The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-02-16
More dope" on Removal of
Horton Shops to Topeka.
AtchisOn Paper Gives Reasons
for the Move.
HORTON NO. WORRIED
Town Believes Rock Island Is
There to Stay.
Other Items of General Inter-
est in Traffic World.

There is a rumor at Topeka that
the Rock Island shops now at Horton
will be moved to that city, and it is
being talked stronger than ever now
that M. A. Low, general western So
hcitor of the Rock Island, has sold
his big farm near South horton says
the Atchison Globe.
Should this move ever be made it
will mean, it is believed, that the Rock
Island will run its through business
between st. Joe and Topeka by way
of Atchison, using the Santa Fee from
here west. It is argued that 1t would
be Just as cheap for the Rock Island
to pay track rent to the Santa Fe as to
pull freight and passengers over the
longer route through Doniphan county
via Horton. As time passes the mis-
take made in the building of the Rock
Island westward from st. Joe, Instead
of Atchison, is becoming more and
more apparent. History has it that
the Doniphan county and Horton line
was spite work against AtchiSon for
refusing to allow the Rock Island the
use of Main street a quarter of a GEN.
fury ago, when it began its extensions
west of the Missouri river. Atchison
was left out on the end of a limb, as
far as the Rock Island is concerned,
when that company built west from
st. Joseph, but the company has al
ways enjoyed a good business here.
Atchison creates freight tonnage; it
always has and it always will, and the
amount is constantly on the increase.
Right now the Rock Island is doing an
unusually heavy business here and
should the Horton shops be removed,
we may have even better chance of
getting them than Topeka. 1t is at
least a matter that the Committee of
Forty should investigate without de-
lay
In answer to this story comes the
Horton Headlight. It says: What
appeals to all Horton folks who know
anything about the Rock Island, as
especially funny in the article in the
Globe, is that the fact that M. A. Low
has sold his farm south of Horton is
given as reason why the Horton
shops may be moved elsewhere. The
Horton shops were never located on
Mr.. Lows land, and even if Mr.. Low
had desired them there it would have
been almost an impossibility, as his
farm lies high, on rolling hills way
above the level of the Rock Island
tracks. BY putting in big grade the
Rock Island might have been able to
get tracks or shops up on top of the
Low farm land. But Mr.. Low wanted
his land for a fine stock farm, and
used it for that purpose for nearly 20
years. Race horses are a hobby of
his, and he takes more pleasure in
DIc6QluB anu TdlSillB llIlC animals Ludn
in most anything else. Some of the
horses raised on his farm south of
Horton were bought by Senator Clark,
the Montana millionaire, the late E.
H. Hartman, and other equally prom
inent men, at big prices. The stock
was sold off over a year ago. The Low
farm had as much to do with the
Rock Island shops as the Atchison
county poor farm does.
The Globe figures that if the shops
are moved to Topeka or Atchison, it
will be a great saving for the Rock
Island to run it's through business be-
tween Topeka and st. Joseph over the
Santa Fe tracks. This would indeed be
an intelligent saving when it is con-
sidered that the road has spent 500, 900
or $500, 900 in the last IS months put
ting down new steel and improving
the track between Topeka and St
Joseph. What about the connections
that the Rock Island now makes at
Holton with the Northwestern and the
L. K. G. W., and the Central Branch
at Whiting. What about the Colorado
and Nebraska connections made at
Horton by the Fairbury line? And an
other thing, We can't see any spite
work in the Rock Island picking this
part of Doniphan and Brown counties
in preference to Atchison-this section
that is the richest in agriculture in