Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-06-28
LINE TO THE COAST.
CHICAGO, MILWAUKEE G sT.PAul
PLANNING EXTENSION FROM
SOUTH DAKOTA.
Milwaukee, Plans Establishing of New
Industry TO Utilize Flax straws--suc-
cess Is Assured - New Milwaukee
Elevator.

The Chicago, Milwaukee and St.
Paul is preparing to build an extension
from Chamberlain, S. D., to the coast
according to reports from Tacoma
Wash. 1t is said that agents of the Mil
waukee have purchased 400 acres Of
terminal grounds in Tacoma tidelands
and smaller purchases of tidelands
have been made in Seattle, Portland
In March President A. ]. Earring of
the Milwaukee spent two days in con-
ference with the manager of the Ia
coma Eastern and it is said that an
option on this line has been secured.
Northwest lumbermen have been
urging President Earllng and Chair.
man Miller to extend their roads to the
coast. pointing out that they would
secure to start with, lumber traffic Of
at least 10000 carloads annually.
1t Is believed that the st. Paul will
reach Portland over the Hartman line
from the Snake river territory and will
build a line from Columbia river to
Puget Sound, which may be jointly
used by the Milwaukee and Hartman
system.
To Utilize Flax Straw.
Plans are being formulated by the
Milwaukee to create new industry
which will utilize the fax straw which
annually rots or is burned on north.
western farms. 1t Is believed that the
industry when established will not
only increase the revenue of the Mil
waukee system, but will also prove
profitable to the farmers along the
line.
Col. w. B. Davenport, Industrial
commissioner for the system and head
of department created that it might
build up traffic for the road, has been
spending week in the northwest in
vestigating the flax straw question.
and states that success seems about
to reward the efforts to make it pro-
| fitable
Plan Is Succeeding.
ri believe, sail he, chat within a
short time there will be established
large mill with machinery which
will utilize flax tow in the manufac-
ture Of articles for which there is a
heavy working for long time on the
question. We are succeeding. / have
been offered twice the capital neces-
sary to put up the mills and utilize all
/ ZIG llttN pShoW t31oWh III thC lloi Ill w Vpl
100000 tons year. The money is
ready, but suitable machinery is not
yet on the market. I have, however,
tions that meet existing difficulties,
and promise to make northwestern
| fax straw yary valuable.
II am now devoting PRACTICAL. my
entire time to this one problem. We
propose to perfect machinery for the
manufacture of cordage and rope,
oakum. mats, carpets, toweling and a
thousand other articles of common use,
including pulp boards, here in the
northwest. am in correspondence
with men who are working along the
same line, slowly perfecting the me-
chanical appliances and machinery
which will do the work.
Money Is Ready.
1--WE have twenty mills on our sys-
] tenn all prosperous. The next move is
1 to establish spinning mills where the
| tow can be reduced into articles of
commercial value.
1--WE have proven that northwestern
fax straw furnishes fibre of super
| ior excellence and that cut green, the
flax will yield fibre suitable for use
in the manufacture of linens AN in
| dustry almost unknown, although the
northwest buys annually thousands of
dollars worth of linens.
| Before we are through with this
question we will have provided means
OF utilizing the valuable fax straw
in this country which is aow going
to waste There will be no let up until
we succeed. The money for the work
| is waiting, and the other difficulties
promise now to be soon solved When
mills are in operation flax straw will
be worth from 81 to SIS ton. 1t now
rots in the fields or is burned"
New Milwaukee Elevator.
| The Chicago. Milwaukee & ST. Paul
railroad is building at Coburg station
la suburb Of Kansas City, a grain ele