Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-11-15
LAY TRACKS AT
NIGHT; STOPPED
Burlington Brings in Force Of
100 Men to Get Quick
Results.
JOB ALMOST COMPLETED
Mayor and Police Intervene In Early
Morning-"Cullud Gemman"
in Woodpile.

Mayor q. w, McCsskrin and a squad
Of I'VE policemen early Sunday morn
ing suddenly interrupted track laying
operations by the Burlington railroad
ON Second avenue between twenty
third and Twenty-fourth streets. The
road had brought to the city a force or
100 trackmeu. and the purpose was to
complete the Job during the night.
A city employe at the waterworks at
the foot Of Twentyfourth street, at
tracted by the unusual procedure, no.
titled police headquarters, and the
mayor was Immediately communicated
with. He called officers TO MS assist
ance and went to the scene posthasee,
and ordered the work stopped. the
mayor and the officers remained In a
drizzling rain through the night In
the morning they were relieved by an
other detail from police headquarters.
When the mayor arrived the stretch OF
track, about $50 feet. was all laid with
the exception Of one span on the south
side. The forces had been split into
two gangs, one beginning at each end
OF the strip and worked rapidly toward
the center.
Here fs the African, Probably.
What is probably the secret Of the
undercover move on the part Of the
BURLINGTON was disclosed by an exam.
ination today of the records at the
county recorders Office. wherein 1t is
shown that the ground at the very spot
z where Mayor McCaskrin stopped the
track laying operations, and which Is
included in lot 8, block 2, Bailey &
Boyle's addition, was sold to the city
by Timothy A. Babcock in 1870. That
is to say, 4S11 feet was sold for con-
sideration of $685., an expressed con-
dition Of which transfer was that II
the city at any time permitted any
railroad to occupy any part OF this
strip described In the instrument the
city should pay to the heirs of Bah
cock 81, 900 in addition to the original
purchase price. This ground is To-
Gated on what was then Arsenal street,
but is now the intersection of Twenty
fourth street and Second avenue. This
deed shows the obstacle In the way of
using this ground for railroad purposes
without the payment of $1,000 to the
heirs of the original owner.
within Rights, Road Claims.
I'VE were entirely within our rights
in laying the track" E. D. Sweeney Of
the firm Of Sweeney & Walker, attor-
neys for the Burlin gton, said this
morning "In 1869 the city council
passed an ordinance giving the Rock
p Je,
sion to lay two main tracks from the
Cable homestead, Twenty-ninth street
west to the old roundhouse which was
located at First avenue between Thir-
teenth and Fourteenth streets. When
the road passed to the st. Louis, Rock
Island & Chicago, in 1882, an ordin-
ance In confirmation of this grant was
passed by the council In this ordin-
'ance it is provided that the concession
passed to the successors Of the earlier
owners, Therefore the ordinance grants
apply TO the present Burlington sys-
+ -em. An ordinance, you understand,
Is in effect until repealed. Neither of
these ordinances has been repealed
The Burlington has one main track
between the points which 1 have speci-
fed.
Trafnc COnsested
However, it never completed the
south track. leaving a space of about
ESQ feet on Second avenue between
Twenty-third and Twentyfourth
streets. OF late traffic has become so
congested, as, you understand, the
Burlington handles all trains of the
Milwaukee over its tracks, in addition
to its own, that 1t became necessary to
connect UP this south main track in
order to handle the business. We were