Nebraska Newspapers

    EDITORIAL SHEET THE OMAHA SUNDAY BEE PAGES 9 TO 16. lij
J2STAKL1SIIED JtTNTU 10 , 'JSTl. OMAHA , SUNDAY MO UN IN a , DECEMBER 27 , 1890 SIXTEEN PAGES. SING Lid COPY" FtV13 OIDNTS.
KEW GULF ROUTE FOR OMAHA
President Stillwell Promises Its Completion
in About Four Months.
THREE SMALL GAPS YET TO BE FILLED
\V < ; rl ( I'roKroNnlitK lit n ltn | > lil Ilnti'
.Montis I ltltniltfl > ViiiitluT Iliu <
li > Attntitlu .Senlioiiril Ailinn-
( IIKI'M tO TIllH Oil- .
Tor more than a > cnr past In Omaha there
lias been considerable talk and n general
understanding , though somewhat vague ,
about Important railway connections for
Oinulm over the Omaha & St. Louis railroad ,
\vbUh was purchased about a > ear ago by
nn eastern sjndlcatc. The Uee today prints
an article by a staff correspondent on ono
of these connections and what It means to
Omaha.
Many futile attempts have been made
within the past quarter of a century to con-
utiuct a north and south line from this ter
ritory to the Oulf of Mexico. The time when
this project shall finally bo renll/ed Is now
close at hand. The Kansas City , Plttsburg
fe Gulf railroad Is the name of the road
which Is rapidly Hearing completion , and
v\hkh will have for Its northern terminus ,
Omaha , for Its southern terminus , Port Ai-
thur. Tex.
"You may say to the people of Omaha that
we expoet to bo running trains In there In
four months from now . " said President Stlll-
vvull to a Heo reporter the other day. "We
Khali aim to glvo Omaha the very best
service In both freight and passenger tiulllc.
There will bo through train service from
jour tlty to Port Arthur. The contract for
building the road from Pattens-burg to Tren
ton , Mo. has already been given out and
the men arc nt work. The contract for build
ing the line from Kansas City to Pattons-
burg , where wo will connect with the Omaha
& St. Louis for Omaha , will bo awarded In
n few dais. "
"Mow long will It take to build these
lines , President Stlllwell ? "
"Four months. "
"How long will It be before the entire
line Is opened for business ? "
"Four months. Thcic remains but thirty-
lev en miles In the southern division that Is
not graded and truck Is fast being laid on
the graded portions. It will bo fast walk ,
but that's the way we are ) working. During
the past Jear we have graded n mile a day
and have ( ompleted bcvcn-elghths of a mile
of track a day. "
"How long will It bo before Port Arthur
Is a deep-water seaport capable of receiving
oceanic steamships ? "
Five months. Three of the largest and
most Improved dredges will be put to work
cm this within the next fortnight. We
have been delayed somewhat In the work of
dredging at Port Aithur b > failure to secure
all the necessary right of way there as
teen as was doslrcd. The work of deepen
ing the channel will now be begun at an
early date , and I feel confident that It can
be accomplished in five months. "
HUN13F1TS TO OMAHA.
"I have not the nllghtest doubt about the
complete construction of thin new north and
fiouth Hue from Omaha clear through to the
Gulf , ' bald Ilcnjamln Smith of Uoston In
tonvertatlon with a Hoe reporter the other
day. Mr. Smith Is one of the principal
stockholders In the Omaha & St. Lou In
road and It Is this road which will form
the northcin end of the new e.vstem and over
which the trains from the south will enter
this city Ho spoke mcst enthuslastlcall }
of thu prospects of the new load and pointed
out the benefits that would accrue to Omaha
b > lt construction.
In substance Mr. Smith said "The Omaha
& St Louis railroad. In which 1 am Inter
ested. Is an Integral part of this north and
liouth railway nvstem It has been merged Into
the whole syrtcm , and , I think , will be an
Important member. Our line operates from
Council llluffs to Pattonsburg , Mo . a dis
tance of 114 miles From there will bo
built a new road to connect with the Kan
MS City , PlttHburg & Gulf at Kansas C'lty
I understand the contract for this woik lias
nlreaily been given out In enteilng Into
this great Kjstem of railroads the ownem
of the Omaha & St. Louis have made the
host possible terms for Omaha
"I think the building of this new road
Is of the utmost Importance to Omaha. It
will offer a splendid opportunity to ship Ne
braska grain to the ports on the Gulf. These
ports have been steadily growing. U Is
neater fiom hero to these ports , and there
lu every good reason why we should ship
iiur grain through them We have what the
rest of the world wants Now wo ore
going to have a short line to the southern
polntH , almost an air line , so that It Is plain
to .sec what advantages for the shipment of
grain arc offered. Do I believe there will
be Hiilllclent northern movement ot freight
to make this great load pay ? Yes sir , I
do. The south has plenty of things we want ;
look at the sugar and the timber and other
commodtth.s. I believe large quantities
ot there commodities will bo shipped north
by the shortcut line.
"I cannot say when the entire sjstem will
be completed and put In operation , but the
day Is not a great wa > s off. It Is an as
sured fact that the whole thing will be
pitHhed to completion. There bus been some
delay In the building of the load. It Is
true > . This has been duo to the dllllculty
In raising the nc-ceasary funds during pan
icky times but the completed project Is
now In night. "
onrriNU INTO THIS CITY.
"Mr Smith , has It been delnltely fixed
just what terminal furilltles will bo used
In this elly ? "
"I bi'llcvi not. That question will bo
eolved when we get to it. There Is ono
thing sure , however ; wo will enter Omnha
em bet'or bridge arrangements than now
exist with the company controlling the
Union Paeltlc bridge Wo have a cholto of
two brldf.es , we can use either the Union
Pacific or the Omaha Teimlnul compan > 's
bridge. Competition will certainly give us
more reasonable rates than could possibly
bo xpcttreil from the Union Pacific wcro no
ether brldso acioss the river here. If any-
cue xhoitld over ask me what I consider the
btggtxt bonanza In the whole western coun
try I should unhesltatlnglv say. 'Tho Union
Pacific bildge' The bridKO tolla of $1 a
car on hogs and cattle and other high
charges have gene a long way toward loop
ing Omaha h.ifk It would Invc been far !
better for the city had ( hero been a half
dozen bridges across the river You may
depend upon It , If the now road COIIICK Into
Omnha across Iho Unlin Pacific It will bo
upon much better terms than could have
been secured some time back.
