Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-11-11
Railroad King Scheming Near This
City.
NEW LINE is TO Be USED As A CLUB
Building Railroad Through Monroe
and Appanoose Counties to Force
the Sale of Improbable Line, Ac-
cording to Rumor from Sioux City.
From Saturdays Dally.l

John w. Gates is making a gigantic
bluff and the scene of his operations
are near Ottumwa. He is building
railroad in this state for the purpose of
forcing other railroad interests to buy
line for which Mr.. Gates has no use.
AT least this is what the Sioux City
Tribune thinks about the new trans
portation line now being built between
Centerville In Appanoose county and
Melrose in Monroe county, which it is
intended will also be constructed on
to Sioux City. The southern terminal
will be st. Louis.
According to the Tribune Mr.. Gates
is scheming in practical way under.
the noses of the people of this part of
hurt anybody in this neighborhood
does not appear. The chief point of in
terest is that the new line has been
engineered by Mr.. Gates. which the
Tribune says has been a secret here
tofore. Another important part of the
matter is just why Mr.. Gates is build
ing the line. The Tribune uncovers
the plot in this way:
The mystery of the Iowa and ST.
Louis railroad, planned to connect
Sioux City and ST Louis, of which SO
miles are already in operation, has
been solved and the road is known to
be the project Of John w. Gates to en-
hance the value Of the Quincy, Omaha
and Kansas City railway company.
That this is true becomes very evil
dent when it is known H. F. Reddig,
president of the Iowa and ST. Louis
railway company, has been chief clerk
to w. G. Crimson, general manager of
the Quincy, Omaha and Kansas City
railway company; that j. B. Delaney,
formerly with the accounting depart
ment of the c.. o. & X. c. Ry. Co., is
vice president of the l. & ST. l.. Ry.
Co., and that H. H. Hendrick, secre-
tary and treasurer of the l. & ST. L..
Ry Co.. was one of the solicitors for
the O., o. & X. G. Ry. Co.
The Quincy, Omaha & Kansas City
railway company is owned by John w.
Gates.
The Quincy railroad is very poor
property. 1t is evidently not financial
success and consequently cannot at
tract satisfactory bid The property
has been made even less desirable by
the recent sale of the Omaha & ST.
Louis, extending from Pattonsburg,
Mo-, to Omaha and connecting this
railroad with Omaha. This road has
been bought by the Wabash. giving it
a through line from ST. Louis to
Omaha.
Must Save His Holdings.
Gates has on his hands the Quincy
1pop l,- ro1.,
Kansas City and Quincy, and not di-
rectly either. 1t is hung up without
connections and subjected to severe
competition and is strategically in a
pocket.
A few months ago work was begun
near Centerville, Iowa, by the iowa
and st. Louis railroad and it was an
nounced the road would be built to
Sioux City on the north and ST. Louis
on the south. Ever since that time
work has been progressing steadily
and now the line Is completed and be-
Ing operated upon an irregular sched-
ule from Mystic, Iowa, to Macon, Mo.
1t crosses the Quincy railroad at Nov
niger, Mo-. which is near Kirksville.
That the real hacker of the Iowa
and ST. Louis has plenty of money
has been very evident since the work
was begun upon the Iowa and st.
Louis.
With line from Sioux City to st.
Louis, crossing fully a score of rail
roads at right angles. to be made a
part OF the Quincy railroad. which,
passing through rich coal lands of Mis-
souri,, would prove valuable feeder
the Quincy railroad will occupy very
different position strategically, The
line from Sioux City to ct. Louis alone
will cause the other railroads enough
grief to sell the entire Quincy sys-
tenn if the Missouri lines were worth.
less.
There is no question but what Gates