Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1907-06-12
ACTUAL WORK ON ELECTRIC LINE.
Work Started in Earnest on Construction
Of Minneapolis. Rochester & Du.
buuue Electric Railway.

That actual work has really begun
on the line of the Minneapolis,
Rochester and Dubuque Traction Go.
is shown by the following, which we
received from Minneapolis on Satur-
day:
Minneapolis, June AL doubts
that there is to be an electric road
built from Minneapolis south through
Minnesota and Iowa by the Minnea-
polls, Rochester and Dubuque Trac-
tion Company have been dispclled.
The actual work of building the
Goad has begun and has begun in
earnest A camp has been pitched
about two and one-balf miles south
from the Minneapolis city limits and
there are already thirty teams and
nearly one hundred men quartered
there.
This working force begun the work
of clearing the right of way and grad
ing for the track the latter part of
last week and already the first mile of
the Dan Patch Air Line right of way
has the appearance of real road bed.
President Savage is authority for the
statement that the number of men
and teams on fhe work will be in
creased as rapidly as competent ones
can be secured
The present camp will be main
tanned for some time as the gangs of
men can work conveniently from there
in both directions along the right Of
way between the city limits and the
Minnesota river. ~
The fact that the actual work has
been begun, has aroused unusual in
terest in Minneapolis and all along
the right of way. The Doubling
Thomases' among the farmers have
been effectually silenced and the pro-
perty owners along the line through
out Hennepin county have nothing
but praise for the Company and as
sistance for. the engineers and the men
carrying on the work.
President Savage yesterday enter
tanned party OF business and news
paper men at the camp and there was
some surprise and genuine interest
shown by the visitors in the work. the
magnitude of which they had not be-
fore appreciated.
Bids ON a railroad bridge crossing
the Minnesota river has been asked for
and within few weeks, it is expected
that contracts will be let and the
work south on the other side of the
river will be pushed with all possible
speed.
The following is from the Mime
apolis News of Thursday:
What might be termed the formal
beginning of construction work on the
Dan Patch Air Line Electric railway
from Dubuque to Minneapolis was
made at AS Wednesday afternoon in
a pasture near the junction of the Ft.
Smelling road with Lyndale avenue.
At that moment Marion W. Savage,
multi-millionaire owner of the big
gest string of the fastest horses in
the world and swiftly rising captain
of industry, with practised arm
swung an ordinary old AK alofr and
shot the blade into big oak doomed
to destruction before the advancing
tide of Northwestern transportation
development
The camera shutter clicked, and
assembled employees of the road ana
invited newspaper men murmured
copgratulatory and complimentary
phrases, the farmers from nearby ex-
pressed wonder at the fact that Mr..
Savage knew how to handle an ak,
and the formal part of the ceremony
was over.
The Air Lines first construction
camp is at Wood Lake: about 100
men and 80 teams are at work and this
force will be largely augmented
within the next ten days. The work is
an immense undertaking even for a
man so forceful ana resourceful as
Mr.. Savage. who has supreme con-
tidence in the plan. He said:
~ wish this was the last mile in
stead Of the first