Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1903-12-28
ANXIOUS ABOUT A PROJECTED
TROLLEY LINE PROMISED THEM.
THE ENTERPRISE BLOCKED
Employees Would Welcome Their
Wages-offieials of the Construction
Company Express Ability to Com
plete the Work and Public Is Anx-
ious.

San Juan, Dec. 24.-The much-dls-
cussed $S,OOO,O 900 Porto Rico trolley
scheme promoted by the Vandegrift
Construction company of Philadelphia,
is now talked about more than ever be-
fore. A large number of engineers,
surveyors and workmen are waiting
for Compromised wages, ether credit
ors are clamoring, the San Juan offices
are closed because of non-payment of
rent and the public is beginning to in
quire about a 100000 bend given to
The people of Porto Rico by a Scranton
indemnity company to insure the COM
pletion of the road to Caguas by July
/, 1904.
The battle for the franchise was a
hard struggle, and the executive coun-
Gil long and wisely debated before
yielding such a valuable right, which
carried with it the finest water power
in the island. at Comerio Falls. Wal
ter M. Yeager represented the Vande-
grift company, and one of the Vande-
grifts came to San Juan to reassure
doubling Thomases. He also hired
two corps of engineers to push work on
the preliminary surveys from either
end. meeting in the middle of the is
land. Ferryboats, cars, supplies and
many other things were already bought
on paper.
The specifications were beautiful.
They were bound with red silk ribbon
o., fVaer Il 70
the last spike, and the color of the fast
express cars-buff, with pale green
trimmings.
The road was to run across the is
land from San Juan 20 Ponce, reducing
the time from thirteen hours to three,
and the fare from SIS to So or Sc.
The surveyors went to work last
April, and met in August near Caguas.
Then they came in to San Juan to wait
for their pay. They have been waiting
ever since, although each mail brought
assurances from Mr.. Yeager that their
money would be here on "the next
boat" Fifteen next boats" have come
and gone, but most of the surveyors re-
main here, stranded, only a few hay
ing procured employment In cOnse-
quence boarding.ho keepers, mer-
chants and others have suffered.
Worst of all, native confidence in big
American schemes has suffered
shock which will have a lasting effect
Even the porter and messenger at
the company's San Juan Office were not
paid. Mr.. Belknap, the assistant man.
ager, who was in charge when Mr.
Yeager was not present, has given
them certificates of the amount the
company owes them. The messenger
has a piece of paper which says that
the concern owes him S64 in wages, ac-
cumulated on salary of $40 a month.
Mr.. Vandegrift, the head member of
the firm which gained the confidence of
the government and the executive
council, when asked about the stand
ing of mis- concern when he first land
ed, stated for publication that his COM
pany was an old and well-known con-
Germ in the United States, with unlim-
tied capital back of it, and was amply
able to build 100000 railroad with
cut asking for any assistance from out
siders.
The excuse of the Vandegrift people
for delaying payments was that he
stringency of the money market in the
States prevented the sale of their
bonds.