The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1903-12-25
Prospectus of the Minnesota Central
Railway Company.
COgent Reasons Why the Road Should
Be Built.
Estimate of Amount of Business That
May Be Expected.
Other Information Of Interest to Men
With Money.
From Wednesdays Daily.

From Wednesdays Daily.
c. H. Mackenzie of Gaylord, Mimi
secretary of the Central Minnesota Rail
way company, has issued prospectus
showing the most prominent facts con
corning the company's business, and Civ
ing the reasons why the new railroad ha:
been planned
The capital stock of the new corpora
ton is given as 100000, and the bono
issue as 100000 on ITO miles of rail
way, consisting of five per cent twenty
year gold bonds in denominations Of
$1,000. The directors of the corpora
ton are David H. Beecher, president OF
the Union National bank, Grand Forks
N. D.; Geo. r. VanReed, capitalist, Read
ing, Pa; C. H. Mackenzie, investment
broker, Gaylord, Minn.; William S. Lam
bert, president of the Bankers Syndi.
cate company, Reading, Pa; Hector B
Cady, investment broker, Minneapolis
Mimi. Col. j. I. Small, capitalist, Lew,
iston, Me-; Edward L. Perkins, attorney
and director of the Union Trust com.
pany. Philadelphia, Pa; Thomas X
Dalzell, capitalist and manufacturer
Reading, Pa; John R. Bucks, capitalist
Wernersville, Pa. The officers are:
President, David H. Beecher; vice presi-
dent, George R. VanReed; treasurer
Thomas K. Dalzell; secretary, C. H. Mac
Kenzie.
The object and purpose of the Central
Minnesota Railway company is to con-
struct and operate line of railroad from
Mankato in Blue Earth county, rail
road center of southern Minnesota, to ST.
Cloud, Mimi, a distance of ITO miles,
thereby furnishing an outlet for the
products of the country along this line of
railroad, direct connection being made
at st. Cloud with the great lake market
of Duluth, thereby giving the producers
the advantage of Duluth prices, for tide
water market.
The country between Mankato and st.
Cloud is well settled rich farming region,
Offering no engineering difficulties in the
construction of the road. The cost of
construction per mile will be as cheap as
any railroad in the state.
: The counties of Blue Earth, Nicollet,
Si6ey, Mcleod and Meeker with to-
tai OF ls0l.l73 acres valued at $72,O00,-
600, practically all under cultivation, pro-
duce annually approximately six million
bushels of wheat, three and quarter
million bushels of oats. two and a half
million bushels of corn, eight hundred
and fifty thousand bushels Of barley,
four hundred thousand bushels oe rye.
besides potatoes and fax, also stosk,
butter, eggs, veal and poultry, in i'm
mense quantities. The greater portion
of these products will 60 over the Min
nesota Central to Duluth on account OF
the better market available there.
Mankato, the southern terminus, is a
city of l0,599 people, having large stock
yards, over l25 manufacturing establish
ments, normal school, the finest coun-
ty court house in southern Minnesota
three lines of railway, large stone quar-
ries, cement and lime works, three banks
holding about three million dollars on de-
post, and enjoying large country trade
Litchfeld, Hutchinson, New Ulm and ST.
Cloud are also fourishing, enterprising
cities. At st. Cloud are the celebrated
granite quarries, lumber mills, flour
mills, and factories as an instance of the
immense tonnage along the line. One
firm in New Ulm, the Eagle Roller Mills
company pays out over $4,000 freight
charges annually.
Cloud and Mankato connections will be
the shortest route from points on the
line to Duluth, Chicago, Sioux City, Kan
sas City, Omaha and Des Moines.
Coal, lumber and wood for fuel used
in immense quantities and needed all
along the line can be brought direct
from Duluth to st. Cloud and over the
Minnesota Central to various points at
greatly reduced freight rates, securing to
this company a traffic in these imports.
The country through which the line
passes is the garden of Minnesota and
that the people need and desire the road
is evidenced by the fact that all the vii
lagos and towns asked to do so have
voted handsome bond issues as bonus,
the propositions to bond being carried by
votes of five and six to one.
Duluth pays a better price for grain
than either Minneapolis or Chicago, and
it is by furnishing direct connection
with this great tidewater market that
the Minnesota Central fills long felt
want Duluth exported last year over
thirty three million bushels of wheat
The Minnesota Central between Mankato
and St. Cloud, will be the nearest ship
ping point to Duluth for an agricultural
population of l0l,247 people in the five
counties along the line.
Geo. r. Van Reed, chief engineer of the
new railway reports that upon examina
ton and investigation he finds that the
probable amount of tonnage along the
Vine of the Minnesota Central will be
Sl2,oOo tons.