The Lubbock avalanche. (Lubbock, Tex.) 1909-1922, 1920-03-11
A LUBBOCK To SILvERTON RAILROAD
TWO ENTHUSIASTIC MEETINGS HELD MONDAY NIGHT
AND TUESDAY MORNING
RAILROAD PROMOTER WILL REMAIN IN LUBBOCK
Committees Appointed Perfect Organization
psratory Securing Charter For Road
Visitors Prefer Lubbock.

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men representatives of the sentiment
of the town of Lockney, Petersburg
and Silverton, accompanied by Mr..
Soontag, railroad promoter were in
our city Monday Of this week. They
were met and welcomed by repre-
sentaton of the Directors of the To-
cal Chamber of Commerce. Arriving
here late Monday afternoon, the
Chamber Of Commerce entertained
the gentlemen at the Elk Cafe, then
met in consultation with them at the
county court room. Those present
from the above towns named, were.
Fred Bell, j. A. Dane and r. h, Dou-
glas, three merchants Of Silverton,
and J. N. O. Burson, president Of
the First National Bank Of the same
city, +. c. Goodman, county official
of Briscoe county and A. h. Frieze
real estate dealer Of the same coun-
ty, also France Baker, president Of
First National Bank of Lockney and
Judge Thompson Of the same city.
These men made known immedi-
ately after the session opened Mon
day night their desires and wishes
for railroad connection, also the
fact that they wanted this connection
with Lubbock and preferred it to
any other, although they would glad
ly accept connections with any point.
Several talks were made by the diff
ferent visitors, bearing mostly upon
the fact that they had rich and pro-
ductive country and that il could
only be developed by connections
with a railroad. II has been exrer-
fenced by the men of Briscoe coun-
ty. we were told Monday evening,
hat farmers were absolutely unable
TO raise two successful crops sue
ceeding and sell their crops by rea-
son as was said that ''it practically
takes a year to haul a crop to mar
ket."
There has been purchased By par
ties of Briscoe county more than
fifty trucks for hauling purposes dur
ing the past year we are informed
by those men and that they would
purchase at least that number for
the coming year.
The country has hardly entered
the field OF agriculture, yet il pos
sesses soil equal ito any of that
on the plains" Their desires for a
railroad connection is equal to that
only demanded by the progress Of
agricultural development.
A concrete proposition was not
made Monday evening by Mr. Soon
tag, who proposes TO manage and pro-
mote IL, to the directors Of he Cham
Der of Commerce The evening was
spent mostly in discussion Of the feas-
ibility of building a road connecting
Lubbock and Silverton. The visitors
named were anxious for an EXPIRES
sion from he Chamber Of Commerce
or a representation Of the sentiments
Of the citizens of our city. Mr.. Peek
of Concordia, Kansas. who is presi-
dent of the Farmers National Bank
Of this city, and who was instrument
al in bringing Mr.. Soontag and the
visitors to a meeting with our people,
was called upon for dscusson Of the
proposed road and to give his eN-
preston as to the country through
which the road would run. Mr. Peck
had been in the Silverton commun-
ity several days preceding Monday
and has had occasion to thoroughly
investigate the conditions Of thatsec-
ton. In his talk Monday evening he
told of how when he went to Kan.
sas, that the wind-swept prairies we're
thought to be only practical desert
and that il was grave possibility
of that country ever developing. He
gave the visitors at the meeting a
verbal vision of that country's devel-
opment brought about by the ad-
vent of the railroads. He then told
of the same experiences in Okla
homa's development and closed by
remarking that 1t was his candid opin-
ion "that no soil in the two states
had anything on the soil of the Sill
verton country and the country
through which the new road would
pass II was Mr.. Peck's opinion that
the haulage Of the road would be
great enough 10 justify the building.
giving one reason of the fact that Il
had been said that II the freight traf-
fic through which the Silverton coun-
try derived its provisions were cut
oh from its present source. that the
traffic Of the present town would be
cut half into.