The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1914-08-06
LUCE LINE IS
BUILDING FAST
COL. LUCE HOLDS MEETING AT
MARSHALL AND SHOWS PRO-
GRESS OF LINE
RECEIPTS MUCH BEYOND EXPECTATIONS
Right-of-Way Crews Are Now at Work
to the East of Here-Madison De-
cided Upon as Terminus of Line

cided Upon as Terminus of Line
b. r. Billings of Bushnell, while on a
recent visit to Marshall attended a
meeting held there by Col. Luce and
he sends us an accoun OF the meeting
from the Marshall Messenger. In
speaking of the meeting Mr.. Billings
says: II had the pleasure of attend
ing this meeting and after hearing and
seeing what | did of the work already
completed and the present outlook, it
surely looks good to me. Col. Luce
said that at the present time they
have 700 horses and 500 men and two
steam shovels at work, and from now
IN will be able to build ten miles of
road in the same length of time it has
taken them to build one mile where
they have been working. Col. Luce
also stated that the main line would
be by way of Marshall, Bushnell and
Brookings and that this line would be
built first, and the branch soon after
ward. This will settle a good deal of
talk that we have heard around Bush
nell that the road was going to Water
town or some other place before COM
ing to Bushnell and Bookings"
The Marshall Messenger y
Col. Luce and w. II. Brown OF the
Electric Short Line Co, visited Mar
shall Thursday and in the evening at
the auditorium, Col. Luce presented
Photographic lantern slides, showing
the work of construction on the new
line, and the equipment which is now
being used. 1t was all very interest
ing as well as instructive, and if there
was one skeptical person in the au-
dience, who had any doubts about the
proposed line being completed or COM
ing to Marshall, there was not one
left with that impression.
During the short time that the new
line has been operating out of Mime
apolis a distance of twenty miles, the
receipts have more than doubled what
the engineers had estimated. On last
Sunday more than 1000 passengers
were carried to various points on the
line, and in addition to the nine regu-
lar trains in use two steam engines
from the construction outfit were
pressed into service.
The work of completing the first
40 miles has beer delayed, on account
of the heavy rains in June, there being
t~wenty-four days when the large
shovels and teams could not work on
account of wet ground. In order to
complete the line to Winsted, more
than 10000 cubic yards of earth must
be removed, and Col. Luce states that
this will be lone in less than three
weeks.
The right-of-way crews are at work
in and around Morton and Redwood
Falls, and coming this way and for this
reason Col. Luce thought it timely to
show our citizens and stockholders the
progress of the road, and in regard to
the right of way through our city, he
stated that there would be two routes
selected in either end of the city, and
options taken On them. The one
chosen for use will be the one which is
most advantageous and at the same
time, most economical, and he re-
minds the stockholders that it is their
W money they are spending and to
be as reasonable as possible on land
values. The right of way through the
city will be one hundred feet wide, ex-
Cept for a short distance where more
trackage is required.
The company are well pleased with
the manner in which the local stock
holders have protected their notes,
and state that seventy-fve per cent of
outstanding notes have been paid. The
Dad is being built on a strictly cash
basis, and the company have no in
debtedness. There are eighteen trains
operating daily on the line, and TWEEN
ty-four on Sundays. Within the next
fifteen days freight tariffs will be in
effect.
Madison, S. D., has been definitely
decided as the terminus of the road,
and the bond issue for the completion
to that point is practically completed.