The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1903-10-02
Town NEEDS FIFTY HOUSES.
RAILROAD OFFICIALS PROMISE LARGE
EXPANSION HIRE.
Conferences Of Citizens with Gruber and
Abbott Sunday Sight-s25,OOO by
Peudtture and 500 More En-
PIoyes to Come.

Ployes to Come.
A called meeting Of the business men
Of GOOdland to confer with Rock Island
railroad officials was held Sunday night
10 their private car at the depot Mr..
| Gruber, superintendent Of motive pow
er aud equipment OF all lines vest Of the
river, and Mr.. Abbott, superintendent Of
the Colorado division. arrived in their
special car on No. 10 Sunday evening.
Notice Of their coming had been tele-
graphed ahead with request that the
business men meet them for a confer
ence- Many Of the business men OF the
I city responded.
Mr.. Gruber reported that the Rock
Island intended to make extensive i'm
/ prOEsments here, and that he was re-
quested by General Superintendent
GOodnOE to look over the situation
and report whether houses and other
accommodations for an extra force Of
men could be supplied here.
He thought that 50 houses would be
/ needed for families. and that the i'm
provements contemplated here would
increase the population Of the town at
least 800. If accommodation could be
secured the superintendent Of the
division with force Of ten men would
move here. The dispatchers' force
would also be increased.
improvements contemplated are the
enlargement and remOdeling Of the
yards here, more round house room, car
repair, paint, carpenter and timing
shops, the installing Of more and larger
machinery, calling for more power in
the shop boilers and engines. Already
over $4,000 worth Of new machinery
has been installed here and a still larger
outlay Is contemplated
The Commercial club met Monday
night at the Office Of 7. p. Leonard to
devise ways and means to meet the de-
mands for more houses. GOOdlsnd
needs a large and commOdious hotel,
rOoming houses and dwellings. Besides
doing all possible to meet this demand
themselves, the club decided to adver-
tise in the daily and local press with a
view to enlist foreign capital IN the
building and improvements required
here A committee was chosen TO So
licit funds for advertising purposes
The improvements contemplated by
the Rock Island here would indicate
that something out Of the ordinary is
being projected. The Rock Island FRS
CO extension to Denver, now graded as
far as Enid, Ok, may come to Good
Land. Some surmise that this is the
case. a bee line drawn from Enid to
GOOdland would cross the Ell Paso line
J at Bucklin. where the Rock Island has
: a stub . miles long to Dodge City
! Kan, which is only 1S5 miles from Good
p land
If these two cape from Enid to Buck
lin and from Dodge City TO GoOdland
, were filed IN the Rock Island woulC
: then have a road from Denver to Gal
? veston, New Orleans and other gul
ports Something is on the tapis 70
sure, and as is well known, surveyor
e have been on the road for some week
). making preliminary surveys.
The writer has repeatedly travele,
: with private conveyance from GOOdlsn,
: to Winona, Russell Springs, Scott Cit
J. aud Dodge City. This route is eminent
e ly feasible for a railroad, and 70
:, stretches Of % to 100 miles on this lin
. the rails can almost be laid down Oh th
3 prairie without grading and trains
run. Besides this, this route woul
q open up territory that would make tn
I road pay from the atari. This lin
& would cross the Santa Fe, Missouri Pa
4 ci6c and would be Of immense advant
o age to western Kansas and eastern Cole
!, RADIO towns. Suppose moreover that th
! Rock Island gets a close traffic arrangs
ment with the Moffat road now builC
,e ing to Salt Lake City, as has been r
le ported the advantages both to the Roc
I Island system and TO contiguous terri
b tory would be simply incalculsble.
p At any rate it bebOOves our either
Z to bestir themselves and meet the o.
!. pOrtunities offered By the proposed ei
ri largement Of the Rock Island worl
" here, Ind strike while the iron is be
10 Surveyors were here last week makir
= measurements and running lines IN Il
GOOdland yards.