Oakes Republican. (Oakes, N.D.) 1898-1906, 1904-08-26
JIM HILLS PLANS
A New TranscontinentaI Line One
Of Them.

Great Northern President Credited With a
Desire to Connect the Pacific Coast With
the Gulf Of Mexico. An Interesting
Story Of Railroad Building
In the Future.
That James j. Hill is maturing
plans for new transcontinental
short line connecting the Northern
Pacific coast, on the northwest, and
Kansas City and st. Louis, and
eventually the gulf, on the southwest
unmistaksble evidence in consider
able quantity has appeared says the
Grand Forks Herald.
These plans include the immediate
construction of q 4OO.m mile cutoff,
from Lester, Iowa. to Minot, N. D.,
and lOO-mile link between the
Great Northern terminus in Sioux
City, and the Burlington system, at
Ashland, Neb., just out Of Omaha.
These two new lines will give, with
out further building, new short line
between Kansas City and St. Louis
and the Pacific northwest.
The construction Of line to the
gulf, either from Kansas City or St.
Louis, is contemplated as the
ultimate completion of solid Hill
property that may carry freight from
ocean to ocean upon an independent
basis.
Facts that have appeared in evi.
dence of these plans are:
Completed construction of fifty-two
miles of road southeast from Minot,
N. D.
Construction of forty miles of road
northwest from Sioux City, S. D., at
tributed to the Great Northern.
Negotiations for large terminal
properties at Sioux City.
Surveys for an announcement of
the construction of link between
the Great Northern at Sioux City
and the Burlington at Ashland, Neb.
Purchase OF coal lands in Arkansas
attributed to James Hill.
Repeatedly reported purchase of
right-of-way by the Burlington for a
line from Kansas City to the Gulf.
A large construction gang is now
building d line southwest from Minot.
Fifty-two miles of this road are now
ready for the laying of steel. 1t is
stated that rails will be laid into
Bismarck, distance of 100 miles, by
winter. Next spring the work will
be taken up and construction pushed
southeast from Bismarck. The
route of the cutoff as chosen passes
thru Huron and Aberdeen and Sioux
Falls to Lester, Iowa, just southeast
of Sioux Falls, where it strikes the
Great Northern's St. Paul Sioux City
line. At Huron and Aberdeen
branches of the Great Northern will
be tapped, adding to their usefulness.
The Dakota Central railroad has
been quietly building line north
west from Sioux Pals, and about 40
miles have already been completed.
The fact that one of the officials is in
the employ of the Great Northern,
added to the fact that the line is
being built along the route chosen
for the Sioux City Minot cutoff, is
evidence that it is Great Northern
project. It was first thought to be
backed by the Milwaukee and St.
Paul railroad, but the appearance of
engineers for the latter, who began
surveying parallel line, dissipated
this theory. There is practically no
question but that the Minot- Lester
line is now under construction from
both ends.
The building of this line will save
400 miles in distance between Sioux
City and the Northern Pacific coast.
At present the Great Northern must
sent its coast business from here east
as far as Willmar, Mimi, and then
back west by circuitous route.
The Burlington now has route
from Omaha to St. Louis only AZ
miles longer than the shortest route
between those points. It will readily