Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1902-01-16
ELECTRIC ROAD TO PALO.
Il. Kendell Very Much Interested In
Line Through That Section
and Writes Concerning IL.

/
and Writes Concerning IL.
Northern Ionia county does not con-
tain a man who takes greater interest
in the prospects of an electric road
being built through his neighborhood
than Mr.. f.. Kendell of Palo. He has
studied over the matter much,and his
views are worthy of careful consider
alton. Readers of the BANNER prob
ably are aware that we have all along
favored line running in that dlrec-
tion as most advantageous to this city
and hope to see it built. Mr.. Kendell
writes as follows:
PALO Mich, Jan, -, 1902.
EDITOR BELDING BANNER Having
noticed in the Grand Rapids Herald
Jan. III that force of surveyors were
in your city for the purpose of run
ming an extension of the electric rail
way line from Grand Rapids via Bel
ding to Saginaw, they mention Sheri-
dan and Palo as lying on their route.
Sheridan is eight miles north of
straight line east To Palo or nearly so.
The route by the way of Palo brings
the line close to the camp meeting
grounds at Long Lake, then straight
east to Palo The line then would
pass east of Palo one mile and then
north to Crystal Lake then TO Sumner
and st. Louis.
There has been franchise granted
from Ionia to Saginaw by the way Of
Palo and Crystal Lake TO | f. Tucker
of Sumner who is now ready to turn
over to any company a private right
ofway from Crystal TO Saginaw by the
way of Sumner and bonus of twenty
thousand dollars that will build the
line either from Ionia or Belding. the
writer procured the Franchises
through Ionia and Ronald townships
for Mr. Tucker, but the Ionia people
seemed to think that their only chance
of getting a road was through the
Hawks-Angus company and they are
more than likely to leave lonia six
miles to the north by running straight
from Portland to Saranac, for the
reason the Ionia people don't propose
to have the line come in over the
the State House of Correction and
leave Main street without any line
running through the principal part
of the city, but the Hawks-Angus
promoters have discovered that it is
almost impossible to come from Port
land by the way of Lyons and Muir
The Railroad commissioner has some
thing to say in crossing a steam road.
1t is either twenty feet over or twelve
feet under and that is impossible at
Muir. Twelve feet under and the
water of Maple river would fill the
tunnel. Twenty feet over and the
bridge from the north side of the rail-
road across Maple river to some dis
tance beyond would have to be built
to get down on the high water road.
and after once across the steam road
the Surveyors estimate a cost of thir-
ty thousand dollars per mile to grade,
as the bluffs are steep and high. The
people of Palo are more interested in
the Belding route. Belding isl better
market for most of the products Of
the farm than any other and more
direct to Grand Rapids than by the
way of Ionia. Most of the goods sold
in Palo are bought in Grand Rapids
and could be brought direct to Palo.
There would be no competition with
steam roads and a stub line could be
built TO Ionia from the main line. The
writer will present TO the company a
private right-of-way from Ionia to
Crystal Lake if said company will
build and maintain an electric road
thereon the coming summer. The
grade from Belding to Crystal Lake
is easy all the way, the Ann Arbor
road can be crossed with ease at
short distance east of Vickeryville
where there is a cut about six feet
deep and the steam road can be easily
crossed. T.. KENDELL