The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-03-25
RAILROAD NEWS
Extensions Are Planned to
Points ON the Gulf Coast.
Rock Island Railway Still
Branching Out.
IN NEED OF MORE CARS.
Freight Department Cramped
For Want of Rolling Stock.
Bridge Nearly Completed Over
South Canadian at WatOnga.

road. and extensive surveys have al
ready been made. 1t is said that ex-
tensions will be made this summer from
Fort Worth TO some Texas gulf port
and to New Orleans as we'll.
From Fort Worth the line will extend
to Dallas, thence to Corsicana and the
| Beaumont oil fields in territory long
sacred to the Southern Pacific
The gulf port which it is going to
| reach viii not be decided upon for sew
| eral months, but from Beaumont the
/ line is TO be carried on east to New
| Orleans The road has the pick of sew
| eral routes, but probably will strike
, southeast from Corsicana through Free
I stone county. touch at Fairfield, thence
!, TO Palestine in Anderson county. through
= Cherokee. striking either at RuSk or
( New Birmingham, thence to NacOg-
! doches, San Augustin and Sabine coun-
I ties, and thence south to Beaumont.
From Beaumont line Will be built
| to the gulf SO that business for foreign
| countries from the north or east picked
up after leaving New Orleans Will have
I quick and direct route to water The
| new line will make the Rock Island a
! great power in Texas.
! Houston advices say that it has been
given out by Rock Island officials at
! that place that that road Will be eX-
/ tended from Fort Worth across the
state to New Orleans and the gulf.
The report has created a furore in
/ railroad circles because it develops that
] the preliminary surveys have been run
| already but were done very much on
i the quiet.
| There is no doubt that this greet rail-
| road undertaking has been in contem-
4 plation for some time as it has always
/ been a matter of discomfort with the
Rock Island officers that the road has
/ been compelled to turn over an enor-
| nous amount of freight and passenger
/ traffic to roads running south from Fort
Worth.
The Rock Island railway company is
| in the market for $500 cars of all kinds.
| The announcements is made this week
| in one of the eastern railway papers.
| In connection with this item, it is said,
| although not generally known, that
/ President Leeds, the new head officer
of the Rock Island, created quite a sur
| prise upon assuming the duties of presi-
| dent by ordering all the grade reduc-
| ton and line shortening work to stop
| until the road was gotten into better
| shape as regards rolling stock and
/ transportation facilities. 1t is said tie
/ work on the Trenton, Mo, cutoff was
| stopped temporarily on this account
The Rock Island has been seriously
handicapped of late because of lack of
freight cars, passenger coaches and
engines
AS soon as the new planning mill and
sawmiIl at the Horton shops is compile
ted and the entire plant is again in run
ming order, the whole force of men will
be put to work turning out rolling stock
equipment. The capacity of the plant
has been doubled, and the output with
in the next year together with what
will be purchased from other factories
viii put the road in excellent shape for
the transportation of the increased
amount of freight traffic that has come
to il on account of the many extern
sions that have been made and are in
the course of construction.
The, reports of a few weeks ago that
the Kansas City and Northern Connect
ing line was purchased by the Rock
Island and that the trains of the Rock
Island would be run over it between
Kansas City and Cameron Junction,
SIo. seem to have lost flavor. Nothing
has appeared in the papers within the
past two weeks about the deal and it
is not known whether the trains will
soon begin running over the reported
acquisition of the Rock Island or not.
No new changes have SO far been re-
ported in the time table that could have
been occasioned by such plans
C. w Adams, who has just been ap-
pointed master mechanic of the new
Rock Island shops. at Chickasha, 1. T..
served his apprenticeship at the Cen
trail Branch shops. under H v. FAIRIES
Adams was transferred to Chickasha
from GoodIand. Kan. where he was
n aster mechanic of the Rock Island.
Walter Scott, who is TO have charge of
the boiler shops at Chickasha, was a
machiniSt at the Central Branch When
Adams was cub there. and once sent
him after q left hand monkey wrench
North Canadian river below Watonga, |
Okla hOma is nearly completed. Waton-
ga is on the Enid and Apadarko branch |
of the road now completed as far as the |
North Canadian river two miles south /
of WatOnga. The line will be extended |
south to Anadarko to connect with the |
line to I.awtOn which will eventually |
be extended south. parallel to the main /
line to Fort Worth. The bridge will be /
over 800 feet long and will contain 70 |
spans The structure will be almost |
entirely built of wooden timbers.
A PARTY of surveyors left Topeka last |
week to go TO Springer, Col, to work on /
the proposed line from Springer and the |
Dawson coal fields. to a connection with |
the D. & r. c. at Trinidad. Col Actual
work has been commenced on the line |
from the Rock Island at Tucumcari to |
Dawson and Springer.
The new Rock Island folders and time
cards Just issued show many changes
from what they were a year ago The
map to show the lines of the Rock ISL
and and connections is considerably
larger than formerly.
The Rock Island is circulating a SER
les of handsomely framed pictures of /
points of interest in Old Mexico The /
frames are made of unfinished black /
oak and gilt. They are the same size
of the series OF pictures recently issued
advertising Cloudcroft and vicinity /
framed in oak finished in its natural
color The pictures make creditable
showing beside any advertising used in
hotels and depots.
The Ell Paso Rock Island road will
endeavOr to secure more visitors to {
CIoudcroft this summer than ever |
Thousands of dollars are being spent |
in distributing descriptive matter in /
the east and more than likely the in
fiux to Cloudcroft will be far ahead of |
anything in the past
..You may state on my authority"