The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-03-19
TOpeka-Kansas City Interurban
RumOr Again.
Engineers i'm Conference at City
Hall Tuesday.
WANT CENTRAL STATION SITE
Sixth or Eighth Avenues Fa-
vored by the Promoters.
Would Use Topeka Railway
Right of Way i'm City.

A conference between railway pro-
moters and city officials at the city
hall last evening may result in the
final plans for the construction of an
electric interurhan line between To-
peka, Lawrence and Kansas City be-
fore summer. Two engineers repre-
senting eastern interests, F. H.
Thomas and r. z. Townsend, spent a
large part of Tuesday afternoon in
the office of the city engineer OBJ
tanning facts and figures on the cost
of tearing up certain streets in To-
peka and the requirements of the city
in franchise matters.
The engineers left Topeka elated
over the prospects of building an cleo
trio line into this city and the spirit
of the city in the acceptance of a
proposition to connect the districts to
the east by interurban. 1t was decid-
ed also that the line would enter To-
peka either by the Vinewood line of
the Topeka Railway company or
would come into the city east of the
Topeka cemetery and thence to the
business section over the street car
tracks.
1t was the opinion of the engineers
that the tentative plans would include
the building of a station either on
East Eighth or East Sixth avenues
at Quincy street or at an intersection
close to Kansas avenue.
Feeling for a Franchise.
From the various questions asked the
city engineering department by the en-
gineers and from the requests for fig
ures included in these questions it is
believed at the city hall that all the
details of a franchise were considered
carefully by the scouts here Tuesday.
The cost of tearing up and relaying
pavements, the width of the streets,
the center of population, the best Sec
ton of the business districts. the dis
tance between the wires and the street
these and scores of other questions
were asked by the promoters.
AS a result of their preliminary OBJ
servations ard Investigations they sta
ted that Sixth or Eighth avenues east
appealed to them for terminal facilities.
1t is their intention, they say. to erect
a station as near the center of the
business sections as possible.
Coming into the city over the Vine
wood line of the Topeka Railway COM
pany would give them an entrance
with several miles of track and with
solid bridges Coming in on the ceme-
terry line of the Topeka Railway COM
pany also would give them overhead
and bridge construction into the GEN.
ter of the city.
1t was stated at the city hall this
afternoon that preliminary surveys
We're in the possession of the engineers
covering all the territory between Kan
sas City and Lawrence and between
Lawrence and Topeka. The Kaw val
ley will be followed the entire distance.
The promoters apparently were well
pleased with the prospects of this
stretch of territory and with the pros
perity of the residents along the river.
The Kansas City-Topeka interurban
proposition has been discussed in To-
peka for years. The conference at the
city hall, however, is the first real
sign of action. The engineers attempt
ed conference with Albert NJ. Patten,
general superintendent of the McKin-
ley lines in Topeka and Wichita but
Mr.. Patten was out of the city.