Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-02-14

1
duct. the latter having been pro
gineers.
| Loop Wanted In the City.
Mr. Hipwen said that loop was
wanted in the city of Rock Island. pre-
! ferably through the business section.
to bring in the interurban cars, these
to terminate in Rock Island Smaller
cars would be used on the bridges
| Either mileage or a system of trans
! fers would be used. The plan was
20 have mileage that would be accept
able on any of the lines i'll the COM
bination between Monmouth and Ced,
ar Rapids \ passenger would be
| carried for cents from any point in
the city of Rock Island and given
transfer that would entitle him to 4
ride to the end of the Rock Island
! bridge in Davenport. The same condi-
tions would prevail on the Iowa side
of the river. Mr.. Hipwell said there
had, he understood, been one or two
petitions in circulation among the PEG
! pie of the city addressed to the city
| council fayoring the granting of
! franchise to the new company but he
did not understand that any frontage
rights had been sought.
Has Not Selected Streets.
| In fact, he declared, the company
| did not know exactly what streets it
would most desire to pass through in
! the event that it was to ask a fran
! chise. True. some of the men inter
ested had driven through the city and
I 11n OF ha hat
| like to build on. but no definite route
to be asked for had been mapped out.
I Mr.. Hipwell said the building of the
/ MISUNDERSTANDING interurban to
Rock Island was contingent on the
getting of a franchise in this city. He
/ denied that permission to cross
through the arsenal from Davenport
direct TO Moline had been embodied
in the application to the secretary of
war. He did not know how the line
was to reach Moline. That was a
I question to be determined on later.
He had surveyed the territory between
the two cities. but he could remember
of no route for a new line unless cross
ing over the bluff south.
business Men Suggest Route.
Mr. Walsh said there has been no
signatures for right of way asked. lie
was willing to have suggestions as
TO the route in the city from the bust
ness men here. for his company sure
ly wanted the cooperation of the mer-
| chants. He said his company prefer
red the business streets, but if they
were not available it would have to do
the next best thing. and go through
the back thOroughfares. Mr.. Haas
said one would think, from what he
heard. that some terrible calamity was
impending. He advised the business
men to move slowly. These men be
hind the street car projects were bus
mess men, too. They contemplated
the investment of great sums of money
here, and they were entitled to re-
spectful consideration. He said there
had been no right OF way agreed upon,
but he did admit that he suggested as
one feasible route south from the via
duct on Twenty-fOurth street, TO Fifth
avenue, thence to Eighteenth street
and thence to the river. This suggest
ion was made for the reason that his
understanding was the new company
wished TO avoid conflict or competition
with the Tri-City Railway company
wherever possible.
Sees Great Future for city.
Mr.. Walsh said that it was no easy
task to interest capital in the amount
needed to finance such a project as
contemplated here, and he trusted that
the business people would not be hasty
| in their judgment of the enterprise.
| He said interurbans were what every
city needed. Rock Island should not
! fear competition with Davenport. IT
rested with the Rock Island people
| themselves whether their city was to
! be left behind in the race. He said
that nesting here in this valley was
a group of cities that was destined
to be a great power in the commercial
world before many years. 1t was a
power now He had confidence in the
/ future of these cities. So did the men
who were putting hundreds of thous-
ands of dollars in the project that he
was championing.
| Those who lead in interrogating the
railway men were H. E. Casteel. T. J.
Medil, w c. Maucker. F. G.. Young
and A. Mosenfelder. When the discus
sion mad been concluded president u
| II. Kingsbury of the association told
the railway men that the reason they
were invited TO the meeting was TO
| give the merchants some light on
| their plans. if they had any. The
merchants had heard variety of stor-
| les concerning the movements of the
company in the city, and he was pleas
| ed to have the representatives at the
meeting to explain themselves. lie
advised the company when it had its
/ route selected to submit it to the as
/ sociation for concurrence. The mer-
chants had an agreement in reference
to the approval of public undertakings.
and if the one proposed by the COM
pany was worthy the association would
| give il all the assistance at its COM