The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1921-09-29

possible moment so that this Com
mission may take the matter up in
the proper way with the Interstate
Commerce. Commission at Washing
ton.
Very truly yours,
RAILROAD COMMISSION OF WIS.
CONSIN
Examiner.
The receipt of the notices by the
different towns of Bayfield, county
has been the signal for meetings to
be held and protests to be entered
against the tearing up of the road
At Iron River t.yo meetings have al
ready been held at which commit
tee were appointed and plans laid
for resisting the attempt to aban-
don the road. A similar meeting
was also held at the Commercial
Club rooms in Washburn on Monday
evening OF this week in which two
committees We're appointed, one to
arrange with the Railway Commits
sion of Wisconsin for hearing, and
the ether to arrange with other por-
tions of the county for the building
up of strong case in which will be
shown the great damage that will
be done to Bayfield, county through
the abandonment of the road.
The road which the Northern
Pacific company seeks to abandon
was, built during the years 1896-1897
by the Washburn, bayfield, and Iron
River Railway Company with the
aid of bonds issued by Bayfield,
county in the amount of $240, 100000,
which the taxpayers of the county
have had to pay. These bonds run
for period of twenty-five years, and
in 1915 refunding railway bonds were
issued in the amount Of $4,000 and
$2O, 100000 of these still remain to
be paid by the taxpayers of Bay
field county.
Following rather checkered
career the old sBattle Axe" road,
as it was nicknamed because of the
fact that about the only thing Ia
borers who built the road received
in the way of pay was plenty of
"Battle-Axe chewing tobacco" went
under receivership and was finally
sold to the Northern Pacific railway
company.
Previous to the time the railroad
was sold to the N. p. people an at
tempt was made to tear it up by
the receiver, upon court order from
the United States court, and an in
junction was secured from the cir
cult court of Bayfield, county prevent
ing the tearing up of the road. A
clash insued between u. S. and Wis
consin courts and Sheriff Lien was
dispatched to Iron River with a body
cf men and at the point of gums pre-
vented the tearing up Of the road.
The case was carried through the
courts but before it was finally de-
cided the Northern Pacific stepped
in and purchased the road from the
receiver. This ended the dispute
between the two courts.
At the time the road was built
there was much timber along the
tracks and in the territory through
which the road operated, but this
has long since been removed and the
country has been opened up with
fine farms. This is especially true
along the road near the Washburn
and Iron River ends.
1t is said that the road was orr
ginally purchased by the Northern
Pacific people with the intention OF
tearing it up for the steel along the
road, but a former attempt by this
company to abandon the road was
blocked by the Wisconsin Railway
Commission. Originally daily sci
vice was maintained on this short
line, but years ago a tri-weekly SER
vice was established and this has
since been maintained.
The Northern Pacific company has
made no effort whatever to create
or to even get business for the road
but on the other hand has given about
as "rotten service" as road coule
possibly give and expect to get any
business at all, with the view of ask
ing that the road be abandoned.
/ In the hearing which will be hele
at some future date, the railway
company will attempt to show tha
the road is not paying proposition
end that the territory through which
it passes will not be injured through
the removal Of the road.
i There is not a citizen in Bayfield,
county who should not be intereste'
in seeing this attempt to abandon