The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1903-12-05
PGCkhaTll
How the Chief of the
Denver Enid & Gulf
Come up

Special 10 Daily Leader
Enid, Cl.is., pee 5-F.va years ago.
I'd T. pec&ham was a Blackwell law
YER wi j moderate practice and no
experience IN building railroads T
smith Chambers, was country news 4
arcr man, who like her new spaperl
man especially whore one grass grows
high found load of wood very ac
certatlo ray for a years subscrip ]
ticn % tia paper
Both hal friends who believe 80 I
them They believed 10 themselves. /
and The battle was half won
Ore day Peckham asked Chamber
to iyin him in building a railroad
Chambers believed thar he rtopos.-
ton was O joke and laughed Peck
ham, however. was N earnest onI
proved to Chambers that railroad
from blackwell passing through un-
developed Southwestern Oklahoma 20
Vernon, Texas. would be profitable an
attract the a tention Of some 'g rail-
road corporation.
But il takes money to bunl a rail-
road answered Chambers, and l
haven't a cent"
~Tarts al ri9it" s7iI Packham,
pracr mora ih iess
ana uo cans
fha - its end start
Pc-t.a2 Aal e a-ll ol,a
OF horses ald scrarers which he ac-
qulred from railroad contractor.
After raling over their assets The two
promoters countei about $4,000 in
all kinds of property Peekham own
ed tie most Of it. 1t was agreed that
Chambers should be right Of way
agent This was in December. 1883
The Blackwell. Enid and Southwes.
ecn railroad company was incorporat-
cd with Peckham as president The
first thing they did was to guard
against publicity. fearing the interyen-
ton of some railroad company The
line was surveyed to Enid. This
town agreed to pay subsidy of $780,
600 when the road was finished La
monte promised to give $4,000 and
one-half the townsite. Blackwell
withheld aid as the road was looked
upon as an extension of the Frisco
and the citizens wished to keep the
Frisco terminus at tha, place Farm
ers across whose land the road pass
ed agreed to give deeds to right of
way when the track was laid The
first dirt was turned at Lamonte. The
buil5ers hired a few men ana teams,
paving them by The day, but there was
little work done as Peokham and
Chambers. without money, were fight
ing for time to negotiate for assist
ance. The subsidy contracts proyid-
ed that If grading should be suspend
ed for thirty days at a time they
would be void Only enough men were
employed TO meet this requirement.
Peckham and Chambers began max
ing oyertures to the Frisco. Every
time they went to st. Louis to see
President Robinson, they oounted the
money in their pockets carefully, to
be sure that they woula have enough
10 get back home. Presideat Robin
son was i'll at that time and seldom in
ST. L5uis. He spoke encouragingly
10 the Oklahomans however, and
they had great confidence in their
ability to win his support Robinson
died and was succeeded By President
Yoakum The latter was deaf TO The
most alluring statements taa- the OK
lahomans could make
The promoters and their railroad
were now ia desperate straits. Ihel
were Aat broke an an their money
was scattered across the prairies il
heaps OF red dirt was sink o.
swim. With deep water on an sides
and NE shore ran awcy Tacg decid
ea lat he only thins le could d.
to .unp r as oa aa.
tfrst m re N lclE c.l wa
hc only t1pe
They r9uracl homa bras-e
m0ae ior lraad fare and .ac en q
ezpenses Pecsham ha been Ia NeV
Yorl, once lor faw hours Caaml
had scarcely been east Of the Kanaa
line They reached New York with
letter OF Introduction 10 certnn
financial concorn where thc manage
looked az them out Of the corner @
his eye But the Oklaaomaas had
Story 10 ten, and good one. Abou
twelve miles OF tie .9adbed had bee
graded This was in July, 1900 The