Omaha daily bee., 1903-03-01
NIOBRARA AND TIE ELKHORN
How a Local Company Made Terms with
Great Railroad System.
NORTHWESTERN SCARED OF MILWAUKEE,
Inside story of the NiobrarR Extern
sion OF the r., 4. a NJ. ". and How
Lawyer and an Editor caused
the Northwestern 10 Move.

= CT N IN hoANoE OauAcu
the Northwestern to Move.
TITS rather a strange coincidence" said
E. A. Houston up at Niobrara, az he I'm
ished reading The Bees report OF the out
come Of the Northwestern's absorption Of
the Elkhorn. that Niobrara seems the In
direct cause OF this who mess.
Ed Fry and myself were secretary and
president. respectively. Of the corporation
that brought II all about. OF at least forced
an issue. Niobrara had waited over thirty
years for this railroad to build IN. During
this time Omaha and Niobrara delegations
had waited on President Hughitt without
moving him. All manner Of schemes had
been worked without avail. We had asked
Tor engineers 10 look over the ground and
the last one was sent out by the North
western, who reported adversely. saying to
our committee, We don't have TO come TO
Niobrara to reach the country west Sioux
City organized q company about this time
and established q survey, but the hnancia
crash OF 1899 submerged 1t in the same
heap with other enterprises.
1T got to be pretty desperate when the
county seat took wings. and last straws'
were being grabbed at with no definite pur-
I RN'ts AhuAAg a hdAL-uthIAtu khlutIluE As
sembled and nobody but Fry had a word to
oner. He suggested the Harvesting Of the
Niobrara river for a great water power, or
at least find out how much Of a power we
had so as to lay right foundations for the
future. This elected considerable interest
and we went to work at once to make the
survey. When IL was discovered that there
was a ffty-two-foot fall a permanent sur
vey was ordered and a competent hydraulic
engineer engaged. II was while Fry was
industriously engaged seeking capital for
this project that he ran up against the rail-
road situation and found men who would
build the railroad"
Some Railroad History.
Here Mr.. Houston went on to give a his
tory OF the Niobrara, Missouri River e.
Western railroad, with himself as president
and Mr.. Fry as secretary. He selected his
incorporators, who cheerfully put in their
money. and organized under the New Jer-
sey laws, the eastern end Of the CORPORA
ton taking the vice presidency and treas
ury and being a part Of the directory. Not
a word was said to anybody outside OF the
ones directly interested. and nobody put
SIDE knew that any such organization had
been effected until the Associated Press
dispatches announced the fact in the news
papers. In the meantime Fry's printing
ONCE had been busy with stock certificates
and other necessary work for the corpora
ton and as soon as the certificate Of do
mestication in this state had been received
here the right-of-way from here to the
Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley rail-
toad grade at Yerdiglss had been secured
before the Omaha officials were scarcely
aware Of IL.
"A few days after Division superintend-
emit Reynolds arrived at Niobrara," con-
tinued Mr.. Houston. "and Fry being ac-
Q~uainted with him. was sent on a mission
to discover his business here. Reynolds
had gone to interview one Of our merchants
and Fry waited at a convenient distance
until the railroad official came out. Then
he ~sauntered up the street in great haste,
and meeting Mr.. Reynolds and his engineer.
accosted him with affected surprise:
We'll, Mr.. Reynolds. are you not OF
your beat?"
II think not. Why do you ask that?'
II seems strange to see you in Mo
brara-you usually turn at the bridge and
go west
Have you any new railroads in sight
asked Reynolds.
"'oh, yes replied Fly. we have one
pretty well along
Is IL local capital! he asked.
NO, sir; II is eastern capital. Our pres
ident is here, however, and ] should like
you to meet him He hesitated, but finally
walked across to my ofice and the form
alities over, the railroad subject came up
and / went over the situation frankly and
truthfully. Mr.. Reynolds was very atten-
tive and drank in every word had TO say.
took the address of our treasurer and gath
cred such other information as I cared IN
offer.
by a mere accident i learned a week
after that "a friend of Sanford Parker OF
Spencer desired 10 meet him at Niobrara
Thanksgiving morning I knew something
was up. but did not look for the surprise
that met my gaze Thanksgiving morning,
1901.
General Manager BIdwem Surprises.
Thanksgiving day will always be a red
letter day for Niobrara. General Manager
Bidwell and two corps OF engineers, with
Hon John B. Barnes OF Norfolk as counsel
were early arrivals. Fry had gone to his
pasture and his daughter sent post haste
after him, for Mr.. Bidwell had sent for us
that a consultation could be had. At 3
o'clock Fry and ! had gathered ourselves
together, consulted such Of the local d.
r~ectors as we could on short notice. and
appeared DeIOre MT. BldWel as invited. He
had come with the olive branch and stated
before the assembled business men the
position OF the Elkhorn toward Niobrara
and its full willingness to build into Mo
brara- He acknowledged that we had pro-
cured considerable inside ground that both
cred him. Then ! gave a history Of our
EFFORT, and every now and then Mr.. Bidwell
would break in, You went about IL Just
right and finally with this general under
standing. we agreed 10 let the Elkhorn in
provided our eastern friends were properly
taken care Of. All these plans were read
lily consented TO. After some important
matters brushed away. Fry and myself were
requested to accompany Mr.. Bidwen TO
Omaha that night TO TX up the details In
reference TO the dissolution Of the Niobrara,
Missouri River d Western Railroad com
pAny.
Hot Engine and Special.
We were railroad mAgnates for a day
at least, and dined al the Omaha club!
We had put them all 10 thinking. Ben
White. the general attorney for the Elk
horn. was blind as a bat on the New Jersey