The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-06-01
LOCATE The line,
Force of Fourteen Surveyors to Begin
on New Railroad Monday.

Mr.. V. r. Parkhurst, chief engineer
I of the Topeka Railway
company, is now recruiting his engl-
i neering corps preparatory to starting
! out to make the final location for the
Council Grove railroad. In making the
final location for railroad line 1t Is
quite a different proposition from run
ming q preliminary survey, such as Is
always done to ascertain the grades
and get a profile of the country. The
first party that Mr.. Parkhurst VIII
start out will consist of IA men besides
himself There will be one locating en-
gineer one transit man, one level man,
one topographer, one rodman, one tape
man, two chain men, two axe men,
one stake man, one back fagman, one
teamster, and one cook. Five or the
number must be experienced engineers
and the party will all be experienced
men. 1t is the intention to begin 10
eating this line at a point near Lincoln
and Twenty-first street. The line Will
run as near directly west as possible
for about three or four miles. rms
will locate the line through a valuable
farm of Mr.. Daniel, then through
farm of Mr.. Logan at Seabrook, tnen
west across the Aylsdale farm owned
by Mr.. c. B. Merriam and the aaF-
mondale farm owned by Mr.. J. Z. Har-
mon.
raised to locating the line through
these farms but it the only practicai
route In locating a railroad line they
do not Just cOnSlQeF the COSl u IN
right of way over one particular me
but the cost of operating the line aIter
it is completed. 1t is Impossible 10
build railroad without some gIaoes
and curves but the latter day engineer
tries to eliminate all the grades ana
curves they possibly can. IL was az
one time planned to run the I0Peka-
southwestern around tnroush
maker and another route was to run
1t south near Burnett's Mound and had
the bonds carried in Mission township
one or the other of these lines Woulu
have been considered, but inasmuch as
the bonds did not carry ana the ran
road company'S receiving no AID from
that township it will be useless 10 ASK
them to make their line from nan
to three-quarers of mile longer wnen
thav are TO get no assistance from the
In discussing this matter this morn
ing Mr. Taylor said: 1T puts us local
PEOPLE IN very embarrassing position
we want to please our neighbors and
friends here as much as possible, but
we are representing these eastern peo-
pie who are going to put their money
into this railroad and If we should at
tempt to build the road three-fourths of
a mile longer in order to miss these
farms we would be criticised, and the
facts of the matter is we would all be
DISCHARGED. I have taken the matter up
with the New York people and asked !
them if something could not be done, |
and the only reply that I have had is
that
done at the bond election in Mission /
township when the rest of the town
ships voted almost unanimously In IA
vor of the bonds, and 1 guess there is
only one thing for us to do and that |
is to carry out their instructions and
locate the line across Mission township
the shortest way possible and with the
least possible work.
1t will probably take Mr.. Parkhurst
and his party Is days to make the final
location to Dover, and as soon as the
line has been permanently located to I
that point he will put a resident engi-
neer in charge to cross section the line L
and set the grade stakes for the grad
ers and also stake out all of the II
bridges road crossings, etc II
Just as soon as the resident engineer
takes charge of the work the conrrac-
tors can Immediately begin grading.
The graders will begin at Lincoln and
street and will work
west. During that time the railroad
company will be buying and locating
Its terminals and yards in the city. 1t
IS the intentions of the company to put
On a sufficient force of graders so that
the line will be graded and ready for
track laying as far as Eskridge this
tall. Then probably there will be sew
eral grading forces put to work on the
other end working from Council Grove
his way and also from Eskridge west. 1