Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-03-06
SANTA FE HAS A
CLOSE RELATION
Road Now Consigning Freight
and Passenger Business
Direct to Rock Island.
ALLIANCE WITH SOUTHERN
0mcials of Latter Predict Ii Will Re
suit IN Big Volume Of Business
for Community.

dent OF the Rock Island Southern,
was in the city today IN company
with Charles E. Fearsons, also OF
Chicago, travelling freight agent, and
by H. H. Bush of Davenport, specia.
general agent. Mr.. Hanley in dis
eusstng the plans OF the Southern,
gave out an interesting announce
ment as TO q traf1c arrangement with
the Santa Re just completed.
by what we term a ticket repre-
sanitation agreement. applicable to
Rll points on the Santa Fe system"
said Mr.. Hanley, "the Rock Island
Southern becomes a direct feeder 10
the Santa Fe. That>is to say tickets
will be placed on sale at every sta
tion ON the Santa Fe lines direct TO
Rock Island. with immediate con-
nections at Galesburg or Cameron
Junction. Likewise tickets will be
On sale at our ticket Offices in each
Of the three cities to all points on
the Santa Fe. To be frank, the Santa
Fe has always regretted that in the
building Of its Illinois line from Chi
cego to the west running through
GaIesburg and Fort Madison that it
made no provigion for a line that il
Rock Island Southern furnishes that
long felt want.
MUCH TO MERCHANTS.
81 do not think the people Of this
locality realize what IL will mean TO
them to have q line OF the Santa Fe
right into their midst. 1t will mean
everything to the merchants and 70
the shippers alike, TO say nothing of
the general travelling public. l am
not going into a discussion of the
right Of way question into Rock Is
land, an all am in a position to
state now is that what the Southern
desires Is a means Of getting up
town with its freight and passenger
traffic. We have an arrangement
with the Rock Island for freight car
lots, but local freight as well as
passengers must be transferred at the
Fourth avenue terminus. The pas
sengers must transfer 10 street cars
there and the local freight is brought
up in wagons. As anyone familiar
with railroad handling knows, this
is an expensive proposition. We do
not desire to own the belt line. We
do not want to seize 1t even II We
could In behalf of any other road or
to the exclusion of any other road
that may seek entrance to the city
OF Rock Island. We want the use OF
It IL we can get it. That is all, and
at the earliest possible moment, and
we only seek the use of il on such
terms as may be agreeable to the
promoters OF the enterprise. To
show that we are an independent
corporation, we will enter into an
agreement to build our own railroad
passenger station and q separate
freight warehouse of our own in
Rock Island contingent upon our get
ting track rights into the city from
the west end We must have some
means OF bringing in our local
freight quickly and We must have
some way OF getting our passenger
coaches up town.
SPECIAL THEATRE TRAIN.
The Rock Island Southern with
its connections with the Santa Fe
means a whole lot more to the peo-
pie of this city than they imagine.
For instance, on our special theatre
coach last Saturday night we brought
in 1S5 people from Aledo and Mon
mouth TO attend the performance at
the Illinois theatre. They arrived
IN time for the show and left at
1870. Does not such an arrange
ment help Rock Island by directing
the thoughts Of the people down our
line to Rock Island? n they come
here on special trains to attend the
theatre. viii not they come here on
the regular trains 70 shop and buy
merchandise
"Roth the Rock Island Southern
snd the santa Fe tap the most prom
is,ng coal fields in the state of Illi-
nois There il . future for the 10
cality or the Santa Fe would not be
SO anxious to get In here"
NO KNOWN OBSTACLE
A far as The Argus is concerned
;t> does not know OF any obstacle to
the southern using the belt line, but
there Is a decided opposition to its
owning or controlling it. The belt I
line was promoted for the use of all /.
lines not now having means OF en-
trance into the city. 1t is the pub
lie desire that the Southern bring |
both it's freight and passengers up
town hut no one corporation should /
be given control OF the only track
space left on First avenue
There is one thing important how
ever. and that is that the belt line
should be consummated and built 10
take Of every line whether Il be the
Santa Fe the Rock Island Southern
or any other lire now not IN the
city. That is what Il was projected