The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1906-02-08
Secretary Of the Chicago, Keno
sha and Milwaukee Electric
Road Will Ask q Franchise
LINE TO Be BUILT IN A YEAR
Company Notifies Conncil that Fran
chise Ordinance Will be Presented
at the Next Regular Meeting
of That Body

Like ghost from the tomb, the old
Chicago, Kenosha and Milwaukee
Electric Railway company which was
supposed to have died a natural death
several years ago came to the surface
again Monday night, when the sec
rotary and attorney of the company
Frank r. Grover of Chicago, filed
with the city clerk an application for
a franchise to construct an electric
railway in the city
This is the company which was
organized many years ago by Keno
sha and Chicago men, the company
which was promoted by Volney
Alexander Clarke of Chicago, the
company which owns large portion
of right of way along the lake shore
between Kenosha and Waukegan
most of which was purchased at
high price by the promoters of the
line several years ago.
The attorneys representing the
company state that the estate of
Volney Fostor has now been settled
and that it is the intention of the
promoters of the company to at once
begin the work of building the line
and that they will give assurance
that the line will be completed and in
operation within the next twelve
months.
There is little information in the
formal notice filed with the council
save the fact that the company claims
to own right of way from Balm ave-
nue. south to the state line. No route
is outlined for the proposed tracks
within the corporate limits,of the city,
but it is stated that it is the purpose
of the company to extend the road
both north and west through Keno.
sha. 1t is stated that surveys are
now being made for both proposed
lines.
One of the Kenosha men interested
in the company stated this morning
that the company had not definitely
decided on the construction of local
line in Kenosha, but that the route,in
a general way had been decided upon.
This is to start at Balm avenue and
Park avenue and run around the
cemetery to Ashland avenue, thence
north to Strong street and west on
Strong street to the limits Of the city.
The other routes to be asked by the
company will DE included in the fran
chise ordinance when it is presented
to the city council two weeks later.
IF
nosha and Milwaukee road have spent
large sums Of money in the purchase
of real estate south of Kenosha. But
the company was unlucky and with
the death of Alexander Clarke who
was its real moving spirit, the plan
was allowed to lay dormant and in
the meantime Frost and the Chicago
and Milwaukee entered the field and
the line proposed by the former COM
pany has been paralelled. 1t is pos
sible that the Chicago, Kenosha and
Milwaukee will seek to build to the
West all of the lines now planned, as
the promoters of the road state that
it will certainlysbe built9into Milwau-
kee. No terminus has been established
for the Western division of the road.
1t is a difficult matter to figure out
just how a line para1e1ling the Chi
cago and Milwaukee could be made a
paying investment between Wauke-
gan and Kenosha. It is possible that
the fact that it is on the extreme east
side of the Northwestern lines will
make the investment a paying one.
The notice of the coming franchise
was placed on file with the council
and nothing can be done until the
ordinance is presented.