Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-03-07
A sTuPENnous PROJECT.
Agency and COMPETING Figuring on
Electric Railroad.

CiCClIiS ndlIFOdu.
From Wednesdays Daily.
An improvement that may mean
great deal for Ottumwa is being SER
iously considered in financial circles.
This is no more than the conversion of
the old c., B. & @. track between this
city and Agency into an electric line
and series of street cars to be in
augurated between the two places
every thirty minutes. At first sight
this looks like a stupendons undertake
ing, Tut when the details are consider
ed it can De seen the plan is feasible.
If this can be accomplished, it will
mean the settlement at Agency of
large number of suburban homes, and
it will give number of people who do
business in Ottumwa and live in Agen-
cy now, quick and convenient transpor-
tation between the two places.
Plans Considered.
1t was given fresh impetuous yester-
day when number of Agency people
met e. A. Howard, the general agent
of the Burlington road, whose head
quarters are in this city, and who is
purchasing ground for the proposed
new line of the Burlington between
here and Agency. AS is well known,
the @ will leave their present main line
in the East End and run considerable
distance to the south in order to get
around the Agency hill. This will
leave the old route between the two
cities useless, and to sell it, the most
that could be gotten out of it would be
what the rails would bring as old iron.
Col. CaughIan Interviewed.
Colonel H. H. Caughlan. general sup
erintendent of the Ottumwa Electric
and Steam company was seen by a
Courier representative today and adj
mitted the subject had been preached
and was under consideration. He
said it was too early yet to give any
thing out officially as nothing had been
heard from the @ people in regard to
the proposition, and it could not be
told whether they would be willing to
allow the road to be used for the pur-
pose contemplated or not.
May Be Extended.
In case this deal will go thru, it is
said line will be built on out to Com
petine, with probably an ultimate ex-
tension to Martinsburg. In case this
could be done, it will open up part of
Wapello county that at present is COM
pletely cut off from the outside world,
and would give the farmers in that por-
ton Of the county an outlet for their
produce that would place them on a
footing with. those close to the city.
1t is the plan if the road can be put
thru to Competine, to put in switch
to every farm along the line, and line
of freight cars will be put on the line,
so the farmer can load their stock or
anything else they may have to send to
market, and it will be hauled directly
to the railroad. This plan is being
pursued all over the country, and has
proven very satisfactory and has paid
handsome dividends. 1t not only opens
up class of freight for the railroads
that they could not hope to get under
existing circumstances, but it brings
the far-out farmer close to his central
market.
What 1t Means.
When this project is consummated,
and every citizen in Ottumwa and Wa
pello county hopes it will be, work will
be started on it, as soon as the line is
abandoned by the @, and it is hoped to
have cars running right away, as it
is the intention to string wires before
the @ quits running trains.
Use TT. Madison Tracks.
The plan now is to use the old Fort
| Madison tracks from Sugar Creek to
the old depot, and a connection made
| from there to Main street with the city
electric lines. This way it would only
take the erection of about block of
road to connect the two This idea is
born out from the fact that the old Ft
Madison road has been torn up to
| Sugar Creek between Batavia and that
/ point and leaving this track as il w a G