Omaha daily bee., 1902-02-27
NEW KEY TO The SOUTHWEST
Fairbury- Harrington out-0F Receives
Favorable Consideration at Last.
PRESIDENT LEEDS MAKES RvEs1lsA1loN
short Line of New Track would Bring
Omaha n Miles Nearer
60 BiE Feeding Dis
tricts of Texas.

A railroad cutoff proposition which has
behind II every influence OF Omaha busi-
ness men, Omaha packing interests and the
Omaha Commercial club, is finally meeting
with favorable consideration at the hands
Of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific rail-
road, which would be the seat Of the altera-
tion.
The plan is to build a line from Fairbury,
Neb., directly south to Harrington, Kan,
saving more than 100 miles from the jour
ney as now taken between those points.
Omaha would thus be brought practically
as close to the big feeding districts OF
Texas and the south as is Kansas City.
That would give this CITY a chance at the
immense cattle business emanating from
there. which now goes to Kansas City.
The other phase OF the eut-on Is that II
would make Omaha an intermediary point
on the short line from the northeast, in
GLIDING Minnesota, Wisconsin and other
states to the southwest. At present Omaha
Is the long way around and the Kansas City
pathway is used the most. There is consid-
cradle freight trafhc and much passenger
business between the northeast and the
southwest, which would then pass through
Omaha.
Leeds Appears Favorable.
Years ago. when the Rock sland-Denver
line through Omaha and Lincoln and Fair
bury was hrst connected up with the line
from Kansas City to the southwest in such
a roundabout manner the prospect now en-
phasized was realized by omahans, and the
cutoff urged. President Purdy never IA
vored II. Since the accession OF Mr.. Leeds
to the presidency efforts have been re-
newed. The Commercial club has twice in
- - -. - la AHt,tallU a. MI
Leeds regarding this matter and favorable
answers have been received.
The matter is now pending personal In
vestigation by President Leeds. A fea-
ture Of his present trip to the southwest
will be an investigation of omsha's chances
for a good share of the stock shipments
from that territory If the cutoff is built.
Before going south he canvassed the situa
ton in the northeast to see what the Rock
Island would get from there via Omaha,
were the route made the short line as sug-
gested.
Harrington is exactly south Of Fairbury,
about eighty-seven miles distant, through
country which admits Of easy railroad con-
struction. At present the Rock Island
runs southwest from Fairbury thirty-four
miles on the Denver line to Belleville.
Then II swings directly back to the south
east 104h miles to Mcfarland, on the
Kansas City-Denver line. Then 1t turns
back on the Kansas City-Fort Worth line
to Harrington, forty-nine and a half miles
more. The line is thus a complete re-
versed q, and a pronounced zigzag.
The total distance is 1888 miles. The cut
of would save 1O1 miles Of this. Omaha
would then be only fifty miles farther
from the southwest than Kansas City
where now II is more than $50 miles far
Their. The cutoff would also bring Omaha
101 miles nearer Ell Paso over the new
line just built.
Anticipating q shake-Up.
The appointment Of Ben Campbell, freight
trahic manager Of the Oregon Railroad and
Navigation company, as general trafic
manage Of the Hartman lines and as
sistant to Trafhc Director Stubs, has
caused a tremor in the trafic department
at Union Pacific headquarters. 1t is said
to presage q general shaking-up of trafic