The Paducah sun., 1906-03-21
Some Inside Facts Given By One
Who Knows.
Paducah Must Get Another Trunk
Line or II May Soon BE
"Sewed Up"
OF VITAL INTEREST TO ALL.

Grub meeting last Thursday night
} Mr' Charles X. Wheeler made the
statement that forces are at work
Just now, which will determine
whether Paducah Is to be a city IN
ths true sense of the word, or re.
main as It is, or probably go back.
ward
Most OF his hearers did not know
what he meant by the remark, while
10 others the meaning was well and
fully appreciated To those who did
not appreciate its significance, and
to those who did not hear Mr.. Wheel
er's remarks, will come full apprecia-
ton of the fact when a few things
are cited to them" said a prominent
citizen,-one who is in every way in
a position to know whereof he
speaks. to a Sun representative to-
day.
What was meant" he continued.
He meant this"
The Illinois Central had drawn
the plans and made all the necessary
surveys to build the long proposed
cutoff from Gilbertsville to Mayfield
which means, despite all the assur-
ances of General Manager Harahan.
or any one else, that this road will
give Paducah the go by with all its
through trains, merely running din.
kies' out to connect with them. that
passengers from Cincinnati or Louis
Vile ani the East going South, and
from Southern points going North,
Will never know there is such "a town
as Paducah on the map"
"t means .shat we shall be ssewed
up as it were, and virtually have
no trunk line at all, ard have as mis-
erable passenger service as fancy
can conceive. | know that assur-
ances are made from all sources
that this lis not to be the case. but
just wait and see. The cutoff will
be built this year IL the Illinois Cen
trail can spare the money from it's
appropriations for such work If IL
can't this year, it will next, unless
we get another trunk line here.
What must We do?" you ask,
Eve must get that other trunk
line" why is the l.. e. n. build
ing line from the ~. G. & st. l..
to Cairo over "a route sixty miles
long. when the distance from Padu-
cah is only thirty-ehght? The ~, C.
& st. l.. is friendly to Paducah, but |
see the significance of this? They |
are already here, and offered all |
sorts of inducements to build |
through Mayfield and so take the |
route they have surveyed. The Com |
mercial club has the assurance that |
this road "will not probably be |
built" and if liz does 1t won't affect |
Paducah- Mr.. Milton II. Smith, am
told. was authority for the state |
ment The road will be huilt. The
directors of the l.. & NJ. at a meet
ing in New York, in january. passed
a resolution setting aside 81, 500 900
for the branch. And 1t will affect
Paducah. Affect us by leaving us
high and dry without trunk line,
unless We. do something to fore
stan it.
81 want the people of Paducah to
awake to the seriousness of the sit
uatlon. 1t would be humorous. If 1t
were not pathetic, that railroads are
to be built within thirty miles of us,
and not touch us, but see the
pathetic side before the humorous.
As say, we must awake TO the situ-
alton. and be up and doing.
'If we could get the N, C. & st. l..
to build that road from Paducah to
Cairo We would be contemplating a
far more roseate view than pictured
to you. Such a road would tap the
six or more roads at Cairo and the
two at Thebes that don't get to Cairo.
and we should be din position that
that would assure proper railroad
facilities and due appreciation by
the Illinois Central of Paducah.
which ~ does not.
''The l.. & N, as know advised
~, already has terminals at Cairo
and II has a night of way. and will
soon construct line to Thebes, con-
Meeting there with the lines going
North and West. and putting 1t in
iirect connection with some OF bile
greatest systems in this count~y-
see what n would mean TO Paducah?
We cannot measure the value. II
THE l.. & N. must be induced
therefore. To buhd this line from k