The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-03-24

traveller for a stationery house in Ro-
chester at the age of Is. and at 10 he
was making an income of $500
year and was married. At 20 he went
to Kansas City and started a printing
office and stationery store, and after.
Few years gave them up to become
general agent for Illinois of the Trav-
eIers Insurance COmpa of Hartford.
While he was in that position he in
vented what is known as the coupon
annuity policy, which he patented and
then sold out for $4,000
When he was q years old he thought
the time had come to realize his des-
tiny and to do something for the bene-
mt OF his fellow men and for the up
building of the west. He resigned an
$4,000 position with the insurance
company and made a careful journey
over the west studying the situation
What most impressed him, he says,
was the fact that grain for export was
being shipped half way across the con-
unent to New York and other Atlantic
ports, speaking generally, a distance
OF l,4OO or 1900 miles, when the
wheat fields of Kansas were only 500
miles from the tide water Of the Gulf
He therefore decided that the greatest
philanthropfc measure he could under
take was to build an air line railroad
from Kansas City to Port Arthur (the
town was named for him), a distance
OF 100 miles. AS soon as the road was
completed, he says that grain rates to
the seabOard dropped from IS cents to
cents per hundred, and that made
dlllerence OF so cents an acre for every
crop for every farmer in Kansas.
RlVai railways. however. got the road
away from him through the usual ma
chinatiOns Of Wau street, but he be-
HeVes that that was part Of his des-
tiny also. and the next day after he
lost control Of the property he started
another and more important road. which
ne claims win not only shorten the
route between Kansas City and the
orient, but will develop a very import
ant tract of country. which is now
without transportation facilities. He
drew straight line from Kansas City
through Kansas. Oklahoma. Texas and
Mexico to the port of TOpolobampO on
the Gun of California where q socialis-
tic colony Of Americans had a brief but
interesting experience some years ago.
the government subsidy Of $500 900
for 500 miles of road and additional sub
sides from the state governments Of
Chihuahua and Sina1oa. He com
menced his survey at once, obtained his
right Of way and commenced construc-
ton at three points-on the Rio Grande,
on the Pacific and at the Kansas City
end. The line is to be /, 600 miles long.
More than half the entire distance is al
ready graded, 300 miles is already in
that he expects to have a thousand
miles in operation by the end of this
year. 1t win open up an entire new
country which now has no transpOrta-
ton facilities.
Tt is the only railroad running north
and south in Texas west Of Fort Worth,
and the only road in a strip Of coun-
try 500 miles wide. Tt crosses at right
angles the Fort Worth & Denver, he
Texas & Pacific, the Santa Fe and the
Southern Pacific roads. In Mexico the
situation is reversed. The existing roads
all run north and south and this Is the
only line which runs east and vest
The Orient crosses the Southern Pa
cihc at Alpine, Texas, 1.105 miles from
Los Angeles and SIS miles from Topo-
lobampo. The Mexican portion of the
line passes through a very important
mining country which has not been de-
veIoped because it has been inaccessl-
bic.
Mr.. stilweu says that he gets his
money everywhere but in Wall street.
and that most of it is furnished by
the. people who backed him IN the kan
sas City and Port Arthur scheme He
mentions as an extraordinary fact that
every stockholder in Kansas City eX-
cept one who was in the first enter
prise is in this; and the same is true
in ST. Louis. except that most Of nom
nave doubled their subscriptions IN
Boston all of his old subscribers but
two and IN London all but two have
gone into the new scheme. while he has
about 500 subscribers in Holland Mr.
Stilweu thinks this is evidence that
they have faith in him as well as in
his scheme