"I cannot toll jou anv thing about the
Omalm terminals or thu depot. Die work
i going along rapidly , I undeistand , and
the new road will soon be In here over ono
of the two bridges that now span the Mls-
lourl ,
"In Addition to the great iood ; that will
rome to Onmha fiom the entrance of this
line and It Is my candid opinion that It
will prove the greatest boon to the city of
nnything In recent jcara there will bo the
addel advantage of connections with Chicago
cage , Halllmore and the entire cast , boiler
than any Omalm now enjoys. A connection
will bo maOn with the Santa To line that
will give Omalm another line to Chicago ,
U will bo but forty miles longer than the
shortest of the present Omaha-Chicago
llncH , and such a short distance cuts no
figure In tha handling of fieMuht. I think
provision will soon be made for tbo build
ing of a road to fill In the gap between
Qulncy and H > > ardstawn , 111 , whcro con
nection will bo made with the Daltlmoro &
Ohio D item uud Omaha put In closer touch
with the Atlantic seaboard , The contract
has already been given out for the construc
tion of the line from Pattonsburg to Tren
ton , and 1 understand that It will bo only
a short while before the gap between Qulncy
and Uoardstown will bo closed. "
roi.i.ovvs \ AMiiMum/rs mnn ,
COIIIKM'tM I.llU-M Vlri'llllj Illllll Illlll 111
Operation.
What President Stlllwell and Mr. Smith
have nald regarding the certainty of an
early completion of a railroad running from
Omaha south to the Gulf of Mexico could
be corroborated by any number * of Inter
views with oniclalr of other lines were It
not for a form of railway etiquette that
prevents an official of one road from com-
meriting on the affairs of another. The
construction of the Kansas City , Plttsburg
& Gulf road Is now an accepted fact In the
railway world , and .shrewd railroad mana
gers arc already endeavoring to make the
best possible traffic arrangements with the
newcomer among the big southwestern
lines. The extent of this railway sjstem
and Its Influence on the commerce of th < !
south and of the wp.st are not easy matters
to be fully compiehcnded. Its Importance
to Omaha Is apparently of tbo greatest mo
ment.
It Is no small , "jerkwater" line , running
through a desolate waste from nowhere to
nowhere that Is to enter Omaha In the
spring. It Is a great railroad Astern com
posed In part of lines that have been In
operation for several > cars and In part ol
new lines. The whole sjslem may be
called new , for the old portions ot the road
hive been icbul.t and the equipment through ,
out Is so new that the first vainlsh still
glistens on It. This sjstem will when
completed operate over 1,000 and a few oil. *
miles from Omaha on the north to Port
Arthur on the south U will operate tlnough
the states of Nebraska , Iowa , Missouri ,
Kansas , Arkansas , Louisiana and Texas , and
Indian Territory From Omaha to Pattons
burg. Mo , It will run over the Omaha &
St Louis reid , which It has practically ab
sorbed as a part of Its Kvstem. From
Pattonsburg to Karsas City there Is a gap
ot seventy-two miles and the contract for
building a road to nil In this gap Is to be
let In a few days.
Fioui Kansas City south the rend Is now
In operation as far as Mona , Ark . a dis
tance of 3M ) mllea from Kansas City. The
load Is built ten miles south of Mena. He-
low this point there Is a gap ot flftonc
miles to Horatio , where the road begins
again The road now building In this gap
will be completed by February 1. From
Horatio. Aik , there Is a continuous line as
tar south as Many , La. , a distance of 1" > S
miles , From Many , I a , there Is about 130
mllca of road to be built to Ileaumont. Tex.
From the latter point to Port Arthur , the
southern tetmlnua. a railroad of twenty
miles Is now In operation. Considering the
vaat extent of tne u > stcm , therefore , theio
lemalns but comparatively little work to bo
done to complete the line from Omaha to
the gulf. The line will not only bo a abort
one ; It will bo a north and south line al
most as straight as the line In which the
proverbial crow flleh It deviates n few
time * to avoid some big hills , but It doesn
run all over tno country hunting for promt
ncnt towns and county seats Its bu.slncs
l to get from Omaha to a southern noa
port , and It does this In the briefest pos
slblc way.
The feature of the now railroad that ap
prais to bo of meat consequence to Omaha
will be UH entrance among the roads
clamoring for the privilege of carr > lng No
bivaka grain to Its final destination. There
arc thctfc who are so fcangulno of the ultl
mate triumph of the gulf ports over the
older ports ot the Atlantic tealioarJ In the
export of western groin that they predict
the ilav Is not far distant when the low ;
lines will carry scarcely anj grain eastwan
from Omaha. This is undoubted ! } an ex-
ttcmo and an unwarranted view ot the matter -
tor The gulf ward trend of the western ex
port movement , however , cannot be denied
ami It Is reasonable to suppose that the few
line to the south will sccutc at leaht Its
shire of Nebraska's com for export from
southern baibors. This railroad will. I
nothing moii' . prove a formidable competi
tor of the Iowa lines for the grain hin > lncs
Csen should It not succeed In capturing the
bulk of the grain shipments Its presence
will undoubtedly have the effect of keeping
freight rates down to the lowest piofltablc
margin for the lallroads
OUTLUT FOH PACKING HOUSCS.
Omaha will also welcome a short Una to
the south for the purpose ot shipping no In-
cotiHldeiablu quuntlt ) of its packing house
products southwaid. So far as tlio Impor
tunce ot thu Plttsburg & Gulf railroad to
Omaha Is concerned the shipment of grain
and of packing house products would seem
to bu sufficient to make that Importance
ical. In return the new road offers to bring
In about all the products of the south that
ate wanted hero. Sugar , ilec , Fouthcin
fi tilts , coal , marble and zinc may Lo men
tioned as commodities easily placed on the
ruia of the new road. Hut above everything
clso that the south , or that pa'tlcular portion
tion of It tlnough which the new load rum ; ,
has to offer to Omaha U Its almost boundless
suppl ) of lumber. The toad runs through
whole forests of pine both long leaf and
shoit leaf that have scarcely been cntcied
bj white men heretofore. All that is neces
sary before loading this lumbci on the cars
Is to clear u place beside the tracks for a
saw mill put In a switch for extra ft eight
curs and commence sawing wood Other
woods , lialudlng walnut , cherry and cypress ,
are to bo found along the line , but it Is
chiefly the abundance of long leaf plno that
makes General Fi eight Agent Sargent smllo
when asked when he will have an > thing for
a northern movement.
The Kansas City , Plttsburg & Gulf rail-
roaJ 1 wonderfully , but not fearfully , made.
It co-uprises more than a baker's dozen of
companies. Owing to Ihn peculiar laws gov-
oinlng rallwaje in pome of the hoiithern
fUtrti In which it opeiates , it U ncccisarj
to hate a sepaiatc company in each state.
1h"n theio are the several old railroad com
panies that It has absorbed , for It has made
use ot such railroads as It ban found ulong
Its route. It was old Commodore Vandcrbilt
who conceived the idea of uniting vail mis
bits of railroad In the eastein and central
put to of Now Yoik state , and the gioul New
York Central inllroud was the final i ult of
his efforts. It may be that Mr Stillwell's
Idea ot joining several noith and south lines
In iho southwestern part of the country and
of filling In the gups with new rou'l mi : >
ptovo to be us Important to that section.
