The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-02-17
RAILROAD NEWS.
Kearney-BelOit Line Surveys
Progressing Rapidly.
Band of Surveyors Turn South
on Home Stretch.
DIRECT LINE TO GULF.
Kansas Wheat Shipped Quickly
All Over the World.
Other Items of General Interest
in Railroad Circles.
DIRECT LINE TO GULF.

Beloit, Kan, Feb. 1.-THE little band
of fourteen surveyors who finished the
work Of the preliminary survey of the
Kearney- Beloit railroad last week have
turned their faces to the south and
have begun the work of marking out
the permanent course of the road.
Weather has played but little part in
their plans and during the coolest and
stormiest period of the winter they
completed the first survey
They are now south of the river and
moving slowly and steadily towards
Beloit. AS soon as they have finished
their work and arrive in Beloit the
Nebraska division of the road will be
incorporated and in the spring the con-
tract will be let and work of construc-
ton begun. This is now practically
certainty.
The preliminary work will have been
completed before the time to begin the
actual construction arrives Money to
pay the first expense is coming in and
as business activity increases with the
usual spring stimulus there will be lit
tie difficulty in securing the entire
amount necessary to pay the surveyors
More interest is being manifested now
than has ever been taken in the work,
for the possibilities are becoming more
and more apparent. The committee
from the Commercial club and the citi-
zens are gathering the necessary funds
to pay KearneyS share of the expenses,
and they are finding fewer obstacles in
their way now than they found at the
beginning. Objections to the road are
being stilled by the insistent efforts Of
the men behind the project.
That this road will be a great thing
for the entire middle west is some
thing all who understand the condi-
tions have long admitted. 1t opens
direct route to the gulf. Train loads
of wheat that now go to the east and
from there are shipped to the wheat
markets. of the world will roll south
ward for there will then be direct
water transportation to London, to all
Europe, to the Orient, to Africa and
by the way of the Panama canal to
Japan and the Philippines. Moreover
Central America can be easily sup
piled with wheat.
This will offer the farmers the route
of shipment which they have needed
since the central west sprang into
the position of the wheat source of
half the world. Farmers will realize
more for their wheat, because the
cost of transporting it to Liverpool,
the worlds greatest wheat market,
will be lessened.
And in so far as the cost of trans
portation is lessened, the price to. the
farmers is increased. This explains
the great interest being taken by the
farmers in the projected road from
Kearney to Beloit. The Kearney-Be-
lott line is but fraction of what the
system will be when this short gap is
SPAWNED, for the Santa Fe reaches on
to the Gulf and will be connected with
the Kearney Beloit line.
The time for beginning the road
cannot be extended indefinitely, for
Kearney is not the only Nebraska
city that would claim the terminal ia
ciIities of such a system. Kearney cit
liens are showing determination to
stand up for the city and are putting
their best efforts into accomplishing
the completion of the road which will
awaken all the now inert possibilities
of central Nebraska.