenty-five miles viii
be made by the construction of g
bridge over Rock river and less thar
five miles of track.
The story is certainly plausible
one and there seems to be no valid
reason why it should not be done. II
it is not done the newly constructed
portion of the D. R. |. & N. w. from
East Moline south OF Rock river
thru Carbon Cliff might as well be
pulled up.
| ne MILWAUKEE, lldu dill ShSSpIiOhtii
| ly large run on fast thru freight cas-
yesterday. Among the many thru ex
port meat and merchandise trains, tho
Milwaukee company had train o
fourteen, double-decked cars of sheep
enroute from Kansas City, Mo-, Il
Chicago. The run was made from
Kansas City to Marion, at the regular
schedule time, thirty-tive miles pc
hour.
The Chicago, Milwaukee & st. Pau
railway company have their new ant
extensive machine shops in this cit.
completed, and are now prepared Il
give all their engines that run int
Ottumwa a general over-hauling. Thu
latest and up-to-date machinery ha
been placed in the shops, and three
machinists, one helper, blacksmith
and helper, boilermaker and helper
and three round house machinists arr
employed daily by the new shops.
Conductor w. w. Ruckman, of OF
tumwa has been transferred to til,
main line again and is now running
between Creston and Ottumwa. ii
had been running out of Charlton
Creston Advertiser.
New York, April "a consolidation
of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa F.
a.. n T