Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-02-14
BIG CHANGES IN
THE RAIL MAP ON
Rock Island and Milwaukee
Said to Be Planning Freight
Outlets.
NEW BRIDGE THE FORMERS
Looping of Moline and This City &
Part of Reported Program of
the c., NJ. & ST. z.

Some big changes in the railroad
map of Rock Island county and the
tri-cities are in contemplation the
present year. What really is to hap
pen is purely conjectural, as no definite
official announcements have been
forthcoming from the companies that
are concerned. The Rock Island and
the Milwaukee are understood to be
the roads that are contemplating the
chief moves.
1t is Just beginning to leak out
that the Rock Island is behind the
million dollar bridge proposed be-
tween Moline and Bettendorf. a bill
has been introduced in congress
granting a franchise to John Van Pat
ten of Davenport. It is promised that
the bridge will be completed within
a year after the bill has been passed
To Relieve Freight Situation.
The Moline Bettendorf bridge is
desired by the Rock Island, it is said,
as an outlet for it's freight traffic. In
the operation of its trains under pres
ent conditions, there is congestion
through the three cities. Passenger
trains, of which there are dozens
daily having the right of way. there
is little chance for a freight after it
pulls into the local yards from the
east, and the same situation is met
with on the Iowa side. With the
traffic rapidly increasing, there is no
means of getting relief except by an
other bridge. The plan, it is under
stood, is to use the new bridge pri-
marily for handling fast freights.
Another inducement of such an in
vestment is the development of Bet
tendorf as a shipping center, the bus
mess of the Bettendorf plant there
having grown to enormous proper
tons in thepast two years. And it is
still increasing and will continue to
do so.
Milwaukee In Same Boat.
The Milwaukee, in very much the
sans Dredicament as the Rock Island,
only molc so, with but single track
east and wesc through the tri-cities,
is reported now II be making books
with the promoters OIL he new road
from Muscatine to Rock ls.oud. The
Milwaukee's plan is said to be VIII
view to looping Moline and Rock Is
land. building from WATERFOWL across
south to Carbon Cliff. where the D.,
R. I. & n. w has joint use with the
@" ends. following Rock river and
the Mississippi river down to Musca-
tine, where a bridge will be built
Has MuscatIne Terminals.
Should the Milwaukee road take up
the building of a line through the lower
end of the county, it would find few
obstacles in the way. OF course, it
would be necessary to construct a
bridge across Rock rive somewhere
between Carbon Cliff and the mouth Of
the stream, and another across the
Mississippi, probably just above Mus
catine The company already has ter
minals in Muscatine and its own line
from that point on west. The line
from Carbon Cliff 70 Muscatine would
fill 1.-The only gap in its Chicago-Kansas
City system.
1t is hardly conceivable. however,
that the Milwaukee would be interest
ed in the interurban end Of the pro-
ject Neither would it be concerned in
giving the southern part of Buffalo
Prairie and Drury townships rail ia
cilities. To reach level and fertile
prairie near the county line it would
DE necessary to leave the Mississippi
six or seven miles and go just that far