The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-11

the boom days, although this transfer of
the Topeka system to other parties il
not in the same class.
Scores of incidents might be recount
ed, but a few will serve as a pattern for
all that might be told. History repeated
itself in those days and as history was
made fast, what was chronicled one
day might happen dozen times within
the state during a week. This surface
road deals took place during the time
that corner lots. miles from a water
plug and marked perhaps only by lines
of cottonwood trees on sections lines,
sold for 81, 900 each, and that same land
today in acre tracts is only worth 80
odd dollars, or $4,000 for quarter sec
ton that will raise 25 bushels of wheat
per acre.
Way out in western Kansas, in the
short grass country to be particular, al
though the appellation had not become
universal at that time for Fred Vande-
grift had not yet christened that section
of the state, street railways became al
most necessary. Why not, with corner
! lots miles from the court house? The
real estate agents could afford to sink
several thousand dollars for street rail-
ways to use them to show land TO pur-
chasers and save livery hire or feed bills.
So, in one particular town in western
Kansas an enterprising real estate man
who had come west with $lOO,OO0 ana an
idea that if he held his cards right IN
on four flush, decided that he must be
city railway magnate.
He formed a company one morning,
fioated it as easily as a duck keeps
above water and by night he had the
road running,-on paper.
The paper supply was short, how
ever. as most of it was used for maps
Of town lots so the road. to keep Up
with the spirit of progression, mad 10
be built on land 1t was. A local car
md fla0IxSr,1ith h11iIt the cars.
Yes, plural is correct for the rolling
stock The road got just over the line
from singular to plural and had two
cars
The motive power cost a good deal.
Horses were high in those days ana
feed was expensive. People busy buy
ing and selling town lots in Morning
GlOry-Addition- on the-ArkanSaS ana IN
Valley-View- on HILLTOP didn't
have time to raise oats and hay. That
was left to the plodders who wished TO
lay up a snug bank account IN ten
years instead of making fortune in
ten days. The horses, expensive as
they were, were bought
The road started. There was a slight
delay but a box of axle grease helped
that and the trial trip was successful.
All the rails were not the same style.
pattern nor weight and the nigh wheel
on the No. 102 car (the numbers of the
cars began at 10l was little fiat but
same as on the IL road in New York.
If there had even been any necessity
for more cars the carpenter and the
blacksmith, with the experience gained
in building the first rolling stock, could
have done better. They had no more
chances, but their experience has since
helped them out some in building extra
water and coal wagons and movable
cook shacks' for thresher trains, for
the additions have gone back to their
proper place on the tax assessors lists
of tillable land and the county is now
raising more than a million and a half
people are getting richer than they
ever did on town lots. But that is get
ting ahead of history as it happened.
Then the promoter, who, by the way,
was unanimously elected president of the
company. saw a chance to sell. That was
just what he wanted to do. Rreathed there
man with the spirit of trade so dead in
the boo IN days that he wouldn't sell the
coat off his back for little profit?
A man, a new man. who wished TO get
into the game came out from the east to
buy the road The day before he arrived
the president gave compIirne ntary tickets
to all his friends and requested them tG
ride as much as they could the next day.
1t has since been stated that a woman
ter. was given five strips of free, tickets
and she carried the churn with her ard
it was reported that the butter churned
The man bought the road, however, and
ran it for few days more with plenty of
passengers. Some people saved their tree
tickets; Then the road struggled along
until the boom burst and stopped.
One of the cars was converted into a
play house and the other into hen
house.
One of the men who got mixed up IN that
city railway and the boom was q minister
He sunk a few thousand in farm which
he lost. He was feeling sort of bad about
it, but the ex-president Of the defunct city
railway healed all wounds. The minister
was a Baptist. There was no Baptist
church in the town, but the ex-president
borrowed a Methodist church and got all
his Methodist friends to attend the meet
ing at which the minister held forth. Ev-
erything was smoothsd over and the min
lister would have bought another farm If
he had had the money. so said the eS-
president.
The ex-president of the two car street
railway system lost his 500. 900 He awoi<e
one morning to find that he was practi-
callv penniless He began raising wheat
This week he is at work directing an army
of harvesters who are cutting his 4,oO0
acres of wheat which will average ~ bush.
els per acre and the crop viii sell right
after harvest for $4,000 That beats short
grass street railways