The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-06-16
Reticent About the Route That
Has Been Selected.
NOT WINNER NOR Helm.
Claim That Neither Man is In-
terestea in the Line.
Also Say They Won't Connect
With VinewOOd Line.

engineers under the direction of J. b
Adams and w. o. Mcintosh Of Law
renee will enter Topeka, thus cOmplet-
ing a survey for the proposed Topeka
Lawrence & Kansas City Electric rail-
way, an electric line projected by east
ern capitalists upon which the survey.
Ors have been working since May. The
temporary headquarters of the road ara
in Lawrence whence operations are be-
ing conducted, the line having first been
laid out to Kansas City, and then from
Lawrence to Topeka. Saturday evening
the engineers were about seven mllss
southeast of this city. planning 10 reach
here Tuesday or Wednesday.
+ In matters relating to the project in
which they are employed the engineers
assume a nOn-cOmmittal attitude which
it is difficult to penetrate. -All we are
authorized to say they declare, Is
that the line will be built We have
been working since the first of May,
first running the line from Lawrence to
Kansas City and then returning to that
place and from there proceeding here
We expect to get to Topeka Tuesday
evening or Wednesday and further
than that we have no positive knoNi-
edge regarding the enterprise
This is the company which procured
a charter in Oklahoma short time
ago for the purpose of building an elec-
trio line from Kansas City to Topeka by
way Of Lawrence. It is strenuously de-
MED even by the engineers themselves
that either w E. Winner or F'erd Helm
of Kansas City are financing the
scheme, Mr.. Helm at least having given
up the plan as it was outlined to
him for building an electric railroad to
Topeka as impracticable.
According to the route as now sur
veyed the distance wfil be about So
miles between Topeka and Kansas City
Leaving this city in sOutheaSterly dl-
rectiOn it crosses the Shawnee county
line runs to Lawrence along the valley
of the Wakarusa touching there Just
north Of Haskell institute and running
on down the valley to Eud0ra. DeSoto
on the main line and Zarah on the cut
off of the Santa F'e are reached by it,
going from the latter place to Shawnee.
E Merriam. sROsedaIe and entering Kansas
City over the southwest boulevard it
is planned that heavy rolling stock Wllk
be put on each ear having maximum
speed of 70 miles an hour, and IT IS q
part of the scheme to run several
through cars every day between the
terminal points with only a stop at
Lawrence, covering the distance in one
hour. There will be. Of course. numer-
Gus other cars running which viii stop
at crossroads or wherever there may
be passengers to pick uD- The freight
traffic is expected to constitute no small
part of the business, especially milk and
vegetables. It is said that IN much OF
the territory which the line IS to ira
verse the highways are IOuEn ana tHt
farmers cannot easily get to market
with many of their products. and this
will afford them an opening. A part OF
the lire win be double-traclSed.
The engineers claim that the line will
have nothing to do with any NineWood
Park road, although the survey will
probably touch somewhere near that
point. The surveyors for the Topeka
Lawrence & Kansas City Electric COM
pany are going over almost exactly the
same route as that run by surveyors a
short time ago in the interests of the
road which was supposed to get the
Vinewood Park line with which the To-
peka city council was struggling for
several sessions. Members of the corps
now at work say that the work of their
predecessors was hastily done. the grade
stakes used being simply house lath.
and in many cases they were badly out
of line With four men they claim that
the survey was made in less than three
weeks whereas the route now being rum
already has consumed more than twice
that time. It S asserted that never
was Intended by the VnewOod people to-
build a road but that they We're only
making a bluff whereby they would be-
able to unload their property upon the
present promoters Of the TOpeka-Kan-
sas City road.
The engineers have completed little If
any of the figures for the proposed line
having done only the field work, SO that
they claim it is impossible to say how
MANY obstacles will be encountered in
constructing the road. Between Topeka
and Lawrence considerable grading VIII
be necessary as the topography of the
country is more or less hilly. It is the
general plan to run just south of the
line of hills skirting the Kaw valley.
All the streams to be crossed VIII be
small and the item OF bridging VIII
therefore not be so formidable as Mr.
Helm encountered in his survey in
which it was computed that the bridges
of his intended line along the Kaw
river would cost not much less than
$50, 600.
Regarding the time when the present
promoters plan to have their road in
operation nothing can be said farther
than that within perhaps thirty days
the engineers will have their work up
in shape so that a start can be made.
At first it was planned that the COM
pany should get a franchise for running
along the highways Of Shawnee county.
but this has been abandoned on account
of its in practicability as compared with
that of running across the farms In
Douglas and Johnson counties rights
have been secured. and in Wyandofte
It is said there will be no opposition to
giving the projectors rights a s soon as
they can furnish proof and bond that
the line will go beyond the paper stage
Besides operating an inter urban road
it is stated by the engineers that the
company intends to build city railway
for Lawrence, that town having been
ner made the proposition to construct
one The old dummy line WAS torn
out but the Winner line failed to ma
teralize, although franchise was
granted and beginning was made
A report comes from Kansas City
that Ferd Helm is about to secure u
controlling interest in the Topeka E1ee-
trio lire to also be used as tar-
minus for a Kansas City line Pyesi-
dent Baker Of the City railway saYg
4hera fG no truth the rapGEE.