The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1909-12-30
BANKER TELLS
ROADS STORY
econtinued from Page II

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CT State and Holman streets for the
Fort Wayne depot without passenger
It was anything but a bright pros
pect to the men who had purchased the
property. even if they had purchased
1t dirt cheap. This was especially
impressed upon Mr. Turner's mind
when he made hurried mental calcu-
lation and discovered that it was cots
ing the company $50 d day to run the
three cars. and later discovered that
the average gross receipts per day were
but SIS.
The first year cost the new promoters
/ of the line $4,000 That is what they
had to dig down in their pockets for.
! to make up the deficit. And the worst
thing about the deal was the fact that
Contractor Charles Loss had built one
of the poorest roads that was ever laid
on ties.
Girder rails were used and bumpy
joints and small aEches on the tracks
| made the ride to the old Fort Wayne
| depot about all an ordinary passenger
could stand. 1t might be remarked
that in the early days the Fort Wayne
railroad was patronized to a greater
extent than the other roads which ran
between Hammond and Chicago.
TRIES TO SELL ROAD.
Kaufman, Turner and Griffin had a
white elephant on their hands and they
soon became convinced of the fact One
day Mr.. Turner went to E. Mark Cum
mings, at that time the principal own
er of the South Chicago City Railway
company, and after telling him of the
great prospects of Hammond and East
= Chicago (they had not begun to digni-
fly these cities by the name "Calumet
region") he offered to sell him the line
Cummings inquired as to the earning
capacity of the road, and then shool
his head. He said that when the roaC
| began to haul 100000 passengers {
year and the gross income was at leas
$4,000, he would be ready to tall
business.
Turner went away disheartened ant
5, broke the news to the rest of the own
> ers of the line. The line will have t,
: haul 100000 passengers a year befor
it rs a marketable proposition" wa
s the sad intelligence to the men VIII
z had bought the property. However
It they did not abandon the property, blu
y began a series of extensions and i'm
v provements that finally made the roa
% a paying Proposition.
,; CUMMINGS KEEPS WORD.
= Along in 1897 1t was discovered tina
the road had hauled 1000, 900 passeng
ers. and again Mr.. Turner went to Chi
n cago to see Mr.. Cummings. The Sout
ID Chicago street car magnate was a
Is good as his word and he bought tn
: Hammond line. Mr.. Turner RENAME
0. its president until Jan. /, 1900.
l The history of the Hammond, Whit
. ing and East Chicago line is the his
c; tory of the growth and development
of the Calumet region. The origins
.; project to build the line was forme
h, in the spring of 1892, when Lazaru
20 Silverman of Chicago, n. NJ. Kaufma
!. of Marquette Mich, and w. H. Fitz
!. gerald, father of the former Gary al
0: torney. A. r.. Shroyer Of I4oganspor
S. and Charles F. Griffin of Harmon,
=. raised 100000 to build it. Charlie
c. Loss furnished part of the capital an
q was consequently given the contraS
i. for the building of the line.
i HOPE GODFREY RECEIVER
DC year later the road went into til
20 hands of receiver and Hobe Godfre
J. of this city was appointed the receive
20 1t was about to be sold on the order
I
90 Kaufman and Turner bought up tt
er 100000 capital stock at about 25 CEN
e on the dollar. The road then ha
debts of about $50, 900 and these WEI
- assumed by the new promoters.
The first year Charles F. Griffin We
= the president of the road. and the SCI
ond year A. NJ. Turner became IL
president and manager. Under the ne
~ management a single track was la
from East Chicago to Whiting ar
thence to Roby, where it made Nconne
tions with the South Chicago city raj
way to South Chicago.
It was about that time that Turn,
made his proposition to Cummings. tt
road could have been purchased the
for so cents on the dollar, and Gun
:, mings afterward paid $3.50 for Il
- stock
BUILDS SHORT LINE.
2 In 1898 after Cummings had a.
* quired the line he built the short lii
to Hammond between Wolf Lake ar
II Lake George. This proved very ben
fetal enterprise and the route betwet
the lakes soon became the most in
r portant branch of the line
There are many interesting remini
q For Sale CheaUl
An0 NnO So