The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1916-04-21
TERMINAL
TO JOIN CITY TO
THEBES BRIDGE
Com'l Club Authorizes Spe-
cial Investigation Commit
tee to Probe Situation.
LINE WILL BRING
RAILROADS INTO CAPE
Will Put Place in Wholesale Big
League, Stubblefield
Declares,

Preliminary steps to launch a cam
paign for terminal railroad reaching
from the Cape to Tnebes bridge and
bringing into the city five more rail-
roads, last night We're taken by the
Commercial Club, when a special in
vestigatiOn committee was approved
which will develop plans for action.
President Sam NJ. Carter will name
the men for the committee within 4
short time, and he will endeavOr to
get experts on traffic and railroad
conditions to serve on the committee.
In a general way, the proposed road
is to be financed and managed by Cape
Girardeau business interests and will
be operated somewhat as if by a
public corporation. 1t will exist for
the sole purpose of getting more rail-
roads into Cape Girardeau and the
tracks will be thrown open to all rail-
roads coming across the Thebes bridge
# they Will send their trains into the
Cape.
The movement for the terminal
enterprise was launched before the
club last night by w. H. Stubblefeld
Jr., VINO spoke at length in favor of
the club sponsoring such an enter
prise.
Five railroads could come into the
Cape over such line, he said, and it
would be a move vital to the real
development of the city.
More than four months ago, Deem
Der 3 last, The Tribune pointed out
editOrially at a time an increase in
the shoe factory was under discussion,
that the key to more factories in
Cape Girardeau would be better rail-
road facilities.
Subsequently this paper published
facts gathered by J. H. Mcpherson,
former president Of the Commercial
Club, showing that the cost Of con-
structing a road to tap Thebes bridge
would be between $4,000 and 100000,
less than the investment TIE city made
in the shoe factory.
"Such railroad" Mr.. Stubblefield
declared last night, "would make fac
tories apply to Us for room in our
city"
at would be worth ten shoe fac
tories" Mr.. Carter said.
LET us do something big" contin-
ued Mr.. Stubblefeld. eve have been
helping small concerns long enough.
Why can't we do something for our
selves that will develop our own coun-
try and bring big things to us?
"All the roads that use that bridge
down there are anxious to come into
the Cape, and will come if we can
provide a way for them. Do We want
to sit around here and have people
five years from now say we were
asleep?
eve can get the Iron Mountain, the
Missouri Pacific, the Cotton Belt, the
C. & E. /. and the Illinois Central by
that one move.
81 know one wholesale house in
Cairo that wants to come to the Cape
right now if we had railroad facili-
ties. This would become 4 wholesale
market without a peer. We are high
and admirably suited for that kind of
work. We would get concerns here
then that would aid hundreds of work
ing men instead of tens"
Mr.. Z. G. Granting placed a motion
before the club to have a committee
investigate conditions with a terminal
road in view.
Mr.. Carter announced that the COM
pletion of the main diversion channel
of the Little River Drainage District
project will necessitate the removal of
the tracks of the present Jackson
Allenville branch of the Iron Noun
tain, and he declared that representa-
tives of the road have been investi- |
eating in the Cape recently with a |
view of locating the road through the |
Cape.