Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-08-26
ILLINOIS CENTRAL STOPS TEN.
PoRARlLY TRANSFER OF
CROOKED CREEK LINE.
INTERFERENCE INVOLVES
RAILROAD CROSSING
Judge Kenyon, Acting For the Illinois.
Central, Appeals From Railroad Com.
nissieners' Decision On the Crossing
Question, Temporarily Holding Up
Negotiations.

Special to Times Republican.
Webster City. Aug. 26-The Illinois
Central railroad, thru its Iowa attor-
ney, Judge Kenyon, of Fort Dodge, has
effectually blocked for the present the
sale of the Crooked Creek line to the
Fort Dodge, Des Moines and Southern
IEterurban Company. AS a necessary
part of the transfer of the Crooked
Creek property, the interurban COM
pany must get crossing over the Illi-
nois Central in order to build spur
Dodge TO Brushy, connecting with the
Crooked Creek.
This right has been granted by the
Iowa railroad commissioners after
hearing. But just as negotiations for
the sale of the line were about to come
to successful ternvnal Judge Kenyon
fired bomb into the interurban camp
by appealing from the decision of the
commissioners to the circuit court.
Will Be Delayed Months.
1t will take some nine months to get
the case thru the circuit and supreme
courts. In the meantime. OF course, the
interurban company will not conclude
its purchase of the Crooked Creek be-
cause an adverse decision would render
the property valueless to them.
This dog in the manger action Of the
Central while it VIII delay for almost
a year the ultimate sale of the Crooked
Creek, will probably not block a tenta-
tive transfer or lease Of the Crooked
Creek to the interurban company. At
torney Dyer. while attempting to ap-
pease the Fort Dodge city council for
tearing up some suburban track in
Fort Dodge. made the announcement
that the interurban company had al
ready signed a lease OF the Crooked
Creek and would take it over at once.
This. however, is not true.
lnterurban Would Leave Property.
When Judge Kenyon blocked the i'm
mediate sale of the Crooked Creek by
appealing from the decision of the
railroad commissioners, the interurhan
company. to show their good faith and
to procure an extension Of their OPP
ton. offered to lease the road for a
year with the privilege Of buying at
the close Of the lease period A meet
ing Of the directors Of the Crooked
Creek was held in Milwaukee to con-
slider this proposition. A majority OF
them, however. opposed it. The COM
pany would pront nothing from lease
and under it no Identification work
could be done. And it is at this very
point that the matter now stands.
| President Loring of Boston. of the
! Fort Dodge, Des sioines & Southern
1nterurban Company. however, is very
anxious to get lease upon the prop
erty. He would much prefer to buy it
outright, but the action of the Illinois
Central precludes all thought Of this
until after the matter OF a crossing
has been threshed out in the courts
So anxious is he, however, that since
the refusal of the directors to lease the
line for year. that he has submitted
a second proposition involving two
year lease.
To Submit Second Proposition
A meeting Of all the stockholders
will be called to be held In Lehigt
within week or ten days to consider
this second proposition Of the interur.
ban company. From what can be
learned here it seems likely that the
two year lease will be granted. Thu
statement that lease has already
been entered into, however. is abso.
lutely erroneous. President Georg'
Burnham of the Crooked Creek. who
lives in Milwaukee, is now in this cit!
and has sounded local stockholders OF
President Loring's second proposition
He and the other large stockholderr
who also reside in Milwaukee will b.
present at the meeting to be held il
Lehigh.