In addition to the cetera ! tallroid com
panies , there are land companion and town
silo companies and impiovement companies
all along the line , being ( npeelall > thick
about the southern terminus of the road
and In the newly opened regions of At-
l.atibas In this latter class of companies It
will bo fouiul that many of the stockholders
nre clerks and other subordinate attaches of
the railway company Mr. Stlllwell Is &
great believer In the elllc-icy of a personal
Intercut In thu road and Its success by everj
person In Un employ. Accordingly , ho fro-
quivitl ) points out to a clerk what ho con
siders would piovo to bo n profitable Invest
ment.
SrArtTRD AS IIO.MH HUtLUKHS.
All these organizations are part iiid par
cel of the lallroad company , lu the inn in.
having the eame ofllccrs , and are BO troa'ed
In this article. The title of the company
Hut has been coiutiuctlnK the KanscB Cl > ,
PltUburg tf Gulf road la the Mleamul. Kan
sas S. Texas Trust company. Full corn-
puny was orgHiilzvil In Kaiuas City twelve
> cum ago far thu purpose ol milllinn homi-
for laboring men. after the fatalan of build
ing aivd loan associations. A. K. StUhvcll U-
pienldvnt of this company and vlco pirelilcnt
of thu Kansas City , Plttshurg & Gulf railroad -
road , i : , L. Martin Is the prel'l"nt and geu-
eral manager of the railroad corapjuy , He Is
DUO of the incwt prominent citizen : of Kan
sas City , of which ho was mayor at one
lime , Ho In reputed to bo extremely wealthy
mil Is the proprietor of n largo dliililiury
It was ho who built the Kansas City BU
lmrlan belt Hue , nt which the Plttsburg &
3ul ( Is really tlio outgrowth.
Probably tlio most remarkable Met In : on
aectlon with Iho building of thin railroad IF
hat much of the necessary money wag raised
ind ( ho actual work of construction accom
plished during a period of great fiuaudal
stringency. When a halt was called upon
other ventures , whors banks refused to loan
money upon anything but gilt-edged secur
ity and when many meritorious enterprise'
collapsed altogether for n lack ot funds wltli
which to prosecute their work , this trust
company raised sufficient nionoy to construct
and equip a new railroad , Some financier !
have declared It to bo the wonder of the
late hard times. The trust company has a
capital of $1,250.000. Its surplus and undi
vided profits amount to $1,000,000 , most ol
which W&R raised during the recent season ol
ot depression There Is an advantage , how
ever. In building a railroad In hard times
It can bo built at a minimum expense Con
tractors were anxious for work during 'be '
past > ear and labor was abundant Steel
rails and other supplies were at a low figure ,
It Is estimated that the portlom of the rail
road built during the hard times was con-
stiucted for one-third less than It could have
been at any other time.
It Is not altogether American capital thai
has built the Plttsburg & Gulf road Hol
land capital Id back of the enteiprlne to t
very considerable extent. G. M Tltslngh
the second vice president of the lallroai
company , 14 a wealthy capitalist of Amster
dam He owns considerable stock lu thi
coinpanv , as docs also J. Do Goejen , Jr. The
latter married the richest lichees In Hoi
land , and In honor of her , Mena , one of the
division points of the road , lien been named ,
Philadelphia capital Id also Intelested , foul
of the eleven directors hulling from the
Quaker City.
Railroad men say the Plttsburg & Gull
road will never full because of a lack ol
good management. With Messrs. Martlr
and Stlllwell at the head a high standard If
set , but It la kept up among tbo Icfcfloi
oIllceiH. John A. Sargent , general frelghl
agent , la regarded as one of the most ex-
perlcncol and probably the ablest fielghl
man In the bouthvvcat. Ilia long service
with the freight department of the Mem
phis route has given him un undcrstandinp
of freight conditions in the south that would
be hard to excel. Ho will not bo hompeicil
by any association agreement In maklnp
freight ratrn , and It Is openly predicted
among rallioadcrs that southern freight
rat ; < 8 will take a tumble when the new line
Is open for through business. Mr. Sargent
man led Miss McSlianc of Omalm
and Is well known and well liked
here. Harry C. Orr Is the
general passenger agent. Ho was formerly
In cbaruo of the Durlington's Intel ests In
Kansas City , and Is well qualified to look
after the passenger business. Ho declares
bo will sec that the finest train service ob
tainable Is In vogue from Omalm through
to Pott Arthur. He Intends that passcngcis
may leave Omaha one afternoon and arrive
at Port Arthur the following night. Twenty-
four hours from Kansas City to the gulf
(7Sti ( miles ) and thirty-two hours from Omaha
(1,000 ( miles ) will piobably be the schedule
of the fast trains. The equipment now lu
use Is brand new and shows what may bo
expected when the fast trains are tiut on.
The chair cars are attractively finished In
light wood. A contract has been made with
the Pullman company and Its sleepers and
dining cars will be used on all through
trains
The headquarters of the railroad company ,
the trust company and twenty four ulllcd
companies are all located under ono loot In
Kansas City. The offices tire commodloun ,
but not elaborate. As many private matteis
are the subject of conversation among the
vailous officers , a telephone svstHii so | < ante
from the olty circuit connects all the ol'dcos.
The headquarters contain an unusual de
partment a handsomely furnished Jlnlng
room , whcro the general ofllceis .osouier cat
their noonday luncheons.
KMII ucis OK THI : couvniv.
niliriicc AKrlciiUuri' , .Mlm-rul , Uonl
nnil I.uinlicr.
A trip over the Plttsburg & Gulf road when
through train service between this city and
Port Arthur shall bo established promises
to be an unusually Interesting one , and It
is not unlikely that the route will prove a
popular one for winter tourists , as well as
for western grain. Indeed , a ride over
such portions of the road as are now under
actual operation Is full of Interest to the
traveler. This Is so for many reasons , but
especially because of the diversity of scenery
along the lino. The person who has al-
wajs regarded southern railroads as. routes
through great marshes and swamps needs
only to take this ride to undeceive himself
The products of the country along the road
are Just ns diversified too. The road from
Omaha to Pattonsburg , Mo. , Is too familiar
to Omahans who have gone over the Wabash
to need any mention. The new road that
Is building from Pattonsburg to Kansas City
runs through a flat country of no especial
Interest to the traveler. The road will
enter Kacaas City by the terminal facilities
already possessed by the Pittsburg & Gulf
road , crossing the Missouri river over the
splcndhl bridge of the Milwaukee road.
From Kansaa City south to Joplln , Mo ,
153 miles. It U a ride through another Hat
country , used largely for growing corn and
feeding eattlo. The cattle there ore
driven In from the ranches and fattened
up on the corn At Pittsburg , thirty miles
north of Joplln , one passes the Cherokee
coal belt , which U said to bo exceedingly
ilch. Near Joplln are also located exten
sive fields of zlno and lead ore , somewhat
more than 100 miles In extent. Some forty
miles further down the road ouo gets Into
the red apple district , extending through
.McDonald county , Missouri , and Henton
county , Arkansas. One cannot converse long
with un Inhabitant of the latter county
without learning that llcnton county cap
tured the first premium for an exhibit of
these apples at the Columbian exposition.
