Ottumwa semi-weekly courier., 1902-05-13
S SEEM THINGS
Creston Paper Makes Mountains
Out OF Molehills.
SAYS OT1UMWA IS TO Be CUT OUT

oAI0 VllUMWA Is III BIZ CUl UUl
Story From Union County Town That
1t Is About to Become Important on
Burlington and That OttumWa Is to
Suffer Thereby.
1t is notable fact that Creston is
among the numerous towns in Iowa
that think they have been singled out
by destiny to become at some time or
other the metropolis of the west. Just
how Creston is to obtain the coveted
position has been matter of some
speculation but the people of the little
Union county town never have doubt
ed for moment that they are soon to
be living in city that will outshine
Chicago, and that without their chang
ing their residence in the least. At
last, however, the means by which
Creston is to become great have been
made known to the world and Creston
is now waiting for the effect. The Ga
zette of that city has come out with a
l
proclaiming to the world that Creston
is about to become the whole thing in
Iowa SO far as the Burlington road is
concerned, that Ottumwa is to be made
a simple way station, and that in a
few months this city will be the home
of SO few Burlington employees that
when one is enticed here by fair or foul
means he will be cooped up as a curl
osity relic of by-gone greatness.
AS the story of dream the Creston
tale is good one, for it has all of the
necessary breaks in the narrative.
For instance, it says that instead Of
having freight division point at OF
tumwa it viii! be at Creston, to which
city the trains will run through from
Burlington. This will make a rather
short division from Galesburg to Bur
lington. only forty-three miles, but
this makes very little difference to the
Creston dream. The scheme for short
ening the divisions would fall rather
fiat, too, for the one from Creston to
Omaha would be but 104 miles long,
eleven miles shorter than this useless
Ottumwa division, which extends from
Ottumwa to Creston, distance of lis
miles.
The Creston paper cites two facts in
support of it's theory. First, the fact
that Superintendent o. E. Stewart and
Master Mechanic F. A. Torrey were
recently removed to Creston from this
city shows Creston conclusively that
IQttumwa is lost irrevocably. The fact
is lost sight Of however, that this
change was made necessary by the res
i ignation of Superintendent H. S.
j Storrs and Master Mechanic Evan
4 Jones, and that good men have taken
the places of the two who have gone
to Creston. This is a nice compliment
, to two able railroad men but the move
{ hardly means the entire ruin of OF.
) tumwa.
The other pointer that cinches the
removal of the division point from OF
tumwa, according to Creston's way of
figuring, is the fact that number of
railroad officials were in Creston few
days ago and decided to make some
much-needed improvements there, in
cluding the lengthening of the stalls
in the round-house SO that the big en-
gines which will soon be used on the
passenger trains will be accommodate
ed. The sand house is also to be re-
built and new coal chutes are to be
erected where the old ones were burn
ed down several yars ago. Ottumwa
had her round-house enlarged few
days ago and other improvements
were made and have been made from
time to time by the Burlington in this
city, but the community has not gone
into ecstacies about it, nor prophesied
that the Burlington was about to cut
out all the other division. points and
make one stop between Chicago and
Omaha, that being at Ottumwa. This
would be about as feasible as is the
Creston theory, for Ottumwa is prac.
tically half way between the two big
cities, and the time will no doubt come
when the crews on the faster trains
: at least, will change at Ottumwa only
on their trip from Chicago to Omaha
There are now some crews which &C
from Burlington to Omaha and the
west end of the run would be shorten
ed and the two made more even were
, the passenger division point removed
to this city.
| However, so fer as the matter Of
changing the freight division is con
cerned, indications are that Ottumws
and Creston will both, sooner or lat
er be cut out if the theories of con
servative railroad men count for any
j. thing. The natural division points
would be at Galesburg, Charlton ant
Omaha, with divisions averaging abou
ITO miles in length. There is every
reason why. at some future time, the
!, freight division points should be a
these three places, when the doubl,
track across Iowa makes it possible
to run freight trains faster. A fac
that adds color to this theory is tina
: the Burlington owns several acres O
land at Charlton which is not now be
: ing used, but with which the compan.
does not seem inclined to part.