Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1903-04-02
HAPPENINGS IN
| HAWKEYEDOM
What Has Been Going on
During the Past
Week.
ELECTRIC LINE ACROSS STATE
Projected Union of Three Existing INDIE
pendent Interurban systems-Lines to
Connect Omaha and Chicago by Way of
Des Moines and Davenport

Des Moines, March 30.-An inter
urban electric trolley line uniting Chi
cigo, Joliet, Rock Island, Davenport.
Iowa City, Newton, Des Moines, Win
terset, Creston and Omaha is pro-
jected by the union of Joliet, Daven-
port, Des Moines and Omaha electric
railroad interests.
Layman Waterman of Omaha, who
has projected an electric line from
that city to Des Moines, was the
guest last week of the Des Moines
officials of the local interurban and
street car lines.
President ]. s. Polk of the local
street car interests, spent part of
the week in Davenport.
H. H. Polk. president Of the inter.
urban electric line. says two or three
parties of surveyors are at work for
the Des Moines company, but that II
is not ready to announce its plans for
the extensions of this year, at this
time, as they have not been fully de-
termined.
No announcement of the project of
connecting Chicago and Omaha by an
electric railroad OF which the Des
Moines system will be link, is au.
thorized by the officers of the com
pany here. The belief that the pro-
ject is under way is generally enter
tanned.
General Manager Hippee says the
story that Mr.. Polk was In Daven.
port on this project is not correct. 1t
is true, he said, that President Polk
was at Davenport but was not there
on business connected with the pro-
jected Omaha Chicago line.
Mr.. Hippee said 1t was true that
Mr.. Waterman was in the city last
week and was confident that his
scheme of building line by way of
Creston to Winterset, there to con-
meet with the Des Moines line, or his
more pretentious scheme of building
a line from Omaha into Des Moines,
will go through.
Asked about the Chicago Omaha
project, Mr.. Hippee said that 1t would
first be necessary to get line be-
tween Des Moines and Omaha, as he
viewed the situation at this time
Mr.. Waterman Is known to repre-
sent the Omaha electric railway in
terests and the line which he has pro-
jected from Omaha to Creston and
other Iowa points has been described
repeatedly. His company also re
Gently acquired the rights of the Des
Moines and Southern Electric com.
pany, which was organized at Mt
Ayr, and planned 10 build a line into
Des Moines and as far as Creston, to.
ward the wet on the understanding
that an Ondaha line would be built
to meet it(there.
The les Moines interurban has
been Projected as far as Winterset
and there has been talk of going to
Greenfield. On the east the line is
built to Colfax, and is projected as
far as Newton.
The Davenport people have been
looking toward the west for some
time, and have thought Of building to
Iowa City, at least, to connect there
with the line which Colonel Bows and
others of Cedar Rapids will build
from Cedar Rapids to Iowa City with
In year.
Already one of the finest interurban
lines in the country is in operation
between Elgin and other adjacent
Illinois towns, and 1t has been so sue.
cessful that it has been looking
about for desirable extentions and
for other electric connections.