When the new railroad leaves Dentcn
county it swings westward Into Indian Ter
ritory Through this strip , occupied by
the Choctaw nation , thcro Is considerable
coal , though tlio mining of It la said to
bo rather slack at present. At Hunch , 270
milcH south of Kansas City , there Is a val
uable marble quarry , a drill already hav
ing found marble there -100 feet deep.
After crossing the Arkansas river the
road works Its way around the Hostan
mountains back Into Arkansas. For 100
miles hereabouts Is seen as pretty a bit
ot mountain scenery as ono could care to
view. Here It Is that lie who thought Ar-
kaiuas was a big swamp acknowledged his
mistake. At an elevation of 2SOU feet the
railroad runs around and between thcio
mountains in a manner to merit the title
of the southern scenic route. The canvons
It Is true , ate not comparable to those seen
along our western roads , but they have a
grandeur all their own that Is nothing If
not admirable. Cotton Is seen growing
at various places from the time the
Arkansas etato line Is crossed un
til the Gulf Is reached. Hut all
the other products of the territory Invaded
by tlio now railroad pale Into Inalgnlllcancn
when compared with the timber that Is to
bo found. An oven hasty Inspection of the
lumber along the road l sufficient to con
vince ono that thpro will be a north haul
for the freight trains If this part of the
country wants any southern wood nt all The
timber 'Is not all the same ; variety is ex
pected along a railroad of 1,000 mllos. From
Joplln , Mo. , south Into Arkansas Is found
oak hickory , beech , black and sweet gum
uud cherry About Mona. Ark , there Is a
good growth of yellow pine. In addition to
401110 of the woods mentioned The plno
ge-tH heivler south from Texaikana Then It
Is thu long leaf plno tree Instead of Its cou
sin ivtth the tdioit leaf that IH most often
mot. Cyprtss , too. IH not uncommon In
southern AiKansas- and northern Louisiana.
GHL'AT FKU1T COUNTUY.
No emimciutlon of the resources and
iroduetH of the tountry along the new
north and routh line would c-om-
ilcto If It did not mention the
small fruit grown from McDonald county
( outli to Iho gulf. It would bo difficult to
Ihlnk of any small fruit that cannot be
found theio. Then there U thu Texas rlco
.errltory , wheto ilco U sawed , the fields
looded , the wutur drawn off and the rlco
lurvesud Ilko wheat At Port Arthur at
his Ee.iton of the year may bo seen orangcb ,
omoiu , atiaw berries , peas , beets , peppers
and ether pnrden fruits and vegetables
growing out of door , besides the roses ana
other delicate flowcra Hi full bloom.
There Is every reason td believe that the
eastern part of Indian Territory , through
which the Plttsburc A Quit road runs foi
something more than 12o miles , will be
opened up for sottlenu'nt by the whites
within the next decade ami will then prove
to be a valuable country to the new rail
road. The road enters thb territory from
Henton county , Arkansas , Just be'ovv ' Slloani
Springs , and Is never more than twenty-five
miles away from the lJoundar > line between
the state and territory' .
It must bo confcssctl that there Is nol
an advanced degree of civilization It :
the tcnltory , and the manners anil
customs are presumably nd more
refined In the reglo'n more remote from
the railroad. The ' Indian of the terri
tory loves red llijuor no less than his
brother In any other part ot the country ;
the redder the flrcwatei the better ho likes
It. In fact , thcro arc those who maintain
that the whole Indian question could be
settled In a very short time were ) sufllclcnt
whisky shipped among the real Americans ,
The number of half-breeds and other mix
tures Is surprisingly large , and from ap
pearances one may Infer that they do not
raise the moral or social standard one Iota.
They live In frame houses , better , of course ,
than mere tents , but In reality nothing more
than shacks.
i\cn Indian Territory Is not without Us
political turmoil , and for several vcars past
there have been two parties at work In the
council sessions of the Choctaw nation , each
with Its well-defined purpose. The mixed
cltlrens have Incessantly clamored for an
allotment of the lands now occupied by the
Choctaw nation and far the abolition ot
tribal government within a limited number
of years. The full-blooded Indians have
steadfastly opposed this Idea. The matter
was the principal Issue at thu fall election
and those who favored the allotment of lam
won the dav , electing Oreen McCurtaln , a
mixed citizen , governor over Jacob Jack
son , a full-blooded Indian ,
Already It has been announced that the
Choctaw delegates have agreed with the
Dawos comm'fslon for an allotment of lam
aii.l the abolition of tribal government within
eight years. This means that townsltr ;
will beset apart and Hold to citizens or lion
residents , and the rest ot thu land equally
divided among the citizens. So it Is fair to
expect a rush of settlers and boomer. ! to
the lands now held by the Choctaws as soot
as they are legally permitted to dlspcuo o
their land , and to anticipate a repetition o
the events Incident to the ; ojiculng of the
Oklahoma utrlp.
Jackson , the full-blooded Indian , who was
defeated at the last election , takes the actlot
which makes possible the opening up o
this atrip very much to heart To a Hoc re
porter he talked at some length about the
gradual disappearance of territory especially
reserved for the red men. In his opinion
the government commissions that visit In
dian Territory from time to time really lean
but little of the true condition of affairs am
their reports arc most untrustworthy. Jack
son appealed quite disconsolate over the
probable opening of the Choctaw strip. He
had made a hard fight against It , but hai
lost. Ho ran once before for the office o
goveinor , and alleges that he secured the
most votes , but he was a real Indian am
was counted out Up appeared to bo an In
telligent man , and talked freely about the
leading questions of the day.
TO WAS" M'UIMJIM ! UlIIM'IDI.Y
Many of Tlii-rn IIii o I'rnxiicolK foi
I'criiiiinciM I'roxiifrlt }
The Pittsburg & Gulf , llhe every now rail
road , has experienced hard trials In obtaining
land that was highly dcalrable and In many
cases vvcll-nlgh c scntlal , to the building o
the road. At one point In Polk county
Arkansas , not long tiliice the workofoon < -
structlon was brought to a standstill am
several hundred men given a holiday by the
refusal of an old eetttcr to allow the new
road to cross his farm unless his terms wore
complied with. The farmer has four BODS
and ho pressed them all Into service on this
occasion. The five armed themselves with
shotguns and threatened to tire at the
first man who trespassed on the farm
The women of the farm brought the three
meals of the day to the five guardsmen , and
as nightfall came on It looked as though
the southern terminus of the road might
bo there. None of the railroaders appeared
anxious to get a load of shot fired Into
him , so no advance was made. That night
there was a conference with the Polk count )
gentleman. His terms were high , but they
were agreed to in every'particular ' , and the
next morning saw the work of building across
his property begun. ?
