The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-11-16
RAILROAD NEWS.
Santa Fe PlanningNew Facilities
for Wichita.
TO Erect Freight and Passenger
DepOts Soon.
WILL COST 100000.
Officials Have Been Working on
Project for Some Time.
Other Items of Interest in Rail-
way Circles.
WILL COST 100000.

Wichita, Kan, Nov. 16.-The Santa Fe
will begin in April the construction of
| two great depots, one for passenger and
one for freight business in Wichita
| These depots and the new land Just
acquired for their accommodation will
cost nearly $500, 600.
Local real estate agents have been
quietly for several weeks buying up all
the lots on the east side of fremont
street from William street south as
far as the Wichita & Western tracks
This will give the company a tract of
ground a half a block wide and six
blocks long. This large space will hold
the freight depots. sheds and freight
car tracks. The freight depots, loading
docks and sheds together will occupy
almost the entire front of the six blocks
facing on fremont street. The main
freight depot with the offices for the
clerical force will be builded at the
corner of Williams and fremont
streets.
New Passenger Depot Site.
A large passenger station to cost IN
cupy the site of the present freight
depots and freight tracks.
The six half blocks on Themont
street have cost the Santa Fe in round
number 100000. The buying has been
quietly done, and while rumors of the
unusual activity in fremont street real
estate have been circulating the actual
purchaser of these lots has been I'M
KNOWN except TO rev.
The most expensive lots purchased
were those in the block between Will
liams and English streets.
Owners of the Lots.
The three lots on the corner of Will
lam and fremont were sold for $4,000
apiece. These lots were owned by w.
S. Brown. Ben Nichols sold two lots
in the block between William and Eng
lish streets, for $4,000. Five lots in the
same block were sold for $10,50O The
largest purchase was made from M.
r. Clark. He sold eight lots for $34,-
900.
The Santa Fe railroad has not had
sufficient room to handle the enormous
freight in Wichita for several years
Wichita is the end of the division for
the Wichita & Western line of the
Santa Fee and the Englewood branch.
All of the freight from the southwest
to eastern points goes through Wichita.
But the enormous milling, jobbing and
tia is the cause of the crowded condi-
ton in the freight yards. With the
large addition to the freight yards
which the railroad company has just
acquired it will be able to handle the
Wichita freight cars across Douglas
avenue.
Paid Some Fancy Prices
The price paid for the property pur-
chased by the Santa Fe along fremont
street is good one for that locality.
Some of the property owners in the
southern part of the district where pro-
perty was very cheap had been offer
ing their property for sale for $500 a
lot. When they found that some one
was trying to purchase all the property
on one street, the prices Immediately
rose two and three times.
A few pieces of property necessary
to complete the six blocks are yet I'M
purchased, the owners having set what
the Santa Fe real estate dealers believe
to be an exorbitant price on the prop
erty. These lots will have to be bought
under condemnation proceedings, the
lots being condemned and sold at prices
fixed by a board of appraisers.
Wichita Indebted to Mfr. Hurley.
These large improvements for Wich-
tia were planned some months ago by
Mr. J. Z. Hurley, general manager of
the Santa Fe. At that time Mr. Hur-
lev. who isn't very long on promises,
said he had some mice improvements
in mind for Wichita