Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-02-26
NEW EQUIPM Mt
MiIwauk ee Road to Expend Three
Million Dollars This
Year.
GREATER PART FOR ENGINES
Need of Motive Power Keenly Felt
During the Last
Year.

At least S2OO0,0O0 viii be expended
by the Milwaukee during the next II
months in the purchase of motive
power. An additional million may be
spent for passenger coaches, sleeping
cars and freight cars, but this has not
been definitely decided upon.
1t is said by operating officials of
the Milwaukee that the company must
increase its motive power facilities at.
once, if the company is to remain in
position TO handle its increasing bus
mess. At a recent meeting of the
board of directors it was decided to
place orders at once for 125 large To-
comotives, 40 of the engines TO be de-
livered to the company before Nov
Is The Baldwin Engine company will
probably build the new locomotives.
The lack of motive facilities was
felt more during the past winter than
at any other time since the shortage
in locomotives became apparent. Many
trains have been stalled for days wait
ing for engines to carry them to their
destinations. This has not been the
case in the passenger department, but
the freight has been the sufferer. The
first object of the company has Deen
to care fer its passenger trains and
as a result there have been few seri-
Gus delays.
From an authentic source it has
learned that the new locomotives Will
be of the simpler type 1t is said that
the operating department has decided
TO abandon the compound engines. as
they have proven unsatisfactory. The
estimated cost of the new locomo-
tives is $4,000 apiece. Forty of the
new engines will go into service Nov.
Is. and the balance will be delivered
to the company before April 1. 1905.
World Watches Rock Island.
Railroad officers throughout the
country are watching with interest
the organization of the great Rock ISL
and system. The taking over of 50
many lines in separate districts Of the
country has resulted in bringing the
biggest mileage in history under the
control of this company. The CONSOLE
dations and acquisitions have come so
rapidly that the official stats of the
the different component parts of the
gigantic system have been unable 10
keep pace with the movements of the
financial people in New York.
No sooner do the officers Of the COM
pany begin to feel that they have or
ganized their stats on good work
ing basis than they are notified of the
acquisition of another road or system
of roads, and n reorganization must
be effected.
The entire Rock Island system. that
controlled by the same financial inter
estss covers 14.4S3 miles of track and
embraces three big systems, the Rock
Island proper. the st. Louis d San
Francisco. and the Chicago & Eastern
Illinois roads.
Though a number of important and
expensive offices have been created by
the company during the past few
months. more changes are to come.
The grand system of 1900 miles is
now under three presidencies. /. f.
Loree is president of the Rock Island
company; W. i. Leeds is president of
the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific
Railway: and +. F. Yoakum is presi-
dent of the St. Louis & San Francisco
system.
Assimilation Will Go On.
Under the supreme control of the
Rock Island company, the two princi-
pal companies composing the sys-
TEN continue to he operated i'm their
own names and with SeDarate corDS