Three hundred and eighty miles south of
Kansas City the railroads found a splendid
place for a townslte. On high ground anil
surrounded by a rich tributary country for
109 miles around this spot appeared to be
an Ideal 0110 for a city. The company's
right-of-way man w o af oncn Instructed to
get hold of all the land in that part of the
woods. He secured quite a little , but when
ho went to put his hands'on a strip of land
near where the railroad would run and In
what would be the heart of the town he
found he couldn't touch ' It. An option on a
largo tract there had Just , been secured by a
a native of Arkansas , who has bothered now
railroads In the southwqst for the past quar
ter of a century. HU name Is Jim Thajcr.
Wo met him while at Mena , and a rough
shod fellow he Is. For twenty-flve yeara he
has made more than a livelihood by antici
pating the routca of new railroads. Ho gen
erally sccuies options on all available laud ,
and If bis gucsa later proves wrong he mere
ly forfeits the sum deposited to secure the
option. In this way ho has made thousand
of dollars. Had he en nhllltj to keep hla
money once earned equal to his Keen foie-
blght ho would bo aW to live In Omaha on
a lot facing Hanscom park and then suli-
tcrlbo liberally to the exposition fund. Hut
Jim is too good a fellofr. Ho and his money
BOOH pait company.
Thujer'e Ilttlo trick of keeping tab on
the alvance agent of the railway line and
acting accordingly came very neir locating
the division point of this part of the Pltts
burg & Gulf road seven miles south of whcro
the town of Mena Is. Thaycr obtained an
option on a conulilerablo section of giound
that was destined to bo the division point.
When the townslto ugnt camu along for
the railroad ho was. Surprised to learn of
Thajei's popseEblon of a strip the company
needed In Us business ; jho was more sur
prised to learn the Jilgh figure at which
Thajcr held the amp. J-'or davs every ef
fort waa made to obtain the utrlp
of land for an amount eooufwhero near what
Ihajer paid for it. Uut ihe native told the
company ho was not at jail anxious to sell
out , and kept his price mountain high. The
cottiers for several mlloi around , who had
hoped for a railroad for IQ these many > ears ,
endeavored to persuade Jhayer to coino to
terms. They told him t/iey would lose the
division point If he eUdh't heed their ad
vice , but Thajci' J t Kayo a snort Finally
the railroad called Its prpjpectlng engineers
off and moved their camp seven miles fur
ther totith and declared Its Intention of
bullilliu : the division point there. Then the
community Jumped oii Tha > cr without
mercy Hut tint Individual remained obdu
rate. Ho said ho had a' ooil thing and he
proposed to keep It He was not projf
against every kind of attack , however , ami
after a bacchanalian rtrvcl. Instituted by
Interested parties , Thaytr signed an agree
ment to sell the ill-Hired piece of land to
thu company for $200 more than It had cost
him. It was at onee dfclded to locate the
division point of the road there. This Is
Mena ,
CUT THR .N'AVB SHOUT.
It goU It ? name fra'm an abbreviation
of Wllhelmlna , the Christian name of the
wife of a numerous b'forkhalilcr In the new
rallioad. She Is tald to bo the rlchext
heiress In Holland. Wllhc'lmina Do Gocjcn
Is her full name , but that would have been
somewhat cumbrnomu and awkward for
common American " uvago , no they cut U
short * t
Mena Is one of that'numerous clam of
.owns lu the west and the louth that has
iad a boom , In the aftermath of the boom
tow ever , are icon evldei cs of a material
and apparently wteady growth The popu
atlon of thu place now numbers between . ' ' ,
000 and 2,000 toula. Thcro vvero upward of
3,000 Inhabitants tlirrclion the southrrn
termlmm ot the now railroad was ncnr the
town , atul when the workmen employed In
building the road mtulo their headquarter *
there. The track hna now reached a point
about nlno miles south uf Mena , and consequently
quently the workmen and their camp fol
lowers arc rather too far n\\ay from the lit
tle town to help It to any considerable ex
tent. What Menu has lost by the extension
ot the railroad bcjond la expected to he
more than n.nde good by the opening of the
division shops there The ( oundatlois for a
large brick building and a round-house with
stalls for MX locomotives arc already put In
and the shops should be finished coon after
the completion of the entire ronl.
Mctia expects to do considerable business
on Its own accord. The town has an eleva
tion of 1,360 feet and It surrounded by a
hilly coin try that Is well covered with tlm-
l if , oak nnil jcllow pine being most plontl-
ul. The railroad company haa been oper
ating one saw mill there for f.pvoral months ,
and has turned out nomc good lumber. lum
bermen thereabouts say there Is no reason
why the pinducts of such mllla as mav be
established at Mena should not be put Into
Omaha cheaper than the same woods can now
bo obtained Pletity of baled cotton was
Been at the depot awaiting shipment to Fort
Smith , where the neircst cotton compressoi
Is located The cotton appeared to bo ot fair
quality , and was nil grown within a radius
of a half dozen miles of the town , enthusi
astic land agents add nearly all kinds of
fruit , vegetables and other farm products
and ninny mineral products to the probabili
ties of this region , but It Is altogether lll.ely
that the mm ufactureof lumber will form the
chief If not the only Important Industry of
Mena for some time to come.
Prom the manner In which they are
flocking thither the other Inhabitants
ot Polk county evidently think well
of Mcna's future The town of
Hallos has been the county seat ever since
the orgnnlratlon of Polk county , about fifty
years ago , but It la now proposed to move
the title to Mena and erect a county building
there. The proposition meets with but little
or no opposition In Dallas because there arc
not many people now left there , and a
good part of these few have greater Inter
ests In Mena. The New Kra Is the name of
a newspaper published semi-weekly It
caught the boom fever , too. and loading Its
entire plant Into a cart moved over to Mena.
SOMi : GOOD UU1LUINGS.
Persons who have failed to be present at
the booming of but few towns In the south
west territory say there Is a better class of
buildings being erected at Mena than at
most boom towns. While there are three
fctrccta pretty well lined with frame shacks
there are a number of buildings that would
do credit to a town that was older than six
months. A commodious hotel and a group
ot attractive Ilttlo cottages around a plot
of ground reserved for the city park are
the best structures In the place.
Though but a few months old Mena has
been able to record several sensational In
cidents In Its local history. A d > nainlto
cxpkslon , In which ncvcn men were killed ,
was clcsely followed by a successful at
tempt on the part of two prisoners to burn
the city jail ; the > also weie burned.
In the rear of the tough saloon of the
town Is the Alhambra theater. It Is prob
ably the crudest Institution of Its kind In
the southwest , and parts of the performance
discount anything ever presented on the
Midway. Two tiers of circus scats In a
small room constitute the theater proper ,
and n fancy bed quilt suspended on a clothes ,
line separates It from the stage. For ob
vious reasons the stars' dressing rooms arc
between the entrance and the auditorium.
