The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-12-11

| Silver Loving Cup Presente
ganized a company and secured a char
| ter in the name of the Midland railroad.
They raised money to make a prelimi-
nary survey and found the route FEAST
4 Bile. They had not progressed very far
when the Santa F'e purchased the fran
/ chise, stock etc.
| THAT road is now the main stem of
| the Santa Fe eastward. The railroad
/ company had good agent in the per-
son of Major Tom Anderson. He look
ed after spiritual as well as the ma
| terial interests of the people To illus
| trate: The railroad company had set
| apart a tract of land east of the city
| for park purposes. This park was to
| be opened at certain time. The major
| to boom the park issued a flaming cir
cular saying that the park would be
opened by Methodist campmeeting.
and it is conf1dentially expected that
there would be two hundred souls con-
verified.
(Signed) T. ]. ANDERSON, Agent
The Santa Fe later passed into the
hands of Boston people, known as the
! Nickerson interest and Uncle Tommy
Nickerson was made president. He
knew nothing about the management
but was economical He came out
from Boston one time and found the
office burning hard coal He read the
riot act and ordered them to use Usage
coal.
in the life Of the Santa Fe railroad
we have had many kicks by the people
| at the road. and the road at us, but al
ways ironed out to the best interests of
both parties. Occasionally some idiot
has announced that the shops would be
| taken away. Neither the railway nor
/ the people could afford such a move.
We have had the friendship of the man
agement of the Santa Fe company from
| its inception until the present hour in
i Guiding the administration of our hon
| ored guest, Edward P. Ripley. I said
in the beginning that I would tell how
much of prophet Colonel Holiday was
when he predicted that the Santa Fe
railroad would some time reach Santa
F'e and perhaps Galveston.
| THE company now has a. half billion
dollar capital, $3.50 miles of line earn
i'm s94, 900 900 per annum 1t reaches
| from Chicago to Galveston the north
line of Mexico, a number of points on
the Pacific ocean up to Eureka Bay and
| soon to Portland Ore. When that is
of hemp, rice and sugar from the
Philippines can be sent from Portland
| through half dozen states and terri
! tories to Chicago, $500 miles under one
management Surely the two hundred
the sand dollars of bonds were as
| bread cast on the waters, The first fruit
returning after many days. as seed
sown in good ground yielding more
| than a hundred fold.
| Il forgot to mention that the Santa
Fe employs about $500 people in Shaw
| nee county. If the average of persons
to the employe is multiplied by three
the company is furnishing a living to
] 800 people"
t. +. DOran's Speech.
The second speaker was Thomas F.
| Doran, who was assigned the subject,
THE Santa Fe's Big Shops but took
occasion to give in an interesting man
rer some early history. He said:
| My boyhood home was near a great
| beaten highway that to me seemed to
rise out of the morning and fade into
the sunset Over it countless cara
| vans. appearing to my young eyes as
| great white dragons, wound their way
slowly into the west. bearing their bur
| den of commerce to far off Santa Fe.
| The crack OF whips, al times almost
| as loud as pistol shots. the cries of
| the drivers. and the rumble of the pass
| ing wagons, were almost the only
| sounds that broke the silence of the
Doundle: and tenantless prairies and
deserts over which they passed.
This was the old Santa Fe trail,
over whose course the Santa Fe rail-
road today passes. Along it's lines. from
Chicago to the Pacific. from Kansas.
the heart of the Union. to the Gulf
On the south. to Ell Paso and Old Mex
Eco on the southwest. and to Denver
on the orth, with 1nnunerable branch
cSr III oil, InoTe lndn 1J,UuU 1.llieS III
iength, dwell millions of people who to-
day unite in a deep sense of gratitude
and pay tribute of respect to the en-
orgy and genius of the great men. Who,
from Colonel Holiday to our distin-
! gUished guest. Mr.. Ripley, by creating
| this great railroad, converted barren
prairies and desolate deserts into pro-
| ductive farms and gardens that sup
ply food and comfort to untold num-
bers, and fill the granaries and store
| houses of the world.
In the year 1860 only S6 million
| pounds of freight were carried in car
avanS over the old Santa Fe trail;
Hoo rlen. $40 horses. $500 mules and
6S 600 oxen were required to handle this
| traffic. Today there is invested in the
| Santa Fe railroad more than 500 mil
| hon dollars. Its daily traffic must al
| n ost equal the annual carriage over
| the old trail. ard this year its income
| will be more than 100 million dollars,
which will be largely expended in dou-
| bie-trackirg and improving the road.
| The Santa FEES une1uaied roadbed and
| equipment, its prompt and efficient
| service. it's world famed Harvey eating
| houses. and it's magnificent management
attract travel and traffic. and give it
| first rank in the railroad world.
| 1T is fitting and proper that Topeka.
| the hone of the founder of the Santa