The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1909-03-01
TWO ROUTES
ARE CONSIDERED
Exact Route for Connecting Link
Between Hub and Gary Is Not
Yet Fully Decided Upon-It is
Proposed to Run HighsSpeed Elec-
trio Cars Every Hour.
Especial to THE T1MEs,O

Crown Point. Ind, March AT a
meeting held Saturday afternoon in
the public assembly room of the First
National bank, at this place. H. w. Sea-
man and Captain Smith, the two gent
lemen interested in the building Of the
Crown Point Gary inteTurban railroad,
practically demonstrated to the as
sembled business men Of Crown Point
the sincerity Of their intention to faith
er and carry to successful culmina-
ton the project that has been upper
most in the minds of Crown Point citi-
zens for the last two years. Practical
ly assuring their hearers that the road
would be commenced soon and the con-
struction work of the same well under
way before the middle of summer, and
that the only obstacle to be overcome
(Which turns out to be no obstacle at
alp being the selection of one of two
proposed routes, the meeting was ad
iourned, those present realizing that
the first substantial progress had been
made. The first route, which is the
one that the Crown Point men have
secured the free right of way for, runs
through Lottaville to the Ridge Road,
then to Broadway and along that thor
oughfare to Gary proper. The second
route, which now seems to be in favor
of the promoters, is the one that joins
the Broadway extension at Merrill
vile, or rather joins Broadway at the
corporation line of Crown Point, for
that seems now to be the ultimate fate
of the now famous thoroughfare, max
ing it one road direct from Crown Point
to Gary. Representative farmers and
citizens from LottaviIle and Merrill
Vile were at the meeting to further
the selection of the routes that would
be most beneficial to their interests,
and it is thought quite an interesting
and exciting scramble will result by
the farmers anxious to secure the prox-
| unity of the line. 1t is said that every
foot of the proposed new route will be
readily donated for the building of the
line The promoters are anxious to run
close to both railroad stations in
! Crown Point, but as yet the exact
route has not been selected and a new
! franchise may be prayed for from the
! town board to cover the line in the cor
porate limits. The present intention of
the men behind the project is to run
high speed electric cars, probably ev-
| cry hour or forty minutes, to Gary,
joining the South Bend line to Chicago
thus giving patrons of the road the
long desired transportation facilities to
| Chicago, Hammond and other northern
Indiana cities. The ultimate fate OF
destination of the line south from
l'Crown Point is unknown at present
but those in close communion with the
powers that be do not think for a min
ute that the road will stop at Crown
Poin and many think that indianapolis
and other southern Indiana cities may
be the objective point of the road, con-
Meeting the great central Indiana net
work Of electric lines with the direc-
line to the great cities in the northern
part of the state. Mr.. BicknelI, one o.
the chief engineers of the coterie o.
finaneiers who are interested in tn,
project and who Is said to be himseI
financially interested in the deal viii
be here this week to go over the tive
routes and will make an expert repor
as to the most feasible one to be taken
and it is now thought that all the de
tails will be made and nothing viii
prevent the active work of construction
as soon as the weather permits