The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1912-08-15

the hands Of a receiver. 1t is claimed
that one OF these attempts was by
shyster lawyer who conspired to hand
rich receivership to a co-worker and
divide the profits
But the actual construction of the
road was attended by difficulties. The
first construction work was begun at
LaPorte and projected westwa I'd.
Here enormous cuts and fills had to be
made. Twenty-one miles of this road
is said to be the finest piece of inter
urban railway construction in the
world.
There is the Coffee Creek night
mare" said one of the officers of the
company. I'VE thought we never
would get that finished" And there
for miles it looked thought the
road had been compelled to make a
Culebra cut through the hills.
The track is straight as a string
but its course marks a nasty cash in
the face of the earth that is the marvel
of electrical railroad engineers
And then when the section of cuts is
passed there begins the sections of
| fills another of the marvels OF the
road. A great ridge of earth extends
clear across one of the largest swails
| in that locality.
| And when you learn that this
tremendous engineering feat was ac-
lcomplished; not by the powerful
Morgan and Rockefeller interests, not
by a Hartman or Hin with the re-
sources of the nation back. of them;
but with the five dollar bills of scores
of thousands of ordinary people the
PROJECT takes on a new appearance.
And then the panic of 1907 struck
scriptions stopped. The people lost in
Iterest in the project. The visions of
vast wealth were -dissipated.
The company. had issued no bonds
and consequently had no interest no
pay. This was the element of safety
that saw the company through the
troublesome times of that remarka-
BILE money stringency. The officials OF
the company did not dare to entrust its
funds to any bank and they were
kept in a strong box.
But the work was carried on just
If nothing had happened. Engineer
Hamilton, whose heart was in the
work, got marvellous results. with the
funds he had in HAND.
But the stock holders were becoming
uneasy. They were not realizing the
fortunes from their investments that
they had expected. 1t was difficult to
keep them in line. This task devolved
upon Editor Burton of the Air Line
News remarkable little publication
which keeps the stock holders posted
on every detail of the development of
the project.
1t the air line that was opened
to traffic yesterday with the operation
: of the first car from Hammond to La
iporte and South Bend so that the real
significance of the trip may be appre-
ciated in the light of the facts out
lined.
But there is another phase of the
project that is even more interesting.
!, 1t is around the air line project that a
great system of interurban railroads
has been built.
Along about the time that Gary
!. started Attorney Frank oiavit of Whit
e ling secured franchise on the prsn-
I ,cipal streets OF Gary for city trac-
ltion line.
8 Gavit did not have the funds with
which to build his system and yet the
s fact was generally recognized that he
s had very valuable franchise.
& He went to the Air Line for help,
Z That company realized that the Gary
q & Interurban would be valuabl feed
Ter for its main line and so 1t bought
). literally of the stock Of the Gavit COM
: pany. 1t now owns Al per cent of the
e stock of the Gary & Interurban and
< with Frank Gavit himself owns a con-
8 trolling interestSin the road.
= The development of the Gary e. In
Q terurban is like Alatin's table. j,
Is another instance or the value of ar
D. idea carried out. 1t began with the
) nerve of man to take a franchise
a finance the project and 1t promises Il
. end as one of the largest and most sue.
cessful traction projects in the entire
W state of Indiana.
The Gary q 1nterurban is an indie
pendent company and its relation with
the Chicago-Uew York air line 1:
8 merely through the aforementioned
- ownership of stock.
But it has built line on Broadwa,
: from the Little Calumet river to tn,
!. steel plant; ON Fifth avenue west I,
!, Ambridge and east to East Gary. i
has built the extension to Hammont
) and is now building the extension I,
Indiana Harbor and East Chicago.
I'll Now the air line extends only from
=, Goodrum. a point east of Gary, to La
- Porte, or rather to South Laporte. Tn
:, connecting link between the Gary 4
Interurban and the Air Line is knows
a., as the Gary & Connecting Railways
This is also an independent compan
= dominated by the air line which own
and holds all of the stock.
AS a further feeder for the Air Lin
there was constructed what is know
"a as the Valparaiso and Northern, a lin
running north and south from Chester
" ton. across the main dine of the al
= line, to Valparaiso The Air Line own
~ 81 per cent of the stock of this com
=, lpany. Valparaiso business men ow
- the rest.
Now all of these subsidiary lines ar
- owned by a holding company which 1
known the Goshen, South Bend an
:. Chicago Railway Company. This /
:. merely road in name. however.
:, SO the trip that was made by bust
ness men from three cities was q