Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-07-26
TALK OF CUTOFF
Report Has It Burlington Is
Planning to Build Short Line
to Kansas City.
FROM THE TRl-cInEs
Three Projects Are Said to he Under
Considering, One Being Line
Down Illinois Shore.

a cut-Off from Rock Island to Ottumwa
| by way of Muscatine is report that
| is again being. generally circulated
The road is said TO be giving the pro
ject serious consideration. The Bur
| lington Hawkeye in discussing and
analyzing the proposition, has the fol
lowing:
Talk of the Burlington railroad
building a cutoff from Davenport
| main line at Ottumwa, Iowa, has
again been revived This step has
| been talked of number of years
but no action has even been taken
heretofore. The new line would of
fer many advantages to the compa-
| ny which it does not now possess
| 1t would be means of diverting
some of the main line traffic over a
| new route, as well as deriving addi-
| tional business from this territory
| 1t would also mean a much shorter
| line over which the company might
| haul its freight from southern and
| western Iowa points to points VI
the Mississippi river and vice versa.
| "A new line is to be built from
Rock Island to Arpee, junction
point, three miles east of New Bos-
ton, H., connecting the line run
| ming from Alpha to New Boston,
| and, that running from Gladstone
opposite Burlington, north. A line
has been run several times by Bur-
| lington engineers, from Rock Is
land to Arpee, running in south
westerly direction. through Rock
Island county, with established
lines of the company. The line runs
from a point not far from the Ores
cent bridge.
| To Get VI. n. & &.
| ''It has also been said that the Bur-
lington may get the Muscatine North
& South with a view of using it as a
link in the proposed connecting line.
The Burlington. or James J. Hill in
terests, it is said. have made attempts
to get control of the Muscatine North
& South.
| Another possible line would be one
| that would run southwesterly from
the tri-cities, connecting with branch
! line at Winfield, Iowa. and then fol-
lowing that line to Tracy, on the Des
Moines river, from which another cut
off but few miles in length could
easily be built to Charlton, which is
on the main line between Chicago and
Colorado and also on the line running
TO st. Joseph and Kansas City.
Two proposed routes between the
Itri-citieS and Ottumwa have been dis
sissippi river on the Crescent bridge,
and then run to Muscatine, paralleling
the Milwaukee and Rock Island tracks,
and then continuing to run parallel to
the Milwaukee, which practically has
an air line between Muscatine and
Ottumwa. and touch the main line at
the latter city. 1t is likely that by
entering the city from another side
than the Milwaukee. still shorter
mileage could be secured between Dav-
export and Ottumwa.
shorter Line TO Chicago.
| udS Tic SliOllcSl
mileage of any railroad between Chi
caSo and the tri-cities. The mileage
of the Burlington from Chicago to
Moline is 165, which is IA miles short.
er than that of the Rock Island, which
has 179 miles. To Davenport the Rock
Island has 1873 miles. while the Bur
lington has mileage of but 10, or Is
miles less. The Milwaukee has 1S5
miles between Chicago and Davenport
"A cutoff to Ottumwa would not
lonly open new line. but it would
lgive the Burlington shorter line be
tween Chicago and Omaha than it now
possesses. Taking the mileage of the
Burlington from Chicago to Davenport
by way Of Denrock. which is ITO, tina:
of the Milwaukee between Davenport
and Ottumwa, which is 1864, and that
of the Burlington between Ottumwa
and Pacific junction, few miles be
low Council Bluffs and on the main
i line. which is 1876. a total of All a miles
is reached. The main line now in use
which runs through Burlington and OF
tumwa, is AIS miles in length between
Chicago and Pacific Junction, or over
three mikes greater than that of the
proposed new route.
Improve Kansas City Service.
THE cutoff would also give the
company it's own line between Min
neapolis and st. Paul. and Kansas
City. At present the line of the
Chicago, ST. Paul, Minneapolis
Omaha is used via Omaha. 1t would
also enable the company to get {
large amount of Colorado and west
ern business, which now goes t.
lother lines, because there is nj
through service.
"a number of years ago the Bur
lington placed in service an excel
lent fast train between the tricitie
and Chicago, running via Denrocl
and Mendoza. but it was subsequent
lily abandoned because it did not pa,
for itself, the travelling public bein;
accustomed to going via other lines
With main trunk line running
tthrnuoh th., tri.citioc frov,, ooct a.