Omaha daily bee., 1905-07-26
HILL WILL COME INTO OMAHA
Great Northern kagnats Decides Not to
Ignore the Gate City.
SPECIFIC PLEDGE GIVEN BY CROSBY
Another Positive Assurance L. that
Freight Rates VIII Not he
Disturbed by Entrance
of New Line,


The Great Northern will build into
Omaha. This assurance was made to the
Omaha Commercial club Tuesday by G. II.
Crosby, freight traffic manager of the
Burlington, acting as representative of the
Hill interests in the Ashland cut on mat
ter.
Mr.. Crosby came from Chicago to meet
the Omaha Commercial club, the Omaha
Grain exchange and the South Omaha Live
Stock exchange. These three organiza-
lions have been making a strong united eff
fort to secure concessions for Omaha ever
since II was announced that Hill would
build ar Ashland Sioux City line and leave
Omaha out in the cold. His first confer
ence was with the Commercial club at
noon Tuesday. He specifically pledged the
club two things.
He gave assurance that Great North
ern line would be built into Omaha from
some point on the Ashland cut on, which
would make Omaha in the direct line Of
freight and passenger tranlc from Kansas
c ty to Sioux City. That point will be so
situated that there will be no object in
hauling trains from Omaha or South
Omaha through Ashland to Sioux City.
"A party Of engineers is now at work FIX
ing the point" said Mr.. Crosby, 'and as
soon as their work is completed construc-
ton will be begun so that the road into
Omaha may be finished by December
VIII Not Disturb Rates.
The second point pledged by Mr.. Crosby
was that the Great Northern would not
disturb the present status Of freight rates
He said the company had no inclination to
disturb existing conditions, and even If 1t
had. 1t would be practically impossible or
disastrous to the company in bringing on
a rate war.
These concessions constitute a victory
for the commercial bodies of Omaha and
South Omaha.
''When we were advised by the Great
Northern people that they would build
directly through Ashland" said Commits
sioner r. ]. McVann Of the Commercial
club I'VE demanded assurance on the two
points and began to take steps to induce
the company 10 recognize our contentious
As a result Mr. Crosby was sent to meet
/ US"
Mr. Crosby will meet the Omaha Grain
exchange and the South Omaha Live Stock
| exchange today.
Cuts on mt ChhIco.
| It is understood that Chalco has been
decided upon as the point where the
| Omaha branch will leave the Burlington
main line; also that the point at which
It will intercept the Great Northern Will
be somewhere near Ashland II such is
| the case the new road will furnish shorter
| line between Omaha and Sioux City than
| either the Omaha road or the Northwestern.
Considerable satisfaction has been ex-
| pressed concerning Mr.. Crosby's announce
] ment Men who not long ago were railing
/ at the Great Northern are now expressing
themselves as pleased with the prospects.
"As far as the Grain exchange is con-
cerned," said Floyd Campbell, secretary
of the Nebraska-Iowa Grain company,
there was nothing to kick abouS ia the
first place. The building of the Ashland
cutoff without the Omaha brao,,h would not
hurt the grain trade Anybody who knows
anything about rate conditions SHOWS that
the Great Northern would have to maintain
the present rate basis. The branch Will
make Omaha in the direct lire of passenger
traffic between Minneapolis ana Kansas
City, and it will help the city that mcch
think everybody ought to I've satisfied now
Big Help to Omaha.
1.-THE railroad as it is to be built UNI
doubtedly will help Omaha" said W. M
Glass, secretary Of the esen
Hardware company. LAS long as the SIT
ferentials in freight rates are maintained
/ do not see any way in which the road
may injure Omaha AS Mr.. Crosby himself
admits, 1 d. not think Il is in tho power
of the Hill interests to change the lakis
of rates. The other roads would not allow
It, AS to the grain trade, as long as the
Omaha grain men pay the farmers as vel
as the Minneapolis dealers do Omaha II
going to get its share Of the grain. Ac
cording TO the present rats basis, wheat
shipped from any point in southern Ne.
braska through Lincoln. Ashland and Sious
City to Minneapolis would pay the same
freight as IL it were shipped through
Omaha"