The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-10-22
TOpeka-Coumcil Grove Line Is
Assured.
W. L. Taylor Telegraphs That
Financiers Have Accepted.
COMPLETE In A YEAR.
Will Be in Operation by Next
September.
Route Is Yet to Be Decided
Upon.

The Topeka & Southwestern Railway
company. the proposed line between this
city. Eskridge and Council Grove, viii
be constructed and be ready for opera
! tion by September of next year. Tbs
Information is contained in a private
dispatch received by the state Journal
today After three years of varying
fortunes, this road, which viii mean so
much to Topeka and the development
Of the unusually rich country 1t viii
tap, has found adequate financial back
ing, through ths efforts of ". L. Taylor,
of this city, who has been promoting
the line for the past few months
1t viii be financed by the banking
firm OF Henry Cohen & Co., with offices
at NO A Broadway, New York City,
one OF the substantial banking concerns
in the east, and with assets at its com
mand which could build a half dozen
roads of the same sort, even though the
approximated cost of this road will near
the million dollar mark.
IN financing the road, however, these
bankers will ask the townships along
the line and the terminal cities to re-
vote the bonds they voted for the orig
inaI company and there is no doubt but
that the localities will respond in
hearty and prompt fashion, because the
prominent business men in all Of them
are anxious to see the road built On the
original proposition the townships along
the line. with the exception Of Mission,
voted bonds to the amount OF Sz,OOO
mile. Topeka voted $500 bonds for
terminal facilities in this city When
these bonds were voted It was the uIl-
derstanding that they were to be taken
I'D in all except two instances Dy Jan
uary l next; couple OF the townshlls
fixing their time limit as April next
OF course under the conditions WhIcn
have developed the company proposing
to build the road win not be in posi-
tion to fulfill the conditions required
so that it can get the benefit OF these
bond issues by that date, ana tney wall
have to be re-voted-
News that the financial backing for
the line has been secured was received
at the State Journal office this mornins
from Mr. Taylor, who has peeh IN Ny
York for the past week conferrlns Win
the bankers, VINO were u lii --.llo rs ,,a-e
backing the proposition and who nave
finally decided to do So This telegram
read: -, !,
.sPaiIroad accepted. Townships will be
asked to revote bonds. Line to be nnalS
located. and contracts let for It's con-
struction this fall, and to be coinpAs'eu
by September next.
from this telegram it will be seen
that no time is to be lost III gems -
work on the construction OF tne Aoesu, -
and ensineers may be expected aIS
dav now to get to work and determine e
- 5oaI location. Two routes have al
ready been surveyed for the road one
Going from Topeka to Eskridge via
9ozJer and the other to Eskridge wa
Auburn. From Eskridge to Councll
! Grove the line will go directly soulu- ~
U.ast Tt is possible that the road VIII
snaIiv be built with two spurs from
Topexa to Eskridge, one running
through Auburn and the other throue
power. but if only one is built at nrst
the chances are that it viii go throush
Auburn, as the people In that VlclIilty
have shown more activity IN hustiln
for the road than those in the Dover
This road. a company for the con-
structfon Of which was formed IN lSOS )
through the efforts of the Commercial
club. was originally known as the To-
uel1a. Fskridge and Council Grove
I "a aflroad company. The new company
which has been organized by MI ray
Ior and the Cohen banking house has
decided to officially designate the road
under. the name Of the Topeka q
Southwestern railway company, ana as
soon as Mr. Taylor returns from New
york CITY. he will file with the state
| charter board the requisite papers for
a. charter for the new company Thls
will be within q few days.
Frank NJ Stahl, Of Auburn, might be
I called the IaLnel OF lne LcLllL OGN. IL
was he who brought the proposition to
the attention of the Commercial club,
+ in the fall of 1903. So impressed We're
the business men Of the town with
value of the project that company
was organized to build the road On It's
directorate were several OF the proml-
nent business men of the city and
prominent men from the various local
/ tiles tapped by the proposed line. This
company was organized with a capital
stock of $4,000. A couple of surveys
for the line were made. and the work
OF getting the townships and cities
/ along the line to vote bonds was &C
+ complished without much difficulty.
But then a hitch came In getting the
requisite financial backing to build the
/ road. And along about the first of the
year it began to look as though the
proposition was going to fall through.
/ The original company had up to this
/ time expended about $4,000 for sur
veys, etc
/ It was then that Mr.. W. L. Taylor
| took the matter up and he got in COM
/ munica ton with a number of banking
/ practice Of investing their funds in the
/ promotion of interurban lines. Henry
/ Cohen & Co of New York seemed to
I be the most favOrably impressed with
4 the proposition and promised to supply
/ the finances. If they could be shown
that the line would be a paying invest
ment. Within the last couple OF
months Mr.. Taylor has been busy COM
piling a report of the rich facilities OF
/ the country through which the line viii
run. together with an estimated cost OF
construction, which he fixed at about
| $500 o00. He took this report to New
York with him q week ago. together
with letters from prominent men in this
I city and other places where the line
win go through. which stated that their
writer's were more than convinced that
! such a road would be the best possible
sort Of an investment. That this re-
port and the letters convinced the
bankers that the financing Of the road