Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-07-01
me |NlERURBAN LINES
Several Hundred Miles Of Road
Likely to Be Built in
Iowa.
~
New Electric Lines Being Pro.
jected From Des Moines in
Various Directions.
Road to Harlan One Of the Latest
Schemes to Be Sug.
gested.


gested.
Railway company. with a view of
STRENGTHENING its position in Central
Iowa, has commenced a canvass for
franchises for the operation of electric
roads in the towns of Abel, Panora, |
Guthrie Center, Audubon and Harlan,
and it is the expectation at this time to
each of these towns franchise ordi-
nance granting it permission to build
and operate electric roads thru the
streets of the several towns.
If the franchises are granted. and
present indications are that there will
be no opposition to the plan, 1T is prob
able that within another year a start
will be made upon the construction of
an electric line between Dies Moines and
Harlan. 1t is the intention in these cities
to ask for franchise granting the
company the right TO use the streets for
| electric street railway and inteTurbali
1 purposes for a term of years as was
1 done in Indianola and Winterset. and to
have inserted in the franchise a proviso.
| TO the effect that the road shall be in
1 operation within year from the date of
! approval of the franchise ordinances
/ by the voters of these towns which
4 would give the company until two years
| from next November in which to build
I and put in operation the proposed road.
4 1t will be remembered that in the In
/ dianola and Wnterset franchise ordi-
nances the provision was made that the
4 company should have two years from
II the date of ratification of the ordi-
/ nances in which 10 build and put the
| line in operation.
4 Copies of the ordinances it is desired
i the councils of the towns ramed shall
/, pass have been prepared and forwarded
to the mayors of the places for their
inspection and approval, and 1t IS the
intention within a few weeks to bring
the ordinances up for approval by the
: town councils so that the question can
: be submitted to the people in due tine
al The regular. November election.
If the franchises are granted there
is not siuch doubt but the road Will be
built from Des Moines to Guthrie Ger
ter during 1902, and that the Inc will
!, be extended tru to Harlan and possibls
-Efurthe., WITHIN another year. or before
). the franchise period expires.
This line. if built, will be the long
: est of the several lines projected. 1t
: will be about ninety-fvc miles long and
. will leave the Des Moines & Winterset
inc at Commerce. The course from tbs
J. Rock Island and Milwaukee lines to
y Abel From Abel 1t will be built to I'll,
:. Inland pos.office of Greenvale ant
thence to Panora. From Panora and
Guthrie Center the line will be almos'
u direct. West of Guthrie Center thu
y first town will be Nelson, which is abou
: six miles due west Audubon will bt
: the next point. and then Poplar, from
= which point it will run 20 Harlan.
: Greenvale, Nelson and Poplar nov
y nave no railroad facilities, While tbs
II towns of Harlan, Audubon and Guthri'
! Center are on branch lines Of either tn
u Rock Island or the Northwestern an;
: have no direct service into Des Moines
: The branches are short turn arounds
extending from the main lines, and non
of these places have an east and ives
service. Tn distance from the propose
line to the Milwaukee and Rock Islam
The country is rough and not adapted I
= the building of steam roads, and it il
u generally conceded that an electric roa
is the only practical east and west lin
thru this country and will be without
L competition for years to come excep
from the unsatisfactory branch lines.
n If the plans of the interurban peopl
l. are carried out and the present indica
: tons are that they Will be, there will b
considera BILE electric road built out c
n Des Moines in the next two years. Th
q lndianola line will be- completed thi
y fall and it is the intention to have tn
line to Nevada in operation before col
weather sets ill., These are sixteen an
thirty-seven miles in length respective
n ly 1t is not probable the interurba
IS will do any more building than this thi
is season. Next season there is no dout
10 but what the line will be extended froi
.nl Valley Junction TO Winterset and pos
4, sibly to Greenfield and that a line wi
in be built into Guthrie Center. With tt
xt intention of extending it to Harlan II
g. following year, while during the sam
he season it Is the intention to build frol
A. Nevada as far north as Eldora.
% Beyond these points the interurba
1e has no definite plans. but there is evel
reason to believe the Greenfield line wi
be eXtendd TO Creston and that the u
cora line will be built to Waterloo.
An additional force of about twent
ne teams, wheel scrapers and men arrive
10 in the city yesterday to go to work {
) the grading for the army post lin
- which was commenced Thursday, al
IN camps are being distributed along Il
:, road.
al Condemnation proceedings for the d
10 Moines and Nevada line will be cor
OF p!eted Friday, and IL is the intention
90. commence grading on it one week fro
vi today. The contract for this work h
been let, and already the contractor
assembling large grading outfits for I
work. The crew working on the arm
IN, post line. as soon as it is complies
les which will be on Aug. l, will be tran
llt ferred to the section of twelves mil
II already located between the army pc
as and Indianola. with the intention