A holdup of a tcndcrfuot Is not of rare oc
currence. The little town has been ect all
agog1 by a recent Incident of this character.
The son of one of the oldest and most es
teemed citizens of that part of Arkansas ,
and. Incidentally , the heir apparent to a
fortune of nearly seven flguics , was drugged
and llccccd out of a few hundred dollars
by one of the actresses a short while ago.
He had the woman arrested and tried , but
failed to make good his case. Now she
has sued htm for $5,000 damages. Mean
while the gilded jotith Is recuperating at
I'lat Springs.
In the beginning Mena was subject to a
government of and by the railroad com
pany for the people. About a month ago
the pcoplo concluded their town had ma
tured sulllclcntly to enjoy a municipal gov
ernment of Its own. A native capitalist and
proprietor of the principal saloon was
chosen mayor. Ho draws no salary yet
awhile , but It Is understood ho will In the
near future. He lias Improved upon the
former government In but few particulars.
Ono of his flrst edicts was to the effect
that the lights should be turned out. The
company had maintained a set of good street
lamps ; these have now been dispensed with
Mena for Its future success Is banking
heavily on the construction of a railroad
from the main line of the Plttsburg & Gulf
road to Fort Smith , a distance of twenty-
eight miles. Tort Smith Is the most Im
portant commercial center for western Ar
kansas and Indian Territory , and through
rail connection with It Is highly desirable
for any place In that country. It Is ninety
miles north of Mena as the crow flies ; by
rail It would be about IOC miles. At pres
ent all freight and passenger tialllc between
Tort Smith and Mena or the other way must
go via the St. Louis & San Francisco , The
line fr6m Fort Smith to 1'otcau , I. T , or
vice versa. The 'Frisco road Is well aware
of the importance of Fort Smith to Mena ,
and sees to It that freight rates between
1'otcau and Tort Smith are kept at the high
water mark. This Is only natural , pet haps ,
because thcro Is no love lost betvscen the
'Frisco and the now north and south Hue ,
and Mena Is a creature of the latter. So ,
when a through route to Fort Smith Is of
fered for Mcna's cotton and lumber and
when Fort Smith can send goods fiom Its
jobbing houses through to Mena both places
will bo materially benelltcd.
S1DG ISSUES LATER.
This work , however , will not be taken up
until after the completion of the Plttsbuig
& Gulf from Omaha to Port Arthur. To
mill through the great north and south
line Is the object of the company , side Issuer
will be taken up later. The tlty of Fort
Smith made earnest efforts to eecu'e the
new road. It fell that its Importance as a
distributing center would be greatly In
creased It the north and south line wcro
to offer an additional outlet to its jobbers ,
a handsome cash bonus was offered Presi
dent Stlllwell's company If the road should
bo I mi through Fort smith , but the offer
wis not accepted. Instead the Plttsburg
& Gulf was swung out Into Indian Torrltor }
a distance of about twenty-flve miles , and
so completely missed Fort Smith This
was done In order to save the enormous cx-
pcnso et tunneling through the Hoston
mountains , the end of the Ozark range
Two long tunnels would have had to bo
nillt at a great cost In order to have taken
the road through Fort Smith. The railway
company has , however , with an tye to the
ntiiro , obtained the right of way along
he south bank of the Arkansas river from
ta main line to Fort Smith. As moat of
h.j land Is In Indian Territory the right of
vay had to be obtained from the government
Icr ? will be constructed at no distant day
what will probably bo a valuable brunch of
ho Plttsburg & Gulf.
There are boom towns all along the route
of the new railroad , as Is alwajs the case.
Some of these appear to have a reasonable
excuse for enjoying this peculiar lease * of
irosperlty ; others do not. Hut then' Is
one town along the line wboec rommertlal
tctlvlty lies been quickened by the con-
struUlon of the Plttsburi ; & Oulf rend and
.hose future success docs not appear to
> e endangered b > any deleterious cftcr
uath of a boom. This town Is Shrt'vc-
port , La. The Inhabitants Insist
hat It Is n city. It Is not on any hontn ,
nit a steady growth has been noticeable
ever nlnco the now road struck there In
S90 the population was said to ho Ti.OOO ,
Vo\v It U revolted at 17.000 It la an Im-
lortant railroad center , having iho Cut tun
tele road , the TVXHH & I'aelllr , the .Nick-
burg , Shreveport & Pacltlc mid the Shreveport -
port & Houston. Hut a direct line Ic the
lorth has long been considered n ercpt do-
Idcratum by the townsfolk. In ISS8 a part )
of Kantian C'lty boomer * shook Hhrovcport to
IK center with pro.iils'8 of u road direct
ram Kansas City through Shiovcport to
Sablno I'asa , ou the tiulf of .Mexico. They
! published a charter , received a bonus of n
I 5-mlll tax for ten vears and broke dirt with
in the city limits Till * Is known as the
"Ioak boom. " The. projectors were unable
to carry out their contracts and the bonu
wr.s forfeited.
The Kansas City , IMltsburg & Gulf ralt-
rcvad then came to the ftont , and last year
a bonus , to bo paid by taxation , ot $250,000
was voted by the town of Shrovcport and
tin. parish of Caddo In aid of the now rail
road. All the railroads ot Iho ularo. the
Vlchsburg e\cepted , have just decided to
build a One union depot It Is to be 21G feet
In length , will accommodate eight tracks
and Is to bo finished by July I. Shreveport
Is alroadv planning n big celebration when
the llrst train from the north comes In.
It Is now expected that a train will be
run through fiom Kansas City early In Feb
ruary. The largest shops of the Pltt.sburg
& Gulf > stem are located here. The > ore
already erected , and appear to be durable
buildings. They are all of brick , and of the
tno't icceut designs. The round house con
tains stalls for twenty locomotives. It
is pos lblp that the new road may build
Its own cars at Shrcveport , the necessary
timber being most conveniently found
Should this bo done about GOO men will be
emploved at the shops
The country tributary to Shreveport Is
principally of an agricultural character , and
as jet Is thinly settled , i\cept during the
past > ear or so the tide of Immigration ha
not been directed toward north Loulrlana.
It has flowed right on by toward Texas
mid the c\ticme southwestern part of the
country. There are great fields ot cotton
In the sunoundltiK parishes , and Shreveport
Itself Is a most Important cotton market.
From September. 1S95 , to September , 1SOC.
S5 000 bales of cotton were handled. From
I September 1 , this jear , until December 8 ,
73.B50 bales had gone through Shrovcport
In this period the partially completed Pltts-
burg & Gulf road handled nearly 5,000 bale" .
The volume of business from January , IS93.
to January , UPfi , shown on the board of
trade books , amounted to over $15,000000.
