The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-01-03
G. W. IMPROVEMENTS.
Estimated They Will Reach Two Mil
lions for 1902.

tVIS W. tSSss
The Chicago Great Western will
follow it's extensive Improvements OF
this year with work next year nearly
double the extent and Importance.
Plans have been completed, the money
has been appropriated and many con-
tracts are ready to let.
A schedule of the work ordered in
cludes..a large. amount of-~-track4. re-
newal, a continuation of the. present
policy of....grade reduction, - a vast
amount of minor engineering and ex-
tensive additions to terminals and ter
minal freight yards
. Extensive grade reductions have
been made this year at Sumner and
Taopi, Mimi, 1 per cent grades have
been cut to T.. at Fredericksburg,
Iowa, a trestle bridge 1000 feet long
has been removed land three miles OF
new line has been built, in addition
to q reduction of 8 per cent in grade
grade crossings. have been eliminated
at Elma and Alta Vista, Iowa; extern
sive grade reductions have been made
at Aiken, Iowa and at Graf. Iowa.
a long series of six degrees curves en-
tirely removed and the main line
shortened 400 feet Several miles have
been cut from the total Chicago-St.
Paul mileage.
The proposed improvements are even
more extensive. Grade reductions are
planned....at bayfield,, on the south
western division between Marshalltown
and.Oelwein, where general revision
of line will be undertaken, and further
grade revisions on the Eastern division
al. STANLEY and Egan. -. Passing tracks
are to be heightened to minimum. of
8, OOOsfeet..over the entire system. and
passing tracks at coal stations to 5000
feet.
New rails of eighty pound steel
are to be laid between Kenyon and
Oelwein, between waterloo and Mar
shalltown, on the Waverly branch
and between Oelwein and Des Noines,
giving heavy steel over the entire Chi
cago-St. Paul line The bridges on
the Oelweih-St. Joseph line are to be
Strengthened, as have been those in
Minnesota, for heavier locomotives.
The Chicago yards of the Chicago
Great Western are to be rebuilt and
one third more capacity added. The
Oelwein yards are to be enlarged to
double their capacity and the Mime
apolis yards increased to third more
capacity. The only tunnel on the
system, at Roden, ILL.,, is to be lined
with concrete and brick at a cost OF
$175, 900. A new stone station build
ing is to be erected at Msrshalltown.
"An per cent grades or over are
to be reduced wherever thew interfere
with traffic, to .O5 per cent, an en-
gineerings oAicial,, said yesterday
No statement of the total cost %. the
work outlined has yet been prepared.
1t is unoHicially said that. it.-will
pass.the So. 600, 900 mark.
A Chicago dispatch to.ssthe Pioneer
Press says: $50. ,.,s,ass1...
|. Attention has been .directed to the
decreased shipments of---grain east
bound. FROM Chicago, TsandS.predictions
have.beenssssindulgeds-in that this must
result in asconsiderable diminution of
earnings.
Under ordinary circumstances it
might, but with conditions as they
aressitsswill notsbe apparent insfnancial
results. We're the roads to give their
entire attention to two or three lines
of traffic, it would utilizessall the power
and cars they could command. There
is not..a road in Central Traffic associ-
alton territory which is not short OF
croal, live stock and refrigerator cars.
Several of the soft coal mines in In
diana and Ohio are running but hall
time, as the roads are unable to fur
nish the cars to take their products.
So short are the farmers of feed for
cattle and hogs that they are pushing
them on to the market as fast as they
can get cars.
The shortage of cars, coupled with
the crippled condition of power, gives
little encouragement for hope Of an
early improvement All lines are
now urging consignees to unload cars
Immediately on notification of arrival.
The Northern Pacific will soon an
nounce revision of its principal
freight tariffs. covering the territory
between St. Paul and the Pacific and
establishing lower through rates.
Similar tariffs will be announced al
the same time by the Great Northern
Northern Pacific rate clerks have
been at work on the revision fer more
than two months. 1t was stated Satur.
day semi officially that the import
ant feature of the new tariffs will be
the removal of Determinations that
have gradually grown for several
years, and radical changes, especially
in local rates, that will adjust many
subjects of complaints from shippers.
The new Great Northern tariffs will
be constructed on..similar lines. IN =.
Both roads, it is asserted, will make
voluntary reductions in rates, based
upon the increased earning capacity o.
their lines and thesgrowth of revenues
The Great Northern will on Jan. Is