Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-09-01
PROGRESS ON !. &g1 !.
Contracts Have Been Let For
the Grading South OF
Des Moines.
More About the New Railroad
Connection Now Building
Thru Iowa.
Indications That the Line Will
be Constructed to Sioux
City.

I Des Moines, Sept. 1.-The Iowa & St
Louis railroad. incorporated in Missou-
ri and of which John w. Gates the
great promoter, is one of the incorpor-
ators and officers. has just awarded a
contract to William Kenefick for the
construction of about thirty miles of
the road from the Missouri state line,
at a point eighteen miles southwest of
Centerville, to Melrose, a small town
on the main line of the Burlington road
in the west part of Monroe county.
/ The section contracted for is to be
graded and opened for traffic by Jan. 1
and Mr.. kenefick, who resided in KAN
sas City, is now shipping his outfits
preparatory to commencing the work.
The new section will connect at the
state line with a section of forty miles
of track now completed and penetrate
ing Missouri coal fields. Further south
enough road is under construction to
carry the line toSt. Charles, Mo-, where
it is stated the company has secured
trackage rights over bridge crossing
the Missouri at that point and thence
into ST. Louis.
The road has been incorporated to
build a line from st. Louis thru Des
Moines to Sioux City and thence into
South Dakota. Until recently it was
the general belief that only enough
road would be constructed to open up
Missouri coal fields in which Mr. Gates
is largely interested. The letting of adj
ditional contracts and the placing of
engineers in the field in this state has
caused railroad men to change their
opinion of the purpose of the promot-
ers.
A location survey is now in progress
from Melrose north thru Marion and
Warren counties in the direction of Des
Moines and thru a territory almost
midway between the Burlington's Abba
and Charlton branches, penetrating
territory that is about as remote from
railroads as any in the state. The line
of the survey at q number of points is
ten to fourteen miles distant from the
nearest railroads and thru a section
where there are rich farming commu-
mites and extensive deposits of COAL
Mr.. Kenefick is authority for the state
ment that it is the purpose of the COM
pany to continue the work Of construc-
tion north as far as Des Moines in an
other year and ultimately to build
north from this city in the direction of
Sioux City.
1t was learned yesterday that engin-
GERS, presumed to represent this COM
pany. have set stakes for a preliminary
survey thru the east part of the city,
following the river up from a point near
Carlisle, crossing it east of Levy Bridge
and crossing the Rock Island south of
the Des Moines Hosiery Company's |
mills. from which point the stakes are
set in northwesterly direction to a
point near East Fifteenth and Wash
ington streets, where the survey stops.
There are no evidences of reports of a |,
continuation of the survey north from
this city, but the line of the survey as |
far as 1t has been made would indicate
that the road will pass thru the east !
part of the city and keep along the old /
river bed so as to get an easy grade
away from the river crossing.