The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-08-10
Santa Fe and Rock Island in a
Merry Little War.
It's Over Business of Soda Ash
Plant at Hutchinson.
GUARDING SWITCH.
Santa Fe Has a Man on Lookout
With a Real Gun.
Other Items of Interest to
Railway People.

Hutchinson, Kan, Aug. 10-A man
with a gun sat all night last night at
a switch just built from a railroad
track leading to the soda ash site. The
switch was built yesterday. The man
was In the employ of the Santa Fe
road and he was put there to guard
the rights of his company.
This is a tale about the soda ash
business and what the railroads think
of the coming of the big plant. The
Rock Island road owns a piece of
track, running from its main line,
leaving the main line north of Fourth
avenue, and running east through the
quarter section on which the soda ash
plant is being built. The Rock Island
is supposed to own this track from it's
main line to the plant of the Hutchin-
son Packing company, where it joins
a similar line, running from the Santa
F'e main line to the packing plant.
These tracks are connected and are
used by both roads, in switching cars
to the packing plant, the Union stock
yards and the warehouse of the
American Warehouse company, Just
north of Fourth avenue. It is under
stood that there is a contract between
the two roads which allow both to
use any portion of this track, between
the main lines, for switching to in
dustries on that line.
But here is a new industry. 1t hap
pens to be located on the Rock Island
end of the joint line. Some days ago
the Rock Island built a. switch on this
line, not far from the main line of
that road, running east to the soda
ash site. Yesterday the Santa Fe road
put a gang of men at work there and
built switch, farther east, and run
ming west to the site of the plant.
This switch leaves the part of the
joint line claimed as the property of
the Rock Island road. superintendent
Aver was here to look after the Santa
Fe company's affairs and, in spite of
protests by the Rock Island roadmas-
ter. by Agent Liggett and Commercial
Agent Rishel, the track was laid.
Then the man was put on guard, with
a gun, last night, to see that the
switch connection was not disturbed
during the night. There was no
trouble in sight and the track is there.
With the exception of the switch con-
nection with this joint line, and for a
few feet away, the track built by the
Santa Fe road is on the property
owned by the soda ash company. But
the Santa Fe had to have a switch
connection there in order to do bust
ness. To be sure the Rock Island
may have the best and the only right
to use this portion of the joint line,
but the fact that the Santa Fe will
build a new line there, some way, to
get a portion of the business that
would naturally come with a big con-
Germ Of this sort. IF the Rock Island
wins and forces the Santa Fe to take
out its connection with the joint track
the Santa Fe will have to build an
other line in from the plant of the
Hutchinson Packing company. This
will be done, though, for there is bust
ness worth going after there.
Santa F'e people claim that an at
tempt has been made to get joint
meeting with the Rock Island Off
Gals SO that an agreement might be
reached as to the new industry. 1t is
possible that the Rock Island road,
which is also out for business and is
working to get 1t, would like to hold
the Santa Fe off as long as possible, SO
that the former road would get
large share of the hauling to the
plant, during the time Of its construc-
ton, at least.
Anyway the piece of track, about
500 feet, is there and is ready for use
the Rock Island will let the former
use it. The soda ash company is
keeping out of the fight. 1t is desir-
GUS of getting all the railroad facili-
ties possible and getting them now.
The spectacular part of the perfor-
nance in the scrap for this piece of
track was when the Rock Island
switching crew brought out several
empty box cars and set them on the
place where the switch was being put
in. This was when the Santa Fe crew
had the work partly done and when
cars could be run over 1t. The cars
were stopped on the work and moth
ing was doing. In a little while, how
ever, the Santa Fee crew arrived with
two switch engines and some cars and
the two locked horns. They pushed
each other some but the Rock Island
was not strong enough for the Santa
Fe and the latter pushed the Rock
Island engine out of the way. The
work then went on and the Rock Is
land engine came back to town.