The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-06-08
NORTH SIDE NEWS
Charles Gerteisen Tells of Early
Santa Fe Days.
Roads Demonstration Plan Re.
calls Interesting Incident.
ANDERSON LAUGHED
At Col. C. h. Holidays OptImis.
tic Prediction for Line.
When Grasshoppers Fell Thick
Under Engine Wheels.

Ire proposed plan of the Santa Fe to
send out train demonstrating the i'm
proVement in engines and cars of the
line made in the last quarter of CEN
fury recalls to Charles Gerteisen, who
mas been at the Santa Fe Junction de-
pot since 1882, interesting incidents in
the history of the railroad.
He tells how Major Tom Anderson
laughed at Colonel c. K. Holidays
prediction made in 1869 that the road
would eventually reach California and
Mexico.
| He also remembers when the equip
ment of the road consisted of only five
small engines, two coaches, two bag
| gage cars, 20 small box cars, 80 gon-
dolas and 20 flat cars.
rms was in 1870 when the road was
| built from Atchison to a little south
| and west of Burlingame.
| THE charter to build the road was
| granted by congress in 1856 to General
| B. F. Stringfellow of Atchison," said
watched the trains pass the juno
| ton depot. George S. HiHyer of Mus
| cotah and Colonel c. K. Holiday, ST.,
one of the founders of Topeka, were
| also connected with the deal. The
| company was known as the Atchison &
| Topeka Construction company. The
| stipulation was that the road must be
| built from Atchison. southwest through
Kansas to the Colorado line and in the
| direction of Santa Fe.
1.-The road reached Wakarusa in
! 1869. In celebration the road gave a
free excursion from Topeka to Waka-
rusa. Holiday was speaker of the day,
He gave a glowing account of the pros
poets of the road and said:
The day will come when this rail-
road will not only reach California but
| Mexico as we'll
Major Tom Anderson, then station
agent for the Kansas Pacific (now
Union Pacific) who was present laid
back on the grass and yelled: oh,
good Lord, give us a rest He didn't
| have such great hopes for the future of
the road.
However in 1871 the road had reach
ed Newton. 1t had been provided that
if the road was completed to Granada,
Col, by December of the next year a
grant of 10 square miles on each side
of the road would be given, each al
! ternate section to be used for school
purposes. But, in 1871 it was found
that the net earnings of the line would
not pay for the building of the remain
der of the road in time to get the land
grant
Colonel Holiday was sent to Boston
to induce capitalists to finance the
project. All he had to offer was a land
| grant of alternate sections for 20 miles
! on each side of the proposed line which
| was TO run through a WHO ana parren
country. Nevertheless Colonel Holiday
| was a good talker, and the capitalists
| were farseeing. What was called the
Nickerson syndicate financed the road.
The line reached Granada in time to
get the land grant.
I'm the grasshopper year, 1874, times
were so hard that it was hard for the
road to make expenses. The grasshop-
pers, it is said, settled on the rails SO
thick that the wheels Of the engine
| would slip on their bodies and brush
| was invented to sweep them off.
| ''In 1880 the road reached Las Vegas.
Since then it has prospered and grown
| until it is one of the greatest in the
| United States"