The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-08-19
Granite Falls to MankatO By
Way of New Ulm.
Shorter Haul From West to Chi
cago and East.
1t Would Be Of Great Benefit
to This City.
From Thursdays Daily.

From Thursdays Daily.
The New Ulm Review of the current
week contains the following story which
will create no little comment in rail
road circles:
Information has reached influential
New Ulm men that officials of the Chi
cage, Milwaukee & st. Paul railway
have plans under consideration that will
mean much to this city. They contem-
plate building cutoff from Granite
Falls to Mankato, to connect the Has
tings & Dakota and Southern Minnesota
divisions of their road, and in the event
of the line being constructed it would
pass through New Ulm. A very natural
result would be that the city's value as a
shipping point would be greatly en-
HANGED, its milling industries would be
aided incidentally and all it's commercial
interests uplifted.
at is understood that the Milwaukee,
principal reason for wanting a short line
to connect with its Southern Minnesota
division is to overcome the present long
haul on grain and cattle which it brings
from western Minnesota and North and
South Dakota. AS thinge now are, all
of these shipments are brought down
thrn: Oh Qrtonville, but after reaching
Granite Fails the road turns to the east
ward and then runs north into the Twin
Cities, portion of the haul being prac-
tically lost, as it doubles back in di-
rection that has once been covered In
the case IS sock. fer Instance, the
traias travel a hundred rifles or more
out of their way and, as the officials
are fully alive to the necessity of car
rying this class of freight with the
greatest dispatch, it is patent that the
mileage should be reduced whenever pos
sible The branch line leading south
from Sanborn, which was built by the
Chicago & Northwestern a few years
ago, furnishes an example of modern
methods of facilitating stock transporta-
tion and it is safe to assume that the
increase in the volume of this business
paid the cost of construction many
times over.
The desire to defect the wheat ship
ments over the proposed line is not an
unnatural one. Every year the Mil
waukee handles millions of bushels of
grain on its northwestern system. With
it's feeders extending into the most re-
mote of the harvest fields of North and
South Dakota and draining those of a
large area of Minnesota, it is one of the
greatest wheat carriers in the world and
annually lays down immense quantities
of the cereal in Minneapolis.
"At the big milling center the grain is
converted into -four but after this pro-
cess the Milwaukee must enter into
sharp competition with several other
roads for the privilege of carrying the
freight the remainder of the distance to
Chicago. Four, at least, of these lines
do not enter the wheat belt, but their
presence compels division of the -four
trade. By cutting off Minneapolis
these roads could be ignored, the Mil
waukee could mill in transit" or ship
the wheat direct, and, either way, could
make the entire haul to Chicago over it's
own track.
"Another factor in the calculation, is
the reputed hostile attitude of the Min
neapolis millers toward the Milwaukee
road, as result of the rate war of two
years ago. Prior to that time discrim-
ination had been made in favor of the
Flour City millers by imposing upon
their interior competitors a milling pen
atty of 21a cents hundred. (In the case
of New Ulm this made the fiat rate
to Chicago 20 cents; or the same as the
Minneapolis men could buy the wheat
here, grind it in their own city and lay.
it down in Chicago) But in 1902 the
Chicago & Northwestern road announc-
ed the removal of this penalty.
Immediately a protest came from
Minneapolis, but in the interim the vari-
Gus roads had signed an agreement to
maintain tariff of 10 cents, from that
city to Chicago. When conferences prov
ed without effect the Flour City manu-
features centered their attack upon the
Milwaukee. They brought pressure to
bear on that road to cause the penalty
to be restored or have their own rate re-
duced and, when the Milwaukee refused
to repudiate its agreement, inaugural
ed boycott that was almost absolute.
Flour shipments were all sent over the
other lines, and where the Milwaukee
had billed out several hundred carloads.
daily, it was given but an insignificant
number. Naturally the railway men pro-
tested, only to be given to understand
that they were suffering the form of
punishment devised for them.
At this stage of the proceedings the
Milwaukee finished the construction of
its branch from Mankato to Minneapolis,
and a means of retaliation was offered
The millers were informed that condi-
lions must improve or Mankato would
be placed on the level of the Minneapo-