The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-10-28

, Topeka to Atchison. In 1909 the
Santa Fe extends from Chicago to the
Gulf of Mexico; from Chicago to Den
yer, and from Chicago to the Pacific
coast. The Santa Fe has grown UP
with the west: is a part of the west
and that is the finest thing that can
be said for the road. for it's progress
and for its capacity for greater things
| in the future.
All Big Men of System Here
| A special train of five cars arrived in
the city Wednesday night, bringing the
following officials of the road: President
E. P. Ripley; Geo. T. Nicholson, vice
president; Vice President W. B. Storey,
| jr.; w. E. Hodges, vice president; Cen
eral Manager Hurley; Directors John G.
Mccullough, Ex-Governor of Vermont;
Walter D. Hines, acting chairman of the
board of directors and general counsel
Cheney of Boston; A. P. Maginnis, tax
commissioner for the coast lines at Los
Angeles, ard DR.. A. Sterl of Chicago.
| W. H. Diehl of New York, transfer
agent of stock, came in over the Rock
Island Chas. s. Gleed and Howell Jones
| of Topeka are the Kansas directors of
| the road.
Z. L. Copeland secretary and treas
urer of the board of directors; c. H
Gaunt assistant general manager; ]. M
Conneil. general passenger agent, and
John Purcell, superintendent of the To-
peka shops, accompanied the visitors on
the tour of the shops in the morning.
Increase in Force at Shops.
1t was announced by the officials that
| the force of men at the shops would be
increased by 500 skilled workmen in the
| near future. These men will not bs
| brought from the smaller shops of the
| system in Kansas and other states as
reported, but will simply be added to
| the force in the Topeka shops as fast
| as they can be secured from different
manufacturing points in the east. 1t is
not the policy of the road to cut its
| force in the shops of other Kansas
| towns at this time, so the addition to
| the Topeka shops will not be at the
| cost of any other shops on the system.
| 1t will be a real addition to the general
pay roll of the system, not a shift of
men from one place to the other, and
| placed in the big shops here. The plan of
the officials is to have all the heavy work
| of engine repairing and rebuilding done
in the Topeka shops. This decision
| means an addition of some 1900 to the
| population of Topeka
| President Ripley visits Topeka
about four times a year and he always
goes through the shops while in the
city. He said today that there was no
gigantic scheme in view as regards
the local shops, but these shops will
be kept right here in this city and
their capacity increased from time to
time. 1t is certain that the local
| shops will be kept in the front rank
of the big railroad shops of the world.
Ripley on Double Track Rumor.
Speaking of the double track ru-
| NOR, President Ripley said:
I'VE are situated in the west and
the west is still new. AS time goes on
the West will become more densely
populated, traffic will increase our
earnings will increase accordingly and
we will improve our line apace of the
development of the country. 1t is not
unreasonable to suppose that in years
hence that the conditions in this half
of the country will demand that the
Santa Fe have two tracks throughout
its length, but we have no policy to
push this work to it's completion.
Everybody has a different idea
about what good railroad ought to
be and l have mine. think the Santa
Fe is a good road today, but it is not
as good as it might be nor as good as
it will be. The line will be improved
apace with the earnings of the road.
Some day the Santa Fe may be
| double tracked line from Chicago to
Continued on Page Eighty