The San Francisco call., 1906-12-30
Wonderfully Level Route.

1t is almost beyond belief that so perfect a
natural route for railroad that surveyed by
the new Chicago-New York Electric Air Line
could have stood all these years and not had a
railroad built upon it. For a stretch of $50
miles In Ohio there is fall of only two feet to
the mile From Chicago to the Pennsylvania
State line the grade does not exceed sixteen feet
per mile, and in the entire distance of $50 miles
route surveyed exceeds 1 per cent No doubt the
reader who looks on the map and observes the
snake-like' winding of the existing trunk lines
marvels as to why they were built SO
crooked. but the reason becomes plain enough
when it is realized that many Of the cities from
which these roads draw their Industrial life
blood were located on the great rivers which
then constituted the only highways Of trans
portation.
None of the great roads of today were built
with any idea of catering to through, direct
route passenger traffic from East to West, but
were merely gatherers-in of local traffic from
these river-bank cities, with their alluring
freight tonnage the main object sought. Thus it
came about that the routes of all existing roads
crooked and rambling, taking the passenger
to his destination by routes that went around
many a robin Hoods Barn. 1t must be re-
membered. too, that it is only within the last
twenty-five years that the passenger traffic has
reached gigantic proportions. When the steam
roads were built the passenger was matter of
small consideration compared with freight, but
today, with the increase of national wealth and
consequent increased capacity for luxurious
travel, the passenger traffic holds forth alluring
prospects Of profits to any road that will
equip itself for 1t and carry the traveller to the
end of HIS journey by direct line, high-speed
route that takes account Of and doesn't bother
with freight on the same track.
Passenger traffic, with its constant demand
for higher speed, has made the Chicago-New
York Electric Air Line Railroad reality; never
theless, it is not intended that freight shall be
overlooked. Freight will ultimately be handled
on exclusive freight tracks and kept as distinct
from the passenger traffic as if two separate
roads ran side by side. 1t stands to reason that
it won't be so very long before the freight ship
pers will begin to think that such a direct high
speed line is good thing for freight as for
passengers. and this, of course, will ultimately
lead to spur tracks being run to the main line
from more than twenty cities of over 100, 600 in
habitants, and a practical absorption of the
freight business from territory with a popula-
tion of about 100000.
The main line runs so close to several large
cities, such as Cleveland, Toledo, ETC., and
Others are so near that spur tracks of less than
fifty miles in length will connect them with tie
main line and even then get their freight to
New York or Chicago several hours quicker than
is now possible. That is what confronts the
existing steam lines today. The plans for the
new electric line contemplate ample track space
for freight as well passenger traffic when the
time comes to handle it.
Such is the railroad situation here is di-
rect route between Chicago and New York the
greatest traffic terminals the world has ever
known. 1t is almost as level as a billiard ia
Die Tor more than half it's length, and through
lis entire distance of 750 miles there is not a
single mile in which there is rise of more
than nfty-three feet How strange it seems that
no great railroad has appropriated this amazingly
valuable piece OF property. The fact is, it re-
quired men who were not railroad men to fur-
nish the money it took to make the first start.
and, Of course, 1t will take men who are rail-
road men to actually engineer the project. After
much work this happy combination of business
men Culture great shippers) on the one hand
some of the greatest railroads in the United
States on the other, was brought together to
launch this most stupendous undertaking of a
century. These men have made the start, but
1t VIII be the plain, everyday citizen who will
complete the project. 1t has been determined
that the people. the plain people, shall own this
great electric road.
1t is, of course, the votes of the people that
enable this road to exercise the right of EN-
nent domain" law whereby the welfare Of
the people as whole is put above the inter
ests of any one man or set of men. and the
building of railroads made possible. Bv tbis
process of State law a railroad can appronr;st 70
for its use lat a fair vaiue) any land that is es
sential to its completion. railroad is for the
whole people, not the few and no intrigue
greed or selfish restraint of progress can possibly
stop its building.