This jear It Is expected to be larger.
Shreveport Is expecting much from the
veritable forests of long leaf pine just south
of It , and along the Plttsburg and Gulf reid
There la an unbroken tract 200 miles In
length , ami twelve miles on each side of the
railroad , where jellow pine abounds One
can ride a horse or drive a team through
any part of this tract , for there Is no un
derbrush found there , and the pines are ever
so tall , with but few limbs except near the
very top. General Manager Hammoii of the
Plttsburg & Gulf told a lice reixirtor he
estimated there was 175,000 cars of timber
In one little strip thcie. He said"I ve
been here for twenty > ears , and It has al-
wajs been a wonder to mo why this rich
timber land has not been Invaded by a
railroad before. We expect to ship large
quantities ot this long leaf pine as far north
as Omaha and DCS Molnes , and as far east
as St. Louis
The railroad Is now In operation as far
south us Many , I a. . seventy-six miles south
of Sluevoport. The grading between Miny
and Ilcaumont , from which point the rail
road Is In operation to Port Arthur. Is being
rapidly completed and Is expected to be
ready for the tails by February 1 If the
work can be carried on without Interrup
tion President StlllwclPs prediction of a
through line from Omaha to the gulf In four
months ought to be made good
SOUTlinilN TKUMINUS.
The southern terminus of the Plttsburg
& Gulf road Is Port Arthur , a delightfully
situated place for a winter resort and well
located for a shipping point If deep water
can be secured. It Is on the north shore
of Sablne lake , twelve miles fiom the Gulf
of Mexico , and about six miles from the
head of Sablne Pass , where the deep water
at present leaves off. It Is not far from
the mouths of the Sablne and of the Xeches
rivers , both of which empty their waters
Into Sablnu lake. A most attractive and
well appointed hotel there Is already doing
a good winter business. There Is not ti
great number of Inhabitants at Port Ar
thur yet , but among the few are several
Omahans , who wanted to bo on hand bcfoie
the town Added to the excellent facili
ties for boating and fishing there are op
portunities for fine hunting It Is not us
a pleasure resort , though , that Port Arthur
hopes to come Into national prominence.
President Stlllwell says the export and
Import business from the north tlnough
Port Arthur will alone make It a great city.
Ilesldes he has great faith In the cre-atlon
of a shipping point there for the export of
domestic fruit , vegetables , lumber and fish ,
and further believes It will become u great
manufacturing center for the lumber , sugar ,
rice , cotton , packing , tanning and tanning
Industries Should a small part of his hopes
bo realised , Port Arthur will become one
of the important shipping and manufac
turing points of the country. One thousand
acres of land have been set aside for ter
minals , and It is expected that large sums
of money will be expended In building
docks , warehouses , elevators , rice mills and
cotton compi eases.
The success of the scheme appears to de
pend upon the dredging of a channel twenty-
six feet deep from the head of Sablno
Pass , where the deep water now leaves off ,
to Port Arthur , a distance of six miles. Con
gress has been numcioubly petitioned to ap-
propilate sums of money sufficient to per
form this work , but the railroad company
will not wait for congiesa to act in the mat
ter. Piraldent Stlllwell is authority for the
statement that It will proceed to do the
wotk on Its own responsibility. Should it
go ahead and make a deepwater port there
the Hna ! rcall/otlon of the entire hthemo
will have been reached.
There ! considerable shipping business
at Sablno Pasa now. It 1 the deepest water
port on the Texas coast , having a depth of
over twentj-four teet at mean low tide. An
expenditure of $1,750.000 haa been ru.ido by
the government tbcie. and the pats dredged
Its entire length and jetties put in to the
outer end of the pass. The liver and harbor
bill paasrd by the last session of congress
contained n proilslon for ( ipproprlatlng
$1,030,000 to continue this work Lai go
steamships have been loaded at Sablno Pats ,
the naillngton ( length. 401 feet ; bieadtb.
slxtv-llve feet : depth , .ifi'6 feel ; capacity.
1,700,000 feet of lumber ) having discharged
a taigu there In October.
STKUGGLn FOR SUPREMACY.
Dut It Is patent to even n cumnl observer
that both Sablno Paed and Port Arthur can
not flouilsh us dcop-watc.r ports , at least
not In the near future1. There will undoubt
edly bet a struggle for nupremacy , and II
will be another ca.io ( if the Biirvlval of the
fittest. At present Micro IH deep water nt
Sablno Pasn and not at Port Arthur , but the
terminal facilities at the foimer place are
snmi'tlilngwretched. . Theio IH but one
dock , vcfcoelu ore kept waiting foi their car-
gneo a long time and many of them have to
be loaded by means of lighters. The
Koiintxo brothers own almost all the water
front , as well as the one dock , at Sablne
Pa s.
The advantage that Is claimed for Port
Arthur over Sublno Pnss Is that It IH far
enough bark from the gulf to bo fico from
the danger of any overflow. The people
tlieic have not yet forgo'tcn the tidal wave
that awcpt over the town of Suhlno ten yearn
ago The place was under ten feet of water
and over soir lives were lost , but few escap
ing the aw ( ill doom. At that time the Klt > -
of Port Arthur was under but two feet of
water This fact Is pointed out b > tlio people
ple Interested In the newer port an an dull
. .itlon ot the superiority ot their town ltd-
pnii of government eng'neoia ohowlng a
! depth of ifi.fi feet in the ehanncl at Sablne
PHI-F at mean high tide nrtl 'iI 1 feet at
I mean low tide xcem to argue that it good
l depth could bo obtained wi'io the cliunnol
continued to Port Arthur If inch n depth
can bo obtained the success of Port Arthur
Is assured It may be Interesting to note
light heio that the uniform depth of the
famous Suez canal and of the MH'ICUIL.CI
canal ate- but twenty-ftlx rent.
Onp other timely argument In ' vor of
Port 'Arthur has been put forward : lln
proximity to the gulf. Vensuls will 1m able
to roach high ea In an hour'h tlma aftur
leavingtho docks. Thlo Is an advantage
over other gulf ports. Now Orleans , for on
example , in distant Inland 120 miles and
from twenty-four to thirty nix houm , entailing -
tailing nxtri expense of lighterage and tow
age , Yet New Qrle-anu I today the ( on-
moot corn export point lu theUulUd Stated.
END OF THE INVESTIGATION
Engineer llowoll on the Stand During Mcst
of tlio Day.
DEVELOPS A CASE OF POOR MEMORY
( "om'tiulv * ullli Hit * Uv !
loniM * of I ! . ItnsiMtntor Hi'inirl
( lint tilt * ( 'oiiiiullli'e Munilx
Three to Twit oil ! ( llriiort.
The Inveotlnatlon of City linglneer How-
ell's otllclnl conduct was continued jester-
da } In the clt > hall. The proceodlugH
developed very little In addition to the evi
dence hccured Thuradav , being largely lu
the nature ot more detailed comment on the
facts previously elicited. Mr. HoweMl wau
ou the stand during nearly the entire ses
sion , and was vigorously crosa-cxamlncd.
