Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1907-01-23
TO EXTEND Mo. PACIFIC.
The People in the Vicinity Of Hardtner
In southern Barber Have Flattsrine
Prospects For a Railroad.

A few weeks ago County Attor.
ney w. H. Cloud and Jacob Achen.
bach, the wealthy ranchman of
southwestern Barber, were in St
Louis to laya proposition before
President Gould of the Missouri
Pacific Railroad Company, to ex-
tend the road from Kiowa to
, Hardtner. The trip was made
without intending that it should
be made public but in some way
the press got hold of it and now
the work is being carried on in the
open.
The following concerning the
project appeared in the Wichita
Beacon of January 15th. Mr.. Cloud,
when asked concerning it, stated
that the Beacon article states about
all that has thus far developed, and
added that there are very good
prospects that the extension will
be made. The Company's
engineer, if not on the proposed
line already, is expected any day.
Here's hoping:
To extend the Kiowa branch of
the Missouri Pacific railway from
Kiowa to Hardtner, small inland
station ten miles west of the pres
cent end of the road, is the prayer of
over a thousand people residing in
the locality that would be affected.
Jacob Achenbach of Hardtner and
w. H. Cloud Of Kiowa carried to
the general offices of the company
IN st. Louis the wishes of the peo-
pie of that community and now the
announcement that the road would
be extended would not come as a
surprise to the petitioners.
This effort to induce the Gould
road to build an extension in Kan
sas has met with better results so
far than any similar effort made
within the past ten years. Such
was the announcement of an Off
cial this morning.
An investigation of rhe country
through which it is proposed to ex-
tend the line, has been made and
report is now before the general
manager of the road. This report
shows that the extension would
not exceed ten miles in length, that
1t would pass through a country
adapted to wheat and cattle rails
ing and would develop an inland
town at Hardtner.
Further than this the report
shows that the Missouri Pacific
would be given a vast amount of
business which at present is given
to the Panhandle branch of the
Santa Fe at Kerwin, which at one
time was known as Capron, and
at Alva.
The claim is made by the peti-
TONERS that Southeastern Conan
che county, Southwestern Barber
county and large portion of what
will soon be known as Woods coun-
ty, Ok, will be compelled to
patronize the Missouri Pacific by
the building of the extension.
Should the proposed extension
be built it was learned that the
Missouri Pacific would estab blish a
precedent in respect to railroad
construction in Kansas. Outside
of industrial tracks it was announc-
ed that the company had done no
building in this state during the
past ten years.
Mr.. Achenbach is a resident of
Hardtner and Mr.. Cloud of Kiowa.
These two men are expected to
visit Wichita in the near future and
take up the matter with local in
terests as they claim that the ex-
tension of this branch would great
ly benefit Wichita, that country
being natural dependent territory
Ito Wichita, and its development
would only increase the demand
made for Wichita products.