The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1908-04-03

Mclean Twenty Years Ago.
j. J. McCafferty OF OMEN. who Is
arranging to publish history OF Holt
county, gives n chapter to the con.
structon OF the old Sioux City Short
Line railroad, from Sioux city to
O'Neill which later became a part OF
the Great Northern and Is now n part
OF the Burlington system In Nebraska.
From the account II will be seen that
men who are now residents OF Norfolk
figured in some Of the early transact
ions Following is the article:
The Short Line railroad was built
in 1890. A short history of which
transaction Is as follows: In the
spring of 1888 meeting of the bust
ness men of Creighton was held in
that town at which several Sioux City
men and J, j. McCafferty from O'Neill
were present. Times were slow and
business in languishing condition
and Sioux City, Creighton and ONeill
people had a common interest In do
ing things to liven up the times and
trade conditions. John Hornick, J. NJ.
Cleland and another man whose name
I've now forgotten, from Sioux City,
were present at the meeting George
Il. Cheney, Il. p. Weatherby, A. ID.
Holbrook, w. Il. Marsh, E. p. Perrin
and w. II. Butterfield, of Creighton
and Knox county, were there to dis
cuss the feasibility OF building rail
road from Sioux City via Creighton to
and beyond O'Neill, at which meeting
the following resolution was adopted:
THAT company be organized to build
road from Sioux City via Creighton
to O'Neill to be known as the Sioux
City, Creighton, O'Neill & Western
Railway company. Some people
said it was all hot air or Nebras-
ka gas. meeting was called for
and held the following October in
the Garretson hotel in Sioux City,
Iowa, at which most of the Sioux
City boomers, class of business men
who never had their equals for vim
and push in any country, were present
at which resolutions of the Creighton
meeting were ratified and the follow
ing committee was appointed to or
ganiZe a stock company to build the
road named at the former meeting;
James E. Booge, j. NJ Cleland,' John
Hornick and John Pierce, of Sioux
City; Colonel Cheney, f. p. Weather
by and W. II. Buttertield of Creigh-
ton; Patrick Fahy, NJ. p. Kinkaid and
John J. McCafferty, of O'Neill.
Organized Paper.
An organization was effected on
paper and resolution passed that the
road was to "be completed during the
coming summer and fall and that prep
arations shall be made to commence
grading from Sioux City as soon as
the condition of the ground will per
nit"
John Hornick, George Cheney and
John McCafferty were appointed a
committee on advertising and to bring
the subject properly before the public.
The said committee spent a week in
Sioux City and the writer of this book
was the chief penman in drafting the
prospectus of the new road for the
Sioux City papers which was publish
ed and appeared in the columns OF
said papers in due time and attracted
the attention Of a visiting promoter
of railroads from Mexico who had just
come to Sioux City from the City OF
Mexico where he had completed con-
cession and finished a road for Presi-
dent Dias 1t was thought that he was
rich but in fact he was broke and
owed $40 for his hotel bill and IS for
laundry, but he had just $40 in his
pocket and was boarding at the best
hotel in the city when he met the city's
chief business men on whom he spent
the remaining $40 and a good deal
more for wine. He inquired into the
details of the proposed new road, its
cost and topography of the country
through which it was proposed to be
built. He then asked how much stock
the business men of the city would
take and ordered up more wine. He
got liberal promises and asked If they
would pledge their names to the same
in writing and when assured in the
affirmative he presented them with
the proposition in due form and got
their signatures after which the bust
ness men drank more wine then went
home to bed and while they slept
Donald Mclean, for it was none other
than he, was on his way to New York
city where he succeeded in getting a
convenient and substantial loan of
needed cash on his list of subscribed
stock to the new road. He got the
money from the Manhattan Loan &
Trust company, returned to Sioux
City paid his debts and had money TO
burn. He flew high and built the road
and did it inside of year but it was
built largely on wind and hot air. New
York put up the money (what was put
up) on the bonds of the road and
Sioux City securities of doubtful and
inflated value,
Through Plainview.
II was fOund imnOSS ihlp ~ huill the