He heomed decidedly worried and continu
ally evaded the questions ot the attoinov.
who questioned htm closely as to whether
he had had any conferences with John L.
Webster , attorney for the Vinner faetiou
of the old water woiks compuuv , prior to
making up his report to the mavor. Tht.s
the witness answered b > saving that ho did
nut iccollect unv such Interview pi lor to
December 4. Some time was consumed by
an effort to Induce the witness to make a
more positive statement. This he letuseil
to do , repeating the utatcmcnt that he did
not recollect.
The snme procedure was icpeated when
the attoiney tried to get the witness to
make a positive ptatimcnt of whether , In
making his catlnmtc of the value of tlio
water plant , be had miule any estimate ot
the value of the pipe Hues The city engi
neer evaded a direct answer foi ten or tlftieu
minutes , and Dually admitted that he had
made no uccuiato estimate Similar Information
mation In regard to other fritures of the
plant was elicited after a good deal of < mts-
tlonlng. The witness llnallv s-tntul that ho
had made no estimate , but had basul his
llguus on such general Information as bo
had acquired from his previous connection
with the water company and his friendship
with \V. II. Hall.
In thin connection the fact was brought
out that Mr. I low ell's father had been ( bu
law partner of Mr. Underwood of the water
company , and that he had an Interest In
the legal business of the companv.
H. Kosewater testllled to the conversation ,
that be had had with i : L Dlcrhowcr ,
H'latlve to the action of the city engineer.
He stated that be had called at Mr Iller-
bower's olllee In regard to the subscription
of the water company to the rr.in-ml.'sUslppl
Imposition On that occasion Mr llleibower
bad requested him to formulate a letter to
President \Voodburj of the water cornpan ) .
Sometime after he saw Mr Illerbower agnlll
and In the course of the conversation Mr.
Illerbowcn related the convcratloii in which
Howell had made the demand that Solon L.
Wiley should be given a place on the com-
panv's payroll. This was i-omctlmo lu
October , and ho believed that Mi Illerbower
had told him the same thliig at n subsequent
conversation which occuneul soon after elec
tion
Further , Mr. Ursewater Rtated that he had
attended the s > eeiet meeting lu the mavor'a
olilce , where Iho engineer's report waa flrbt
pioduced. Ho recognized many of the state-
mc'itE In the ropoil as practically verbatim
reproductions ot statements thct had been
made to him by John L. Webster. This
convinced him that the report was at Ircst
partially Inspired by KOIIIO one who wanted'
to hold up the company and waa not tlio
original production of the cltj engineer.
On crofs-examlnatlon Fiank Hansom was
very anxious to discover whv the wltneus
should take the part of tlin water company.
Mr Hosowater stateM that he would expcsa
any blackmailing scheme without logaul to
who was IntercntcHl In It In reply to
further questioning Mr Ilosewater stated
that ho bad become convinced that a con
spiracy existed by which the pit ties who
bad watered the stock of the old company
expected to get homctblng out of their al
leged claims against the plant and that
Howell was one of the men being used an
catpawa to that end. At the elc o of Mr.
Itosewater's testimony the Investigation waa
adjourned to 2 o'clock.
BVIDRNCfi ALL St'llMITTKI )
The Investigation was completed at the
afternoon session and tlio dedslon now
rests In the hands of the committee It la
Intimated that three members of the com
mittee will urge a report favoilng Kngltiocr
Howell's dismissal from the seivieo of the
city , while the other two members are dis
posed to simply pass the matter over as un
Indiscretion which does not nocessailly Im
ply any corrupt moth en
The evidence Introduced by Mr Howell
was very brief and amounted to nothing
more than an effort to prove that the receiver
of the water company had abused City En
gineer Hosowater for his atHiude toward the
company two years ago. This they offered
to prove as an Indication that the company
was trying to ruin the present engineer be
cause he stood In their way Councilman
Kcnnard and G. W. Craig and Clerk Mc-
Lnln of the engineering department wcra
called as witnesses to thc'sc alienations , hut
the testimony was ruied out by the com
mittee on the ground that unjthing that oc-
cmred between Mr itosewatui and the water
company two jeurs ago was not material 'lu
the piescnt Invesllga'lon.
Mr Hansom spoke for about an hour In
defense of Mr. Howcll I ID declared that 1C
everjthing that had been said against his
ellpiit was admitted to be tu-o Iheie would
still bo no justification for censuilng him.
Ho dwelt on his view that while Mr llowoll
did not deny tllat ho had appioached the
water company In ugard to tli. employment
of Mr. Wiley. It was morel ) a filcmllv sug
gestion and not a demand He attacked the
Integilty of Mr Hunt. Mr Illcrbower and
Mr. Itosewater and declared that Hiiro W.IH
a conspiracy to ruin the leputallon of Iho
city engineer. His aigunient ended the
case and the committee adjoin nod subject
to cull.
eorvrv oouMissiimntv MIITIV : : < J.
Itl-JlTt ItlMIIH'Xl til ! ' ! ! > fill1 I'H'KlllJT
MOI-KIIII llrlrf.
The Iloaid of County CommlsaloncrH held
a short and uneventful t > e'Klon jcatcnluy
morning.
The finance committee reported unfavor
ably on the request ofV. . It. I'jtrlch , attor
ney for George Morgan , for an allowance
of $30 for printing the hi Iff In the appeal
of Morgan's case to the supreme1 court At
torney Patrick stated in his communltatlun
that ho had been allowed $130 for his ncrv-
ccs In the case and had ulicady been heforo
; bo sniiraii" court twko liv picllmlnnry nmt-
: ois connected with the ease , but had no
money to expend for printing the necessary
iiicf The communication ul o ntuto.il that
Morgan has neither fi lends not money to
lay for this work. The finance commltteo
Tported that thcro was no authority for
n.iking the HlloH.ineu. The report wan
adopted ,
Cor.ulilonitlon of thu application of resi
dents of liaison for authority to Inrarpnralo
ae a village was made a Hpeclal order at a
nt'ctlng of thu board , Bitting UH a commltteo
if thn whole , at 10 o'clock TuctiJay morn-
ng.
ng.W. . D. Ilrclu'tt appeared as attorney for
ho rcsldimla seeking thu village nrKanlia-
lon , and ho stated to the boa id that the
school district denlifd to have the vlllago
ncnrporalcd In order that thu $2COO paid
jy the flvu Nalooim might bo paid Into the
school fund of the district Instead of Into
ho general fund of Iho county
The Incorporation of I tin vlllaco In bring
contested by the proprietor of u laige u-
eon about to ho entahlldicd within the
iropohcd village limits ,
Iho next meeting of the board will ha
told at 10 a m. Wednesday for pntalm thv
monthly pay roll.