The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1915-10-08
Create Room For
Another Track
From Mondays Daily.

From Mondays Daily. ..
Probably more important meeting
OF the North Mankato Commercial
club will take place Tuesday night
than that organization ever held be-
fore. Representative. men Of Mankato
will be there TO present to that body
no less important a matter than that
OF filling In the river bed on the Man
katO side, with earth obtained by dig
ging out the islands from the middle
OF the stream.
Judge Lorin Cray discussed the
matter at some length at the meet
ing OF the city council this morning
and he urged that the whole body OF
Mankato solons go over to the North
Mankato meeting and take part In the
discussion. General Gustave Widel
happened to be present. and he, too,
was urged TO go and he said he would.
Help improve Depot.
The matter of filling in on the Man
kato side OF the river is so closely
bound up with that OF getting the
Omaha passenger depot improved and
enlarged. that these matters must be
taken up together. After the North
Mankato Commercial club is through
with the proposition. Il will next be
ken up ut the meeting OF the
Mankato Commercial club, which
takes place next Thursday evening.
Judge Cray told the council OF the
visit OF his committee to ST. Paul last
Wednesday, when the matter was
taken up by this committee with the
vice president and general manager Of
the Omaha road. These officials ant
the committee agreed tentatively or
4 general plan for these improve
ments. Details will have to be work
ed out later. All interested persons
are TO be given a hearing.
Want North Mankato's Consent.
One OF the principal objects of 60
ing TO see the North Mankato Com
mercial club tomorrow night Is to
get the consent OF that community TO
the filling in OF the river on the Man
ksto side. Judge Cray stated that
Fred Kron, owner OF Krons grove on
the North Mankato side. is much in
favor OF the digging out Of those
islands and the filling in on the city
side, so as to make room for an ad-
ditional track for the Omaha. jus.
West OF the Northwestern track.
which, at present, Is the nearest
track to the river
II is proposed to fill in the en-
bankment on the cityside to a width
OF about thirty-six feet This will
add thirty-six feet to the track space
west OF the union depot. The Omaha
track that now runs on the east side
OF the depot Is to be taken up and all
that space used for teaming, auto
traffic and the like. The addition"
track next TO the river will compen-
safe for the taking out of the track
on the east side Of the depot.
Need Additional Space.
IL is desirable to get additional
teaming space on the east side OF the
depot. for the space that is now used
for teaning on the north side OF the
building Is to be greatly reduced. Thv
building itself is to be extended AZ
feet to the north. That will take ND
a great deal of that teaming space
But there will be more teaming space
farther north, because the new
bridge is not to be just where the old
bridge Is, but Is to have its landing
on the city side few feet to the
north OF the present landing. This
will mean the widening OF that end
OF Main street. The new bridge will
have its landing about the width OF
the old bridge below the old bridge
landing.
BY filling in part OF the bed OF the
river, the bridge itself can be
shortened. Judge Cray asked CITY
Engineer Blomquist how much the
expense would be reduced by short
ening the bridge as proposed and Mr..
Biomquist thought the expense would
thus be cut down by seven to eight
per cent. This will be presented IN
the people of North Mankato as an
argument for filling I'm the river bed
at that place. North Mankato shares
In the expense OF the bridge. Furth-
ermore, according to present plans
the first pier OF the new bridge would
stand out In the river little anyhow
and would obstruct the current. inst
as the fll would.
II is intended to build q new can
opy over q portion OF the cepot plat
form, at the northwest corner of the
depot, so that the canopy will ex-
tenu about ninety feet north of the '
present building. II is planned also
TO build canopies over, walks, which
Will be constructed between the three 4,
tracks that viii then lie west of the !
depot The space between the two |
present tracks will be widened lit
tie. &c.,.
The lunch room will be enlarged by
building up that open space which !
nov stands between the lunch room
and the baggage room. The building {
where the express office is located
win be enlarged by being extended
about sixty feet farther to the south. 7
Such Is the program at its present
status What notifications may be
made, when, IL is under consideration
by the two commercial clubs, no one
can yet tell. /,
From Mondays Daily. /