The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-07-16
WILL MAKE GRADES SAFE
NEW RAILROAD COMPANY WILLING
TO DO THE RIGHT THING.
Petition for Franchise Filed with the
Board of Works by G. n. Thompson
-OpiniOn of City Officials.

The Indianapolis, Logansport & Chicago
Railroad Company which applied for a
franchise before the Board of Public
Works yesterday. is willing to do the right
thing by the city. its promoters state. In
addition to maintaining a complete system
of safety gates at crossings and watchmen
the company is willing to submit to all rea-
sonable grade crossing requirements with
out recourse to the courts.
The city officials are inclined to look very
favorably on the franchise request. Mayor
Bookwalter, Major Megrew, Edwin d. Logs
don and others think the road will prove
genuine gain for Indianapolis. 1t does
not make much difference whether the road
will be operated independently or whether
the Pennsylvania or Wabash is behind it.
they say. 1t will be another line TO Chi
cago, with excellent freight and passenger
service promised, and it will run through
good territory.
Although Leslie Soule, head of the Cres-
cent Construction Company which will
build the road. /. N. Richie, the real estate
man who secured the options local
lands for the company, and Senator Charles
n. Thompson, who is acting the COM
pany's attorney, deny that either the Wa
bash or the Pennsylvania is behind the new
company, the opinion is general that as
soon as the line is built it will become a
part of one of these great systems, pre-
sumably the Wabash. In support of the
bellef that IT will be Wabash line IL is
pointed out that a passenger station and
freight depots are to be erected, which
would be unnecessary if the Pennsylvania
Is TO secure control, since the latter road
enjoys ample passenger accommodations
freight depots already built.
BOARD RECEIVES PETITION.
Senator Thompson presented the petition
of the road for a franchise to the board
yesterday morning. With the petition was
a set of blue prints accurately describing
the route Though indianapolis which the
road purposes to take. The papers were
received by the beard, which informed Sem
ator Thompson that it would take the mat
ter I'D soon as possible and that due
notice would be given him With Senator
Thompson was 1. n. Richie, interested in
the real estate end of the project.
The petition describes the proposed route
as follows
Commencing at the center line of Meyer S
free gravel road west of the Big Four
right of way, and running southeastery,
paralleling the Big Four, to Aqueduct and
Twenty-fourth streets; thence south
side of Fall creek, crossing Fall creek 500
feet southwest of the Indiana-avenue
bridge; then south to the Geisendorff mill
race; thence southeasterly to Blake street
at point 200 feet south of New York street;
thence east TO Missouri street: thence
south to a terminal at the north line of
Washington street; two tracks from the
city limits to Blake street; three from
Blake to Blackford street; five across
Blackford; two across West street, and six
TRACKS across Market and Court streets.
The petition is signed by Frederick A.
Gale, of Chicago, president of the Indian
apolis, Logansport & Chicago Company,
and Quincy A. Myers, of Logansport. Sec
rotary.
Outside of indianapolis the line will run
practically due north to Sheridan, thence
to Kempton, thence to Russaville and
Logansport. After leaving Logansport the
route veers to the northwest, running
almost directly in that direction until In
diana Harbor is reached. The engineer of
the new line, K. w. Day, says that the
line will be at least eighteen miles shorter
than any of the present lines from Indian
apoliS to Chicago.