The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-04-06
MOVE THE DEPOT.
New Union Pacific Station West
of Kansas Avenue.
Old One to Be Used for Freight
Purposes.
TO CLOSE THE HOTEL.
Little Park VIII Be Converted
Into Yards.
Large Quantities Of Material on
the Ground.
TO CLOSE THE HOTEL.


IQeQ VIC were Al 4DAJEEAd AAAAa fF~---
confirmed the report printed in the
State Journal several months ago an
nouncing extensive station and ter
II1inal facilities Improvement in To-
peka A party of officials spent Mon
day looking over the ground prepara-
tory to making plans for laying out
the work on the proposed improve
ments. 1t has been known for some
time that the Union Pacific cOntem-
plated building a new passenger sta
ton here and now that the double
track work between Kansas City and
the extension Of the branch line from
Topeka to AIarysvilIe is well under
way, attention is being turned to the
work of Improvement necessary in the
city. No doubt the new station win
be begun shortly and viii be ready for
use within a year after the completion
of the track work.
The plan is to convert the present
passenger station into a freight depot
The Union Pacific hotel will be closed.
and the rooms on the second and third
floors viii be remOdeIed for use as
offices for the officials who Will be
stationed here.
The new passenger station VIII be
erected on the west side of Kansas
avenue where the present freight de-
pot is now located.
It is understood that the railroad
posite the present station and the
land now occupied by a lumber yard
north of the track and west of Kan
sas avenue, as freight yard
The work of building the branch line
from Topeka to MarysVille is progress
ing satisfactorily. This road is being
built by. and all accounts and records
are kept in the name of the Topeka &
Northwestern railroad as though it was
an entirely separate and distinct cor
pOra tion from the Union Pacific com
pauy. The road VIII be turned over to
and viii become a part of and will be
operated by the Union Pacific when
completed.
Chief Engineer J. b Berry of the IN
ION Pacific, j. c. Beye, resident engi-
neer and A. Merriam. chief engineer Of
the Topeka & Northwestern. drove
across from ATenplzen to Marysville over
the right Of way OF the new line Tues
day and Wednesday. fitzpatrick Bros.
and Collins, the contractors on the
grading work also made the trip with
the railway men.
The 81 miles OF grading between Me
nOken and Onaga, have been sublet to
IA different contractors, in contracts of
from one to three miles each. The grad
ing work is well under way the whole
distance of the proposed line. From
the Topeka end it is practically com
pleted for seven or eight miles.
The biggest piece of work is the cut
a mile long, which is being made at the
hill just south Of Onaga. When the
work is completed the cut viii be 55
feet deep at the highest point of the
hill. The banks viii be $50 feet wide
a the top and 1G feet wide at the bot
tom.
The dirt from this cut is being used
70 ill in low places for several miles
on both sides of the hill When the cut
is completed more than 240O00 cubic
yards OF earth viii have been taken out.
When this line was first surveyed 1t
al rH--n-
the hill, but this plan was later aban-
doned- Three different surveying par
ties worked on the scheme in an at
tempt to find the most feasible route to
get through the hill Probably no less
than twenty different lines were run
through that section of the country, and
the best line was finally chosen. The
first survey made would have required
cut in the hill eighty feet deep. The
last survey found a way to get through
with a cut 55 feet deep.
The contractor who has the job of
cutting the hole through this hill has
two steam shOvels at work They have
capacity to get out about so 600 cubic
yards of earth per month. so that it will
be seen that it viii require almost five
months time to complete this one sec
tiOn of the work. The steam shovels
have already been in use about three
weeks.
The steel rails have begun to arrive
and are being placed at convenient
points to be used as soon as tracklaying
begins. Ties were stored on the tWentV-
acre tract Of land in Little Russia
last fail and these are being used in
starting the line to MenOken and in
building the switches and material stor-
age yards at that point
Eleven steel bridges viii be required
on the new line. These bridges will
be supplied by the bridges taken out
on the main line between Topeka and
Kansas city which viii be replaced by
A-,ae
track which is being laid.
In ADDITION to the eleven steel bridges
there will also be two stone and CON
crete arches built over two small creeks
near Onaga.
The work of construction on this
line is being directed from Mr.. Mer-
RAMS Office on the second floor of No.
500 North Kansas avenue.
J. L. Nen, who is in charge Of the
construction work along the main line
where the double track is being built.
has moved his headquarters from To-
peka to Lawrence. so that he viii be
more centrally located
The grading work on this line has
been subIet to seven contractors who
have about ten miles of work each.
The heaviest work on this line is at
Calhoun Bluffs, just east of Topeka,
where the bluffs are being cut away
The railroad has built a new high
way for the people who have been ac-
customed to coming to Topeka along
the Calhoun Bluffs road. and the old
familiar driveway overlooking the
railway tracks and the river is now a
thing Of the past.
1t is announced that the grading on
this line win be completed by July l.
and track laying viii probably begin
in places before that time.
The double track will probably be in
operation about September /.