The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1914-05-08
NORTH SIDE FOLKS
BOOST THE BRIDGE III

the North Mankato Commercial club
1t was decided to place the Who'll,
matter in the hands of Carl Wiper
man, the young man who shor
time ago preached the proposition
Of establishing a wire fence ant
metallic post factory in North Man
kato. Mr.. wipperman. In this pro
iect, has made arrangements, in I
tentative way, to be in partnership
with A. p. Praxel, an attorney o
Lamberton. Mr.. wipperman was re
quested by the club to get Mr.. Prax
ell to hold a conference with officials
of the four railroads running Int,
Mankato.. and see what proposition
the four companies would make fol
the establishment of bridge. sncf
as might. be used for the running o.
freight cars back and forth between
North Mankato by electric power, FOL
a street car line on the same tracks
for the regular foot and vehicle
traffic between the city and the vii
lage. 1t was generally thought thai
II the railroad companies would agree
to stand. thirty per cent of the ex
pense of the bridge, arrangements
could be made to have the city, the
village and the two counties stand
the rest.
Interested in Union Bridge.
Mr.. wipperman said Mr.. Praxel
had recently been In Chicago, where
he talked with several officials OF
these railroads on the proposition
The railroad companies did not
seem to care to build a bridge
across the river, Just for their own
traffic, but the officials were In
terested in the idea Of a union
bridge He remarked that the rail
road companies would probably be
glad to join in with the project oI
a union bridge, IL they were practi
cally assured of even one or two
cars of traffic a day. He said the
carrying out, Of his project for q
factory to manufacture wire fences
and metallic posts depended abso
lutely ON the establishment OF 9
bridge. giving direct railroad connec
ton. He said he bad. received letters
from various parts OF the country
urging him to locate his factory In
various towns and Offering various
inducements. The best proposition
that he had had was from Green
Vile, Ohio. Here he had been of
fered five acres of ground and Q
building, where he would have con
nection with the Baltimore and Ohio
Mr.. Wipperman declared that II the
factory should not be located In
North Mankato, II was almost Ger
tain to be established at Greenville
and I'm that event very little of the
freight would be handled either by
the Great Western or the Northwest
eTn For this reason, he thought these
two companies would be interested
in having the factory located in
North Mankato, rather than In
Greenville.
Present Bridge Shakes. ~
Henry Robel, SE. observed thai
there was no doubt I'm the world thai
a bridge would have to be built &c
take the place OF the present struc
ture. Even when one merely drove
across the present bridge in a buggy
it would shake all over, and when
one drove over II with a load ol
stone, he felt as IL he were In a
balloon. He said the people of Man
kato were fully alive TO the neces
sity Of building bridge, and one
would certainly be built. Experts
he said, had estimated that forty
foot bridge would cost $4,000 and Q
fifty-foot bridge, one Just as wide
as Main street, would cost 100000
He was of the opinion that II would
be necessary to have a fifty-foot
bridge Ior all the purposes desired
f. c. Banker thought there nigh,
be some difficulty in so building the
bridge: that the switching could be
done without interference with the
other traffic. ~ ~ .'' - u
T. Z. Lindholm remarked that the
switching would probably have to be
done early I'm the morning.
+. r. Jones spoke of conferences
he had had with railroad men. who
thought the union bridge project q
perfectly feasible one.
Might Pst up $4,000.
Mr.. Robel, in reply to a query
by Mr.. Lindholm, as to how much
the railroad companies would be ex
pected to give. said he thought that
IL a 100000 bridge should be built
they might reasonably be expected
to put in 10000. -
Mr.. wipperman remarked that
Mr.. Praxel was in st. Paul and said
he would see him there on Saturday,
and LET him know the attitude of the
North Mankato Commercial club.
Mr.. Lindholm observed that there
should be another light on the pres
ent bridge, near the North Mankatc
end. II was quite dark there, FIRE
quently a crowd OF boys collected al
that spot SO that girls were afraid
10 cross.
Mr.. Robel said light should Ger
tainly be placed there.
Mr.. Lindholm suggested that the
club appropriate money out OF It's
own treasury to pay for the add
tional light, as the village treasury