Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1922-01-14
THE KUSHEQUA
ROUTE is ON
VERGE OF RUIN
Vest Pocket Road in Hills of
Pennsylvania Needs
Cash.

SMETHPORT, Pa, Jan 1.-THE
"Kushequa Route" railroad Is badly in
need of s., $50 and Unless it gets it
pretty soon this midget line is liable to
close up shop. Al least that is what
President Elisha K. nane says.
This little railroad, which. few pre-
viously ever knew existed, became fam
GUS last summer through a dispatch of
the International News Service, when
President Kane issued his celebrated
time table announcing that it would
operate on only moist Mondays, wednes-
days and Saturdays during summer
months, when engine sparks might cause
serious forest fires along the mountain
sides.
The "Kushequa Route" is a queer lit
tie railroad a score or more miles long.
Smethport, nine miles back from no.
where, in the wilds of Mexican County,
Is the county seat. The "Kushequa
Route" is the only means OF communica-
ton with the outside world. AT Backus,
little flag stop, it connects with tho
Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh Rail-
road.
During sessions of County Court the
little railroad is indispensable in getting
to and from court
For several years the road has been
losing money. Kane, who is wealthy.
Kept 1t going, but he does not feel like
Smelling OUT perpetualIy for the other
fellows benefit so he has appealed to the
Cohopus Club of this town-sort of a
chamber of Commeree-to dig I'D 50 $50
the road Is to be kept In operation.
hane is perfectly frank about il. Hs
says The members Of the Conopus
CIuo are doubtless aware of the short
attempts to perform a public service
Several times, for period of a month
or more, the gross earnings from its
passenger Service have been insufficient
TO pay for the coal consumed in the
passenger runs"
80 Kane has doped It out that
locomotive is too expensive to operate in
the hlIis. As q substitute he wants to
guy what he calls a motor bus car
rms VIII be a combination baggage and
Jay coach. 1t will carry seventeen pas
sengers, II there are no big, fat ones.
ana they squeeze in good and tight
1t will also carry light hand baggage
/ Then again, this motor bus can be oper-
ated by one man. In other words. Kane
hopes to keep the 'Kushequa Route
IN business even if it does become a one
man railroad. Still another advantage.
he says, is the fact that whereas his
locomotive hauls two trains day each
way, the motor bus can make four trips
a day.
That's putting Henry Ford's railroad
ing into practical Use-cutting down the
operating force and doubling up the size
Of the service
Again, President Kane is quite enter
tainingly frank. In his appeal to the
Conopus Club he says. I'VE have tried
IN vain to secure one Of these ears on
the installment plan, without down pay
ment. The nearest we can come to it is
0ne-fourth down and the balance in
twenty four monthly installments Even
the most rudimentary figuring viii show
any one that even with the present small
amount Of passenger travel, the railway
motor bus could save the amount of the
deferred payments
Kane is practical Some say he's
millionaire. AT any rate. if you look
him up in Dun or Bradstreet's. you will
find he has a healthy rating But E. X.
/ Kane, plain citizen, and the "Kushequa
Route" are Two different propositions.
though Kane owns "Kushequa Route" In
concluding his appeal for a touch TO the
Conopus Club Kane says: 4 ask the
COnOpus Club to secure for us a loan of
$3.50 at & per cent interest for two years
and thereafter to be reduced by month
ly installments OF $500 each. 1 will as
sumo personal responsibility for the
amount Of the loan"
There you have a railroad president
telling how the Indebtedness will be Sc
cured. how it will be gradually paid off,
minus the usual verbiage and legal cam
outage.
But if the COnopus Club doesn't come
across with that $3.50 there isn't going
20 be any more railroad between Smeth-
port and BackuS.