The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1911-03-24
RIVAL ELECTRIC LINES
PROMISED the RAN6E
Prospects Are that Two Companies Will
Commence Construction This Year, and
East End to Have Double Service.

Electric railway plans for the Me-
saba range have been in the air fo1
years, and according to the Duluth
| Herald they bid fair to come to
earth this year, and it the Virginia.
Eveleth Gilbert Traction Company
and the Mesaba Electric Railway
proceed along contemplated lines
Virginia, Eveleth and Gilbert will
be connected by competing lines
one Of which will have service ex.
tending to Hibbing and interven.
ing towns.
Both companies have rights-of.
way surveyed and are proceeding
with the preliminaries to construc
ton work. Both companies are re.
puted to be financially able to carry
out their plans. Each company has
proceeded independent of the other
and unless they come to decisive
clash or enter into amicabl nego.
tiations before construction is com.
pleted, they will have to share the
business that Eveleth, Virginia and
Gilbert can give to electric railway
service.
The Virginia -Eveleth- Gilbert Trac.
ton Company intends to contine its
operations, at least at first, to con
meeting Virginia, Eveleth and Gil.
bert. A franchise tor running along
county roads has been obtained-and
| franchises have also been obtained
from the municipal bodies of Vir
gin;a and Gilbert. Application has
been made for franchise in Eve.
leth and the promoters Of the com.
pany have hope Of obtaining it.
| w. NJ. Prindle and E. NJ. Prlndle oi
Duluth are back of the project and
arranged the prelininaries prior to
the recent incorporation of the com.
| pany.
Most of the right of way has been
obtained and those connected with
the company say that construction
work will be begun early in the
spring. In addition to the opera.
| ton of the" electric lines between
the towns the company plans estab.
fishing an amusement park on one
| of the lakes near EveIeth.
The plans of the Mesaba Electric
Railway Company are more exten
size, providing for a line from Hib-
bing to Gilbert, takingin Chisholm
Buhl, Mountain Iron, Virginia and
Eveleth. The company Is being
promoted by bankers representing
sufficient capital, it is said, and they
have now satisfied themselves that
the proposition is safe investment
project, and are proceeding on that
theory.
n franchise has already been OBJ
tanned from the county and the pre-
liminaries to applications for fran.
chises in the towns through which
| the line is to run are said to be ar
| ranged. The line has been survey
ed, expert engineers have given fav-
Orable opinions on the feasibility
OF the project, and when the con.
struction stage is attained the COM
pany will be ready to go ahead, ac-
cording to Oscar Mitchell, of Bailey,
Washburn & Mitchell, who has been
ATTENDING to the legal preliminaries
| The company is not prepared to
announce just when franchises will
be asked of the range towns, or, in
the event of their being granted
when construction work will begin
I'm an investment proposition OF
this kind, it is necessary to proceed
slowly" said Mr.. Mitchell. "When
the time comes the company will be
ready to go ahead with construc
ton"
| When the Mesaba Electric Rail.
way Company makes applications
for franchises in Eveleth, Gilbert
and Virginia, the first clash between
the two companies will probably
come. AT present they are both go.
ing ahead with their plans and the
three eastern towns on the Mesaba
at least, are assured OF electric rail.
way service.