A New Kind of a Double Track

A NEW KIND OF A DOUBLE TRACK

Said That the Detroit, Ypsilanti & Ann Arbor Will Build It.

GIVING THEM TWO LINES TO DETROIT

A Wayne Farmer Tells What He Knows About Proposed Electric Roads.

An Argus Reporter Visits Plymouth in Search of Authentic News Regarding Two Rumored Lines. Brief Interview With one of the Promoters.  Longer Talk With His Friend.

It is natural that the citizens of Ann Arbor should be greatly interested in the new projected electric lines which are proposing to come into this city. In order if possible to clear up some doubts concerning a proposed line through Superior, a representative of the Argus visited Plymouth Saturday afternoon by way of the new electric line from Wayne. His purpose was to see certain gentlemen, who were said to be interested in the proposed new line from Detroit to Ann Arbor, who according to a tip which had been given him were to meet in Plymouth Saturday. Somewhat unfortunately for him, the proposed meeting had been postponed and the gentlemen to be seen were not in Plymouth on that day. Nevertheless the trip of the Argus was not in vain.

The new road from Wayne to Plymouth runs a car every hour and a half, it taking three quarters of an hour to make the trip one way. When the car pulled in at Wayne, among a number of passengers who got off was a man of fine presence well over six feet tall with very broad shoulders and a beard which reached to his waist. He was an entire stranger to the Argus man but as he looked at the car for a minute with a sort of proprietary air, the Argus man had a premonition that this might be one of the men he was looking for with whom he was not acquainted. So he accosted him and asked if he had just come from Plymouth. On his answer in the affirmative the dialogue continued as follows:

"Can you tell me if Mr. George Waldo is in Plymouth this afternoon?"

"No, he is not there."

"Is this Mr. Waldo?"

"Yes."

"I was just going out to see you Mr. Waldo, but I can see you as well here, if you are not going back on the car."

"I am going back a short ways on it and I can only give you a minute."

"The people of Ann Arbor are much interested in a projected road through the township of Superior to Ann Arbor. There are two ways in which it is stated it will come. Can you give me anything about it?"

"No, our plans are not ready to be given to the papers. I have nothing to say."

"I understand that the people of Superior are greatly interested in the matter. The township has no railway facilities. It is a fine township with good farmers, and all I want to know is whether you intend extending the line from Plymouth or whether you are going through Cherry Hill."

"Well, which ever way we come we will pass through the township of Superior. I have been talking with a farmer from there about it, who is much interested in the project.''

"I had hoped to have a chance to talk with you that I might interest you in the proposed line from Ann Arbor to Saline."

"Why I had understood that the Ann Arbor men had secured franchises for that line and on through Tecumseh to Adrian."

"Two citizens of Ypsilanti have franchises from that point to Adrian."

"Well, of course, we would prefer that the line come to Ann Arbor. But I'll have to get off here."

The car stopped. There were some men waiting to take Mr. Waldo with them, so that the Argus representative saw no opportunity of continuing the conversation even if he too left the car. Learning that the other gentlemen he wished to see were not in Plymouth, he took the return car back. He inquired of the conductor who Mr. Waldo was. ''Oh, he's the boss." "Do you mean superintendent of the road?" "No, he isn't superintendent.'' 'What is he?" "I don't know, except that he's a boss." "What does he do?" "He jollies the farmers and others." Cudgeling his brain as to how he was to get his story, the Argus representative saw an intelligent looking farmer get on the car, who had gone down on it and stopped at a farm house, and whom he had seen Mr. Waldo "jolly," in Wayne. Calling the farmer by name (he had heard Mr. Waldo use it,) he invited him to set down by him and told him his name and mission. He found he had struck a gold mine, which only the short ride prevented from yet greater development. No notes were taken of the conversation. The answers to the queries were pat and to the point, developing a familiarity with the subject and dovetailing into points of which the reporter had previous knowledge in such a way as to prove that the gentleman who was talking had considerable knowledge of the subject.

"There was no doubt," he said, "that a line would be built through to Ann Arbor and it was being planned to build it next summer. You saw where this Plymouth line made a turn in the marsh a mile or so from Wayne? Well there is the point at which they branch off to Ann Arbor. That point is on a straight line east and west with Ann Arbor. It will go through Cherry Hill and the township of Superior. It is to be part of the Detroit, Ypsilanti & Ann Arbor system They are building feeders to the road all along the line. This Plymouth road, which is now being extended to Northville will be part of the system. The officials of the Ann Arbor road have been over it several times inspecting it. It hasn't yet been accepted by them for it has not yet been ballasted enough but it will be. Almost all these roads being projected are meant for feeders to the Ann Arbor road. There is one from Ypsilanti through Saline to Adrian. I understand the contract for this road has been let. The gentleman who were in the old motor line between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti were anxious for it. Then there will be a line built from Wayne to Belleville. No, it won't stop there. It will not be extended to Ypsilanti either but will strike on farther east. This line will be commenced in June.

"The new line to Ann Arbor takes the place of a double track on the present road. You know it is impossible for them to build a double track as that would take up too much of the highway and their business needs it. The new line will be much shorter. It will save at least four miles from here to Ann Arbor. A morning and evening flyer will be put on which will make but one stop in a township, and the line being so straight much time will be saved. Right here you notice how this track makes a turn in this marsh - well extend this line on straight east in the direction it is going before it makes this turn and it will go straight into Ann Arbor. Why did they build the line in this way if it were not to get this start for Ann Arbor and prevent any other line using this road. If they only intended to reach Plymouth it was great folly to build the line through this morass where the road bed had to be made, when a shorter and better road could have been taken from Wayne, when all this road bed making would have been saved." As our informant spoke, we were traveling through a big marsh, where the dark water was running on both sides of the road bed of the electric line which had evidently been made at considerable expense.

"Have they got the franchises. did you ask? They have for this township but they have not asked for the other townships yet. There should be no trouble in getting them however. The roads bring up the values of the farms beside which they run. They have, however, made two surveys of the route.

"Do you see that farm there? It contains 200 acres and the road runs on two sides of it. When the owner was asked if he had any objections to the electric line building on his side of the road, he replied that he had not, that if they wanted to they could cut right across his farm and he would donate the land. Since the road has been built he has had two offers for the farm one from a large stock man and the other from a syndicate who wanted to cut it up in 10 and 20 acre lots. Before the road was built, it could not have been sold at any price. That is what the electric lines are doing for the farms along them.

"Yes, this new line to Ann Arbor will parallel the present track of the Ann Arbor road, not exactly that, but it will not be more than four miles at any point from the present track and from that down to half a mile from it. It will save both distance and curves and enable the line to handle its business in better shape. You know that Dearborn is on a straight line between Ann Arbor and Detroit, straight east and west, while Ypsilanti drops down several miles south of this line. Well, instead of double tracking, the road will simply make their second track a straight and shorter line and also open a slightly different country."