The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1909-04-02
MAYOR BUSSE
ISSUES ULTIMATUM
Interurban Cars From Cleveland
Will Soon Be Running Into Chica-
go and Cars May Run By Steam
If Wires Are Not Fully Strung By
Sunday.

Interurban service between the cities
of the Calumet region. in Indiana, and
Chicago will be established by next
Sunday That is the end towards which
the officials of the South Shore line
are bending every energy. and the
great resources of the Illinois Central
have been called upon to make actual
service a fact next Sunday.
Today a large gang of men is busily
at work in north Hammond, at the
Chicago Junction crossing. putting in
the intersection, and at a dozen other
places in Burnham. Hegewisch and
Kensington the work of making the
tracks of the railroad passable is be-
ing done.
The reason for the haste is said to
be the fact that Mayor Busse has not
yet signed the franchise and will do so
only on condition tilat t9e cars are rum
aflns mo e5sicego - Su rdt1s xiie pe0-
pie ef Hegewisch, Burnham. Hammond,
East Chicago and Gary. and in fact all
along the line, were very much excited
this morning over the immediate pros
poets Of being able to run into Chicago
over the South Shore line. In fact the
opening of the line over its whole
course will be the beginning of a new
era in the territory through which the
line runs.
History of Project.
The following from this mornings
Record Herald gives the Chicago view
Of the situation
"Interurban cars fl ON Cleveland and
Indianapolis Will probably be running
into Chicago within a few weeks. The
necessary entrance, which is the Ken
sington and Eastern railroad, will be
in operation next Sunday morning. ac-
| cording to Chief Engineer Baldwin of
the Illinois Central, the parent corpora
tion.
Efforts are being made to have the
wires strung by that time, he said yes
terday. If they are not the cars will
! be run by steam. Arrangements have
| been made for transferring passengers
to the Illinois Central at Pullman
1t is to the financial interest of the
! Illinois Central to have the road COM
| pleted as soon as possible because 1t is
paying daily penalties for every day the
road is not finished. 1t is highly prob
able in the opinion of aldermen, that
the road would have been completed
| several months ago had not the Hi
nois Central attempted to get a fran
chise for the Kensington and Eastern
/ by trick.
The Kensington and Eastern road
was constructed a year ago from Pull
man to Hegewisch, and after an inter
( ruption Of half a dozen blocks from
that point to the steel town Of Gary.
First there was an attempt to get per
mission TO cross those streets in Hege-
/ wisch by means of getting switch track
permits for still another railroad That
scheme was blocked. Then the Illinois
Central applied for switch track per-
mits and that was bIockaded. Finally
the Kensington and Eastern road was
compelled to come out in the open and
! ask for a franchise after an unsuccess-
ful attempt to get a temporary permit
TO lay its tracks. A majority Of the
aldermen from the start favored the
granting of the franchise because Of the
interurban traffic the road would bring
to Chicago. but some OF them wanted
clear-cut issue before giving a de-
cision."