New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1915-04-28
Business Project
Reads Like Story
PLAN A MILLION DOLLAR COR
PoRATIoN TO OPERATE IN
WILDERNESS.
BUT THERE'S MONEY IN THIS
WILDERNESS AND PROSPECT
e LOOKS GOOD.

THAT there are still men with vision
ofthe future in spite of the more limited
possibilities of this country as compared
with the opportunities Of earlier days
is evidenced by the plans that the men
comprising the New Ulm Gas Co.
have lad for the upbuilding of their
business. The only one of these men
known to New Ulm is Mr.. j. P. Smith,
Treasurer and Manager of the company
who has had charge of the installation
Of the plant here. Mr.. Smith is travel
ling representative for the American
Construction Co. for the states of North
and South Dakota, Minnesota and Wis
cionsin, and the gas proposition is a
''side line" This statement is some
what perplexing when one listens to
the plans that the Gas Company has
in view for the formation of a million
and half dollar corporation.
Dreams are always more fascinating
than present moment realities, and the
vision of these men to cover the northern
part of the great state of Minnesota
with a network of piping for the supply
Of lighting and heating facilities to a
country that few years ago was a
great wilderness is one of vast interest.
To study the book of specifications
which the engineering experts have pre-
pared mapping out the mining country
is like reading one of the stories of earlier
days when people like Lewis and Clark
made their expeditions into the great
Northwest. Northern Minnesota even
to-day is an 6unexplored region, strictly
speaking. OF New Ulm people scarce
score realize anything at all of its pos
sibilities and peculiarities. People who
go there for the first time are struck
with the difference in the way of doing
things and looking at things. Down
here, it seems quite a project to think
of supplying Sleepy Eye and SPRING
field with gas from the plant here but
up on the Range they are calmly pre-
pairing to supply the entire North Cen
trail part Of the state from two plants:
one to be located near the east and the
other the west end of the district. :
The company when organized is to
be known as the Northern Utilities
Co. and will incorporate for a million
and a half of capitol. Mr.. Smith left
here Saturday for Chicago to negotiate
various matters Of business in connection
with the financing of the new concern.
The New Ulm plant is to be known as
the Southern Division, and the two
other sections as the Eastern and the
Western Divisions. One of the latter
is to include line to Brainerd which is
considerably south of the other cities,
all of which are located on the Mesabi
Range. Brainerd is on the Cayuna
Range.
Consider that it takes almost 20 hours
of continuous travelling to reach the cities
of the Mesabi range, starting from New
Ulm. This gives an idea of the size of
the state. Next consider that the state
is very nearly as wide in the northern
part as it is from north to south. Then
look at the map and notice that from
Brainerd to Biwabic is half the distance
across the state at that part and an idea
of the magnitude of the enterprise will
he obtained. Further consider that
located on this line connecting the
different distributing centers there are
dozens of mining locations each with
its settlement and one begins to see
The possibilities of the business.
1 During the past season Mr.. Smith
has been busy with the city and village
authorities, securing franchises. He es-
thnates that he has expended already
5000 in securing franchises in the
fifty odd cities and locations that are
iicluded in the plans of the organization.
Il has cost $1400. to plat the country
f{r the engineering work and he has
4 ready secured options on every bit of
he right Of way. He says that he had to
fight for his franchise in every place he
dent into and that he succeeded in every
iistance. He believes that when he
BITS thru with the Range towns he will
now politics well enough to qualify.
The Others who are interested in this
Ifg concern are mostly Duluth men.
The Western Division will supply the
hrse towns Of Chisholm, Bull, and
Eibbing and the Eastern, Eveleth,
fIbert, Biwabic and Aurora. The
hains tap territory with population
T close to 10000 persons and Mr.