Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-09-17
TRADE WAS MADE.
Exchange Effected by the Rock
Island and Milwauk ee
Railroads.
LINE TO MUsoATIHE IN DEAL
interesting Story Back of the PlaE
on Which Tracks are
Used.

a part of the roadbed and fixed pro
perry of the Rock Island road be-
tween Davenport and Muscatine is
told in the journal of the latter city
as follows.
Denied an entrance into Minneapolis
and st. Paul because the line over
which it was operating into those
cities refused to renew the contract
for trackage rights, the Rock Island
railroad made deal with the Milwau-
kec road whereby it gained entrance
into those cities and in exchange sold
one-haH of its roadbed and other fix
ed property between Muscatine and
Davenport. This is the interesting
story connected with the entrance of
the Milwaukee into Muscatine as told
by man who knows. This matter is
an open secret among railroad men
but is not known to the general pub
lie to whom it has long remained a
mystery how the Rock Island permit
ted the Milwaukee, Il competing line.
in many senses, to use its tracks.
Legitimate and Satisfactory
The story dates back several years
and is an interesting bit of railroad
scheming, perfectly legitimate and
said to be entirely satisfactory to
both parties. Many years ago the
Minneapolis g. st. Louis railroad over
the tracks of which the Rock Island
entered Minneapolis, needed money 1t
desired funds to pay interest on it's
preferred stock and other incidental
debt. 1t approached the Rock Island
road for loan and in consideration
of certain privileges $7,000,00l was
placed in its Golfers by the c., II. /.
& II. Meantime the Rock Island, it is
said (there is no authority for the
statemenD, confidently expected to
foreclose on the bonds when they be-
came due and add the VI. e. ST. L. to
its system and thereby gain a perma-
nent entrance to Minneapolis.
The debt of $6,0OO,O00 became due
and the Rock Island approached the
NJ. g. ST. l.. for an extension of its
contract whereby it was permitted to
use the tracks of the latter road into
the Minnesota capital. The Rock ISL
and was informed that the NJ. < st.
l.. did not desire to renew and fur
thermore that the S6.000,O0O was
ready to be paid over when the bonds
were cancelled. The debt was paid.
The Rock Island began casting about
for road over which it could oper-
ate into the northern metropolis. 1t
finally made deal with the Milwau-
kee to use its tracks from Faribault,
Mimi, to Minneapolis.
Asked Return Favor.
II
cut off between Muscatine and Rut-
ledge. small town near Ottumwa,
which was intended to shorten the
distance between those two points.
Between Davenport and Muscatine a
stretch of track had to be built and
then, too, terminal facilities were
hard to get in the Muscatine county
town. To make a long story short
the Milwaukee saw where it could do
a good stroke of business and return
for the trackage rights between Fari-
bault, Mimi, and Minneapolis. asked
for on"-haIf interest in the Rock ISL
export. The request was complied
with and the Milwaukee entered Mus
catine with little trouble.
Where did the Minneapolis & st.
Louis road get the money to pay its
debt TO the Rock Island? 1t was loan
ed by the Illinois Central, which
crosses the NJ. & ST. L. at Fort Dodge
and the latter road is now a part of
the former.
This is how the Milwaukee has
trackage rights from Sunbury, (South
Muscatine1. to the point where the
Rock Island strikes the Milwaukee
tracks at Davenport.