Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 61, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 March 1914 — MONON WILL GET THE GIFFORD ROAD [ARTICLE]

MONON WILL GET THE GIFFORD ROAD

Practical Certainty That Deal Will Be Closed Friday MorningSale Is Approved. ! It is almost a dead certainty that j before noon Friday, March 13th, the ownership of the Gifford railroad will he transferred from the estate o,f Benjamin J. Gifford to the Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville railway company, known as the Monon rout*. The» ( deal, which was said to hinge on the disposition made of the bid of T. S. Roberts, is reported by local employes of the railroad arid persons closely associated with Executor Gifford, to be just the same as closed today. The road bonds and the abstract of title are to be taken to Chicago this Thursday afternoon and the draft for $95,000 will await the transfer of the papers. Those who are connected with the estate as beneficiaries under the will favor the sale of the road to the Monon, saying that it will be of vast importance to the real estate along the route. T. M. Callahan takes this view of the matter, saying that he would rather the Monon railroad would get it at $95,000 than to have the road fall into the hands of speculators at $150,000, and that he oonsidergd that by the deal with the Monon the land owned by the Gifford estate had enhanced In value SIOO,OOO. “It means a great boost for the Gilford country and will create the greatest development that has ever taken place in Jasper county,” was Mr. Callahan’s remark. The improvement of the road will result in a big tax advantage to this county and we have no doubt that the Monon will put the road into the very best condition, taking up the matter of extensions to the north and south without delay. The fact that Mr. Roberts does not get the road will have no effect on the interurban proposition, which will be pushed just as vigorously as heretofore. — r —^