The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-07-12
FIRST WORK MONDAY
lnterurban Railway Company
Ready for Business
PETITION FOR ELECTION
10 Vote Aid viii Be Circulated
This Meek

The building Of an electric interurban
railway. Of standard gauge and con-
struction. with equipment adapted TO the
carrying OF both freight and passengers,
accommodating, TO start with, eighty
miles Of Arkansas valley country contig-
nous TO Wichita. is now assured.
Mt orvlIe A. Boyle has returned from
Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania. New York
and New Jersey, where he made q thor
oHgh investigation of interurban pro-
3fcts' the cost of building, eouipping and
maintaining them, the practicability Of
their operation IN competition with steam
}roads, the influence they have in lessen
ing passenger and traffic rates in steam
railway systems and such other infor-
nation as people contemplating such
magnificent enterprise as knitting to-
gether urban and rural communities
ought 10 possess.
Mr.. Boyle has made his report to the
Arkansas Valley Interurban Railway
company. and its officers are so enthusi-
astic over the result OF his investigations
that they Will begin work tomorrow
morning In the preliminary details Of the
project.
The initial steps will be taken in Wich-
tta. where prominent local business men
will start out to secure signers 10 petit
tons requesting the mayor and council
20 call special election for the purpose
OF voting $780, 900 in bonds TO aid the COM
pany in securing terminals in this city.
That they viii have success there is no
doubt. for no man can fail TO see the
irnportance-the necessity, il fact-of an
electric interurban road TO a city whose
aspirations and ambitions logically point
towards pre-eminence as a sectional
commercial and industrial center. II will
require no argument TO convince every
citizen that such road ought to be
built. and that the men who are project
ing the idea ought TO be aided financial
ly by not only Wichita but by every
community which viii share its benefits.
which means every community-in fact.
every individual-whose interests and
properly lie close to the contemplated
line.
The investigation made by Mt. Boyle
Unexpectedly developed one fact of great
importance and that IS that the road can
be financiered. with reasonable local aid |
from townships and municipalities. in |
such a way that the controlling influence |
can always be possessed and exercised |
by local interest holders.
What interurban roads can now do, /
n the way Of competing with steam rail- /
ways. is almost inconceivable. They get /
ell the local passenger traffic. because
they haul people for less cost per mile
than steam roads do and they can and
do haul freight much cheaper. Besides
land this is ar important feature) steam
railroads do not absorb or combine with 4
electric railways and hence legitimate /
competition is maintained. Mr.. Boyle 1
says that he was at one city in Indiana /
at which ticket TO Indianapolis over
q steam road had not been sold in two I
years.
The officers and directors of the pro- /
posed road are as follows: o. 4. Boyle. /
merchandise johber. president and gen
eral manager; James Allison. capitalist. /
vice president; J. f Howard. proprietor 4
OF the Union Mills, secretary; Charles L. /
Davidson. capitalist. business man and I
president OF the Wichita Chamber Of .
Commerce. treasurer; R. l. Holmes. at /
torney and capitalist. general attorney.
The directors are: c. L. Davidson, pres
.dent OF the Chamber Of Commerce; !
Charles G. Cohn, president of the Wich- .
tia Commercial club: E. Howard. mill
e.; James Allison. capitalist; Chas. /
S-nytf. wholesale heavy hardware and /
agricultural implement dealer; J. n. I
Knapp. business man; Dr.. s. s Noble, /
professional man and capitalist; o. A. |
Boyle. wholesaler; John Diehl; r. /.
Holmes. attorney: J. z. johnson, jobber;
w E Wilcox, Arkansas City, banker;
George W. Hunter. Wellington, miller /
and manufacturer; w. W. Spencer Geu-
da Springs. real estate; a. L. Barnes Of
Belle PLANE and 4. H. Barnes of oxford,
land proprietors.
There is no wildcat tendency among
these conservative citizens. They mean
business or otherwise they would not
have gone to the expense OF organizing
and charterinG a company.
Immediately after securing a sufficient
petition in Wichita 70 satisfy the mayor
and council sufficiently TO call a bond
election. propositions will be submitted
20 township boards along the line OF the
proposed road. asking aid from each