Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1909-10-05
NEW RAILROAD.
Another Electric Line Project Il
Launched May Build to Wausau.

The Pilot some time ago contained
an article relative TO certain men il
the southern part of the state plan
ming 10 build an electric line of rail
road up through the Wisconsin river
valley. The promoters have taker
the first step that of organizing
They propose to start their line from
GAINESVILLE and work nerthward
through the counties of Rock, Dane
Columbia Adams, Portage, Wood
Marathon and Lincoln, touching the
county seats of each, which are James
vile, Madison, Portage, Friendship
Stevens Point, Grand Rapids, Wau-
sau and Merrill.
The company is incorporated tenn.
porarily for $40, 900 and it is proposed te
secure more capital along the route OF
travel. Its name will be the Chicago
& Wisconsin Valley Railroad com
pany.
The incorporators are Thomas w.
Potts, Chicago; Frank NJ. Zimmerman
Aurora, ILL.,; j. w. Purvis, Friend
ship, Wisconsin; j E. Jones Portage,
Wis; A. d. Barnes, Waupacs Wis;
+. j. Kimball, Briggsyille, Wis; r.
II. Williams, Springfield, H.; d. E.
Frost, Stevens Point, Wis; E. J.
Baskerville, Madison, Wis; and James
r. Macmillan of Lodi, Wis.
The incorporators met few days
ago in Portage, and elected the fol-
lowing officers of the company:
Board of Directors-R. H. Williams,
Springfield, ILL.,; j. E. Jones, Portage;
ID. E. Frost, Stevens Point; F.sf Zim-
norman, Aurora, H.; r. j. Kiolball,
Briggsville; Thos. w. Potts, Chicago;
j. w. Purvis, Friendship; A. j. Behy-
mer, Indianapolis; e. j. Baskerville,
Madison; A. d. Barnes, Waupaca;
James r. Macmillan, Lodi.
Otficers-Presy ID. K. Frost, Stevens
Point; first yice-president, j. w. Pur-
Wis, Friendship; second ce-president,
A. d. Barnes, Waupaca; secretary, A.
j., Behymer, Indianapolis; assistant
secretary, A. J. Baskerville, Madison;
treasurer, j. E. Jones, Portage; assist
ant treasurer, F. j. Kimball, Briggs
vile; general manager and chief engi-
neer, Allen T. Russell, Baltimore, Md;
executive committee, G. L. Knowlton,
Chicago; j. E. Jones, Portage; A. t.
Russell, Baltimore.
A contract will probably be let soon
to the Western Indiana Construction
Co., which concern will at once put
engineers into the field, to establish
the line.
The proposition is to build a stand
ard gauge first class railway, to be
operated with electricity, to convey
passengers, mail, express and freight,
in car lots or less, and to do a general
railway business and to interchange
with steam and electric lines from
Janesville to Merrill, distance of
about $50 miles.
At Janesville connection will be
made with electric lines connecting
the cities of Beloit, Rockford, Belyi-
dere, Aurora and Elgin and having
terminal in the loop district of Chi
cago. Thus, if all the plans of the
plans of the promoters are realized, it
will be possible for one to travel all
the way from Merrill to Chicago by
electric line. But many railroad
has been built on paper only.
Speaking of Wausau and the effect
of such line, the Portage Democrat
says:
There is line already surveyed and
rights of way taken up from Wausau
to Merrill by the Hon. Neal Brown of
WauSau, who is anxious for the build
ing OF this road and extending to the
town of Merrill in Lincoln county and
is willing to transfer all his interests
in the rights of way and franchises in
his proposed line between these two
cities which he and his association
own, for a sum equal TO the present
on it.
The proposed line would do very
large passenger business between
Stevens Point and Wausau. Small
towns would grow rapidly. The men
of moderate means living in Stevens
Point and Wausau would buy small
farms along this line and go to and
from their work in these two cities on
this road. This line would be very
much used by people employed in the
paper mills out of Stevens Point, Mer-
rill and Wausau. The spirit of i'm
proyement in the city of Wausau is
great. The people take hold of things
in earnest and with this additional
railroad would put new impetus into
the town and would make il very
distributing point as well
as a factory district.
The people of the counties south of
here are very enthusiastic over the
prospects of this road being built. 1t
may materialize and it may not.
Those same people are pointing to
figures they have compiled giving the
eight counties through which the
road may pass a combined population
of 355. 900; assessed property valuation,
s26l, ,OOO, 900; bank deposits, $40, 900, 900.
And then they calmly figure the
revenue of such a road at 81 per
capita or 81, ,3o0,0 900 per year. Every
one is urged to take some stock, prop
erty owners are asked TO donate the
right-of-way because the expert re-
port shows it to be a much better
electric railway proposition than SIM
liar lines already built and in opera