The Cairo bulletin., 1914-02-28
CAIRO WILL Be
S0UTH[RNENDOf
TRACTION LINES
Links i'll Chain Connecting City With
Chicago Via St. Louis Now Built
and Course Building.
SHOPS COSTING $250,O0o
AT E. ST. LOUIS FINISHED
Line Complete to Belleyille and
Pushing on to DuQuoin-Will
Operate April 1.

That Cairo will be the southern
terminus of an electric traction
company which Will connect the
Capital of Vast Inland Empire with
st. Louis and Chicago all exclusively
announced time and time again in
The Bulletin, is constantly being
verified by the impetus given thc
project in the way OF building the
linke TO complete the chain.
The st. Louis and Cairo Traction
Company. as the local interurban is
known. has line to Mound City
and Mounds which will be extendeI
to villa Ridge as the first step in
expansion of this end of the line.
The links are almost completed
which connect Chicago and st.
Louis. Southerly the line has been
|construotcd, each town and city en-
route having constructed sections
which will all be joined into one
complete chain when finished.
The following from the Centralia
Daily Democrat relative to the
building Of the Southern Illinois
Traction Company is evidence. of tIe
character of work witch is in pro-
grcss in completing the electric sys-
tenn from Cairo to Chicago via st
Louis.
"Thc Southern Traction Company
which has fifty year franchise from
the St Louis Municipal Assembly.
and which is building line between
East ST.. Louis and DuQuoin, H., is
now assured as a sure enough rail-
road. Last week witnessed the coln-
pletion OF the East st. Louis shops
car sheds and yards at a cost of
more than $250,000. Tho first divi-
sion OF the line, from East st. Louis
to Bellcvillo, has also been eomplet-
cd and w. Il. Trautmann. United
States district attorney in East st.
Louis, who is president of the COM
pany says this division will operate
a passenger service April /.
"The East St. Louis yards extend
from Twenty-third to Twcnty-ninth
streets on Trendley avenue. The
shops and sheds cover a block OF
ground. Cars and engines ordered
by the company have been delivered
to the East st. Louis yards. Con-
struction work on the line Is being
done by the Lorimer-G Gallagher Con-
struction Company of Chicago. Work
was halted several months ago, but
representatives of the company went
to London and succeeded in financing
the proposition with English capital.
"The company has spent approxi-
mately $i.500,000 on the line be-
tween East St. Louis and Belleviile.
Overhead crossings have been built
where practicable. Work is now
being pushed between BellevilIe and
DuQuoin. Tho company expects to
build its own power plant at New
Athens, Temporarily they will pur-
chase Keokuk power from the East
st. Louis and Suburban Railway
company, which has the contract 70
distribute the power on the cast side
of the Mississippi river A telegram
Saturday from the London syndicate
approved the contract between the
Southern Traction company and thc
East st. Louis Suburban, for power
service.
ut is claimed the opening of tic
Southern Traction line will mean to
Southern Illinois what the operation
of the Illinois Traction System did
to the territory 1t opened. It Will
give to a territory in Southern uIi-
nois an interurban service which
has long been demanded.
"Trautmann said yesterday they
Twill connect the Southern Illinois
Traction System operating in sew
eral counties south and east of Du-
Juoin and that the latter system
plans 20 make a traffic arrangement
with the Southern Traction COM
pany which will enable the Southern
Illinois Traction System to operate
cars into st. Louis"