The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1913-12-04
ELECTRIC SHORT
LINE GOSSIP
SALE OF STOCK IS PROGRESSING
MOST SATISFACTORILY
THIS WEEK
\. v. ROAD MAY BUILD TO SIOUX CITY
To Shut or the Electric Short Line
Road From Extending Its Line to
the South-Other Railroad News

Ine - HdIiTOdo NEWS
The sale of Electric Short Line stock
has been progressing very favorably
the last week, and from the success
the committee Is having it Is evident
that the people of Brookings believe
the Luces will be able to bring their
line to this city.
The guarantee made by the Luces,
as announced in last weeks Register,
has been a big help to the soliciting
committee, and proves beyond the
question of a doubt the good faith Of
the Short Line company. Anyone who
doubts their good intentions now is
either very foolish or else is a knocker.
Both classes are represented in Brook
ings, but they are sadly in the minority
as the great majority of our people
are boosters and sincerely desire to
see the city grow as it should and will
if We get the railroads.
The value of the Electric Short line
to Brookings city and the country be-
tween here and the state line a be
shown clearly by a few figures. There
are about nine hundred lots in the
city, including the business section,
and the great majority of them have
residences and business blocks on
them. Now, each piece Of property
would have to increase in value but
1888 to pay for the entire
amount of stock asked for by the
Luces. This is a ridiculously conser-
vative estimate and the average in
cas- On each piece of property would
be nearer $500. Take the farm land
between here and the state line, esti-
mating the increase in value on the
sections on each side Of the electric
road. The distance to the Minnesota
line is twenty-five miles which would
make fifty sections, or $4,000 acres,
that border on the road. If each acre
increased by n dollar each the add
ed valuation would pay for the Short
Line stock, with a little left over to
celebrate with a couple of years hence
when the road comes through. This,
too, is a highly conservative estimate
and it is a certainty that the land
along the road would go up anywhere
from ten to fifty dollars an acre.
The coming of the electric road
would mean much to Brookings in a
business way. 1t would bring trade
in here for a distance Of twenty-five
miles that We do not get a little bit OF
now. 1t would reduce the distance to
the Twin Cities by fifty miles and con-
s~equently lower the freight and passen-
ger rates, compelling the Northwest
ern to reduce it's rates or lose the bust
ness. No one believes that the road is
going to stop in B%rookings for any
great length of time and it's ultimate
destination is believed to be Sioux
City Or Omaha, by way of Sioux Falls.
At present the connections are so
poor that most of the stock from here
Is shipped to Chicago, while a line
south would enable the farmers to
ship to the Sioux Falls packing plant
or to the Sioux City market. Such a
line would also bring better rates to
Chicago, on account of the COMPETE
ton the North Western would have
from the roads running out Of Sioux
Falls. Last week the Sioux Falls stock
market was the highest in the country,
but Brookings shippers were unable to
take advantage Of it, although it is
but sixty miles away.
It would mean much to the col
lege in the way of increased attend
ance, as there is no question but that
poor train service takes many stu
dents to nearer institutions. We get
quite a few students now from western
Minnesota and would get a good many
more II We had q line to Marshall,
where connections could be made from
the north and east. The same condi-
ton exists to the south, and there is
no question but what we would get a
good many students from that section
IL there was a road In that direction.
There are any number of travelling
men who would move their families to
Brookings on account of the splendid
college and schools If they were able
to get in and out of the city with any
convenience.
There is a very strong probability
that the North Western road viii build