Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-01-30
PUT UP ALL THE CASH AND DO
ALL THE WORK ON IOWA
LINE.
FlFTY.EWE MILES
NOW IN OPERATION
When Atlantic Northern 4 Southern
Was Started People Thought IL .
Good Joke-8urinston Railroad Of.
fieiaIs Enjoyed Good Laugh But Now
the Promoters Have Best Of II.

! Atlantic, Jan. 30.-Grown weary Of
alleged eXtortion and arrogance, lot
Of farmers out here in western Iowa
have solved the railway problem by
getting out and building a road for
themselves. The new road-the At
lantic Northern & Southern-is fifty
five miles IN length. and has started in
business without dollars worth Of as
+. sistance from any of the great financial
concerns. or, for that matter. from
anyone other than the farmers and
business men of the towns along the
right OF way.
7 All the cash was subscribed by the
farmers and most of the actual con-
struction work was done by men OF
that class. The road Is not an electric
interurban. but is a finished. standard
guage steam line. with LOGON olives.
passenger and freight cars. station.
/ telegraph and express service, and all
necessary equipment for railroad Of
that length And SO successful were
the rural railroad builders that they
are planning an extension southwark
70 connection with the Chicago Great
Western. which has promised the farm
ers an entrance into st. Joseph and
Kansas City.
Good Joke; Everybody Laughed.
For years southwestern Iowa has
been dominated by the Burlington and
Rock Island railroads. Terminal points
and the larger cities were given pretty
good service, but the smaller towns
had pretty hard time. The companies
practically refused to construct branch
lines and farmers were obliged to haul
grain and drive livestock for miles and
miles. Complaint after complaint was
made, but nothing came OF the agita-
ton.
Finally. someone suggested Let's
build our own railroad"
The idea. first promulgated as
joke and laughed at, gradually ceased
to be laughing matter and took on
the appearance Of real live subject.
TIE farmers became interested and
soon it passed beyond the talking"
stage
Meetings were held and an oreaniza-
business man, becoming president Of
the Atlantic Northern" as the road
was first named.
Over in Rock Island and Burlington
railroad circles. tho Farmers Rail-
road" was q standing. joke. and all sorts
Of fun was poked at the scheme
Finally the farmers decided that the
new road should be built from Atlantic
northward seventeen miles into
wealthy Danish neighborhood which
was without railroad service. The
company scraped up enough money
with which to make a survey and soon
the line was located.
Panic couIdn't Stop Them.
Then came the panic OF 1907, and
while the big railroads of the country
were unable to secure one dollar for
any purpose whatever, these old farm
ers kept right on building their line
without halt.
Stock books were opened and the
farmers and small business men SUBJ
scribed literally. The right of way
was purchased with cash and almost to
ia man the men who received money
from this source turned around and
bought more stock with their right Of
way money.
When, in Wall street, Union Pacific
North Western. Pennsylvania and other
the market, $4,000 worth Of the bonds
Northern" were placed on sale in the
little towns along the way and sold at
par like hot cakes.
That section of the road was COM
pleted in the spring of 1908 and was
! Immediately opened for traffic And
! traffic ca me. too. Every farmer and
every business man was interested
| financially in the railroad, and it's bus
mess was almost to capacity from the
very start
| Extension Carried Thru.
Cheered by their success. the stock