The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1907-07-05
BANQUET FREMONT HILL.
Yankton Business Men Gather to Dis
euss Projected Railroad.

Yankton Business Men Gather to Dis
euss Projected Railroad.
Fremont Hill, president and promot.
er of the Yankton & Southwestern rail-
road which Is projected from Yani-
ton, S. d., through Norfolk to the Gulf
of Mexico. was banQueted at Yankton
the other night after leaving Norfolk
for that city. Senator Gamble was
also present and made short speech.
The Yankton Press and Dakotan
says that the meeting was attended by
100 business men, showing that Yank-
ton people are getting closer together
than would have been possible some
years ago, In speaking Of Mr.. Hills
speech, the Yankton paper says:
Mr.. Fremont Hill was introduced and
met with an enthusiastic reception at
the hands of the Yankton men present.
AS on other occasions Mr.. Hill i'm.
pressed his hearers with his quiet, yet
business-like ways. With an entire
absence OF the boom" style of talk, he
was convincing and showed his evident
sincerity and belief In the project he
has In hand. He gave the data for the
last six months, ran over the present
situation briefly yet concisely, and pre-.
sented the essential points which
showed clear and comprehensive
grasp of the whole immense undertake
ing. He said he started believing the
proposed line to be the best railroad In
the United States. He based this opin-
ion on actual knowledge as gathered
all along the line from Yankton to
Houston, Texas. He had found the
project Endorsed by the best men every
where along the line of the proposed
road and had met with the greatest
encouragement and support. He said
as to facts, he could state that the pre-
liminary work for seven hundred miles
OF the road, including the right of way,
had already been completed and that
by October 1t was expected that this
work would all be completed all along
the line. He said this meant actual
work would begin early In the spring
at the south end, and that the work
would be pushed north rapidly. He
said he had visited Yankton first and
had met some doubters, but he could
now say to those who had been with
him from the start that they now had
the satisfaction Of knowing that they
had with them the best men from
fankton to the gulf. His support fur
Their south is most enthusiastic. where
the road is not a strange project, as he
had found 1t was looked upon as a
most practical plan and one deserving
OF the greatest and heartiest support
Continuing Mr. Hill said the proposed
road would be one thousand miles
long, running through the bread bas-
ket" of the United States, that it
would pass through immense coal
beds, magnificent hardwood timber,
the best in the United States, and
that the last one hundred miles would
go through great pine timber coun-
try. He said this section wanted all
these things cheaper and could get
them with this road in operation, and
that he could also state that this road
would mean that grain could be
shipped to Europe two cents a bushel
cheaper from this whole section than
is now the case. He then took up
the great increase in tonnage of vsi.
ness in this country as an argur II
for more roads. He said business I'd
increased 119 per cent, while the rail
roads, in their effort to keep up, had
increased hardly SO per cent. He said
the country must have more railroads
to meet this great increase. AS an IL
lustraton he took up cement, some
thing of special interest to Yankton
people. He said this product had in
creased from eight millions to forty
six millions per annum and in the
past six years had shown an increase
of one hundred per cent.
The speaker quoted President I'm
derwood of the Erie railroad, whom
he said got his start in Yankton, in
the railroad business, and was now al
the head of a road that was acknowl
edged the head in the cheap handling
of freight Mr.. Underwood, he stated
had remarked that in the near future
a railroad would be built from Yank
ton to the gulf, where light grades
the elimination of curves, and q
straight line would mean a serious
competition and that he was preparing