Jasper County Democrat, Volume 18, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 May 1915 — TAGGART AND FISHER HERE WEDNESDAY. [ARTICLE]

TAGGART AND FISHER HERE WEDNESDAY.

Dixie Highway Commissioners Favorably Impressed With Air Line Route. Thomas Taggart and Carl G. Fisher, the Indiana commissioners for the Dixie highway, passed through Rensselaer Wednesday afternoon on their inspection of the Chicago-Indianap-olis air line route for this proposed automobile highway. The Rensselaer members of the Jasper county committee, Mayor C. G. Spitler and E. P. Honan, accompanied by Delos Thompson and N. C. Shaffer, met the committee at Water-Valley and . the latter, had lunch with them there, driving on thence to Rensselaer via the Bluebook route, as scheduled some years ago. This route runs east along just south of Demotte and thence south through Virgie and Aix. This route is 53 miles shorter than the central route through South the local committee pointed out to the commissioners that by building about 1% miles of new road north of Demotte, then by running through Demotte and crossing the Kankakee north of that place and striking the Lake county road running through Orchard Grove, 3 miles more in distance could be saved and nine turns would be cut out. It is understood that Mr. Taggart is quite favorable to this air line route, while Mr. Fisher rather favors the route through South Bend and the plan of the Michiganders for an extension from South Bend up to Mackinac and Detroit. He admitted, however, that we had the best roads and that the item of distance was in favor of this air line route. The various state commissioners will meet in Chattanooga next Thursday to officially locate this highway, and two representatives will be sent from each county interested in the air line route to this meeting. Mr. Honan suggests that these local committees select Congressman Morrison of the Ninth district, and Wood of the Tenth district, to present the cause of our route to the commission. The Tenth district represents about three-fourths of the entire line from Indianapolis to the state line near -Hammojid. The distance, we understand, to the state line is 184 miles, and some 127 '"miles of this is in the Tenth district. A meeting of the various county committees was held at Lafayette yesterday on call of the Chamber of Commerce of that city. Commissioners Taggart and Fisher were accompanied by Mr. Gilbraith, secretary of the Hoosier Motor Club of Indianapolis, and three other gentlemen. ✓They only stopped in Rensselaer long enough to secure a little gasoline at one of the garages, and then went on to Lafayette and from thence via Frankfort and Lebanon to Indianapolis. Thursday they inspected the routes south from Indianapolis. They had inspected the central route Tuesday, and spent Tuesday night in South Bend where a big crowd of boosters for that route and a large number of Michigan boosters gave a banquet for them at the Oliver Hotel.