The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-10-27
Believes 20 Million Fair Esti-
mate Of Cost.
SANTA FEE SAFEGUARDS.
Block System In Use on Main
Line.
Gossip and Matters Of Interest In
Railroad Circles.

Kansas City, Mo-, Oct. 27.-"Thirty
million dollars is not too high an esti-
mate on the amount necessary to be
spent in providing adequate joint ia
cilities for handling the freight and
passenger business in Kansas City"
said T. p. Ripley, president OF the
Santa Fe system. last night.
Mr.. Ripley and ]. W. Kendrick. third
vice president and member of the ex-
ecutive committee that has the propo-
sition for a new union passenger sta
ton In Kansas City in hand. talked
for an hour concerning the develop
ment of the Santa Fe and the needs
of Kansas City in connection with the
railroads. Just a year ago Mr.. Ripley
said: THE longer you live, the closer
you. are to the working out OF the pro-
blem for adequate facilities in Kansas
City" He repeated this remark last
night.
All Should Work Together.
''If Mr.. Winchell and George ]. Gould
have been correctly quoted. they have
said that it would take % million dol
lars to work out the problem" contin-
ued Mr.. Ripley. The estimate is not
low. 1t probably will take more to do
all that is necessary. But there are
conflicting interests and what is every
body's business is generally nobody's
business. Everybody ought to help TO
work out these problems, including the
city. 1 would like to emphasize the
necessity of efficient assistance on the
part of the municipal authorities.
THE interests to be considered in
Kansas City are too vast to admit OF
neglect on the part of anyone. All
ought to pull together to secure proper
facilities for handling freight, ade-
quate facilities for taking care of the
passenger business, and perhaps as i'm
portant as any the protection OF rail
road property and other property in the
railroad district from damage by in
undation. Conflicting interests must be
reconciled- The busy man has enough
to do for the present without building
for posterity, but these propositions are
problems of today and must be met by
the people now on earth. The lack of
facilities for handling the business is
crowding the Santa F'e as much, if not
more than any other line.
The Santa Fe improvements.
I'VE are building adequate freight ia
cilities for our own use. but that does /
not give US what joint freight termi- /
nails would do. ability to handle /
promptly business with our connections |
on other lines and with the numerous |
industries that are springing up in
Kansas City to add. to the hundreds of
industries now requiring the attention |
of the railroads.
we. have lost a million dollars in
floods within 80 days in New Mexico |
leys of the Neosho, Verdigris and Kaw |
rivers in Kansas by flood this year !
aggregated $500, 900. Our entire loss in |
the floods of 1903 in Kansas City /
amounted to y million dollars.
Safeguards for Travellers
The Santa Fe is spending large
sums for betterments. We have the |
station block system in use on our
lines from Chicago to Newton, Kan,
and to Purcell. 1. T. New safeguards
are being provided all of the time. The
number of casualties on railroads are
in ratio to the number of trains run
ming less the safeguards provided. The
greater the safeguards the fewer the |
casualties. Taking the number of
miles Travelled compared to the num-
Der of killed for a basis. the average
man would travel liz million miles be-
fore he is hurt and million miles
before he is killed. There are fewer
persons killed and injured now in rail-
road accidents in proportion to the
number travelling than 20 years ago. A
large percentage of the people killed /
are trespasSers.''
MIR. Hendricks Endorsement.
We are very anxious to get some
definite action on the proposition of
new union passenger station for Kan
sas City" said Mr.. Kendrick. IS NJ
FELTON,, president OF the Chicago & AL
ton. is chairman of the executive com
mittee that has the matter in hand. At