This branch was called the Iowa South-Western R.R. About a year after this, in the Autumn of 1881, the Chicago Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Company wished to extend their main line from Marion to Council Bluffs, Iowa. They ran a survey westward until they reached the eastern boundary of Shelby County, where, on running out "feelers", they discovered an obstacle in their way commonly known as the Guthrie Hills. The instruction to the chief engineer had been, to keep about half way between the main lines of the Rock Island and North-western Rail Roads, but in order to pass these hills. they had to go to a great expense for grading, or veer off to the north, which brought them closer to the C. & N. W. than was desirable; so in order to determine the best route to take, a number of surveys was made from near this point.
The base of survey was located near the point where the C. M. & St. P. R. R. now crosses the southern boundary line of Carroll County. The first line was run along the southern line of the county, passing about two hundred yards south of where Samuel Bingham Sr. now lives. It continued down the hollow south of school No. 9 and crossed the, C & N. W. branch at nearly the same point where the section line between Sections 30 & 31 of Warren Township intersects the same. This survey was made in the autumn of 1881, but was abandoned on account of the grade necessary to cross the divide between Elk Run Creek and a small tributary to the Nishnabotna River.
In the Spring of 1882 another line was run where the present right-of-way now is as far as the east boundary line in Sec. 12 of Warren Township. It then ran nearly due west through Sections 12, 11, 10 & 9, then veered north west through sections 8, 5 & 6, when it changes again and takes a south-westerly direction back and joined what is now the main line, at the center of section 15 of Iowa Township in Crawford County. George R. Bennett who was surveyor at this time, helped to run part of this line and is the authority for its location. This survey, however, was abandoned also, as it brought the road too near the C & N. W. and also made it some longer although it presented a much better profile. The chief engineer was acting under instructions, that when he could shorten the route a mile at an extra expense of $35,000.00, to do so. Had it not been for the Guthrie Hills, the road would probably have run from ten to fifteen miles farther south than it now does. As it now stands, the last survey was the one finally adopted.
George Gray then transferred on the same day to the Western Town Lot Company the following: "commencing at the N.E. corner of the S.W. 1/4 of Sec. 17, T 82, R 36, running S. to the road bed of the C. M & St. P. R. R., thence W. to a point 50 ft. from center of the main line of I. S. W. R. R. bed, thence N. E. parallel with the last named road bed and 50 ft. distant from its center at all points, to N. line of said S. W. 1/4 of Sec, 17., T 82, R-36., thence E. along said line no place of beginning." The consideration of the conveyance from Jeffries to Gray was $3,800.00., and the consideration for the above described parcel of land by conveyance front Gray to the W. T. L. Co., was $1,500.00 the last transfer included everything between Center St., the C. M & St. P. R. R., and the I. S. W. R. R.
What a contrast between the value of the above described parcel of land then, and that of the present time. But a short time ago, a bare lot with a 25 ft. front was offered for sale at $1500, the owner refusing to consider an offer for less with any terms. This, if figured out, will make the land worth $ .50 per square foot, or $.0035 per square inch. Here is a problem: at 3 1/2 mills per square inch, what would one acre of Manning's most desirable land be worth?
Another line was run the same as above to Section 12 of Warren Township, there crossed the divide
between the two branches of the Nishnabotna River and followed the eastern branch
through Sections 7, 17, 20, 28 & 34 of Eden Township. Still another line was run around
north of Manning, through Section 16, and striking the present road bed about the N. E.
corner of Sec. 21.
These first two lines were abandoned as the C. M & St. P. had a
previous claim through the second survey; then to force the C. M & St. P. to pay them a
large bonus for the right to cross their line, the C. & N. W. started a line of survey at a
point near where the section line between sections 17 & 20 intersect it, and run in a
zig-zag manner so that the third line of the C. M & St. P. survey could not be run without
crossing the third of the C. & N. W's. survey nearly half a dozen times.
The C. M & St. P. Ry. Co was forced to pay the C & N. W. Co. $38.000 for the right of crossing the branch running to Kirkman which was already constructed. The C. & N. W. had wished to cause the C. M & St. P. more inconvenience and expense through the "Audubon Branch" of the Iowa South-western Rail Road. The C. & N. W. Co. thought by running a previous survey they could demand of the C. M. & St. P. a bonus for the right to cross. In this they were mistaken, for the strict interpretation of the law read the company that had laid a part of its road bed, another company was barred from crossing that part of the line that was in process of construction without paying a reasonable sum for the right, which crossing must be granted by the other company, for no company can prevent another from laying its road across theirs; although the company that is doing the crossing is liable for the damages incurred on the other company as well as a reasonable bonus; so on the 14th of May, 1881, the C. M & St. P. Ry. Co run a third survey which intersected the third survey of the C. & N. W.
The night of May, 14th. about three hundred men and teams, suddenly made their appearance and pitched their tents on the hill just west of town. They immediately set to designate the right of way, as laid out according to their third survey, and by morning there was several miles of way thus designated and the men commenced grading and laying the track.
By this bit of strategy the C. M. & St. P. Ry. Co. compelled the C. & N. W. to either straighten out their track or pay a heavy bonus, which was most gracefully conformed with, in the former requirements.
After the C. M. & St. P. had gained their right of way, the C. & N. W. decided that the curve
required to connect the "Audubon Branch" with the "Kirkman Branch" would be too small
at 300 feet, so concluded to make it 500 feet by making a junction about 250 feet north
of where the C. M. & St. P. intersected the Kirkman Branch." This necessitated their
crossing the C. M. & St. P's. right of way, and for which the latter charged the C. & N. W.
the same sum that the C. & N. W. had demanded of them for crossing the "Kirkman
Branch." So the C. M. & St. P. virtually crossed the C. & N. W. track without, as is usually
the case, having to pay a heavy bonus, although the latter had previous claim. The
" Audubon Branch" was built in 1882.
The notices were served on the above named officers the evening of September 26, 1882. This action on the part of the C. & N. W. aroused the antagonism of the entire town, which expressed its indignation by offering to draw up a mutual agreement to boycott the C. & N. W. Co. for two years. This threat, however, was never carried out.
This compelled the farmers living north and west to follow the section line roads cross the C. M. & St. P. and C. & N. W. and approach the town from the south. This refusal, again aggravated the people of Manning, who, in order to show their good will towards the C. M. & St. P. and to assist in securing a station and yards in the town and, possibly, to spite the C. & N. W., held a mass meeting, at which they took up a subscription to be due in nine months, and which was to take the place of the bond for $5,000, that the town had voted September 5th.
With this subscription as a basis, a
number of subscribers gave their individual notes and borrowed $3,000, which the
C. M. & St P. Ry. company accepted. The company then located their station and laid out
the freight yards. To show their indignation, the people of Manning entered into a compact,
by which nearly all of the business men bound themselves not to ship any goods or
produce over the C. & N. W. system for a period of one year, unless the C. & N. W. Ry.
company would consent to the withdrawal of the suit without further cost to the town.
The C. & N. W. Ry. company finally withdrew and the case was settled in June 1883. With
this ended the rail-road war between the two companies at this point.
The depot, freight yards, etc., of the C. & N. W. were constructed the summer of 1881, thus giving it the advantage of 11 months uncompeted traffic. The first trains were run over the road September 10, 1881. The cars used for passenger accommodation were common box cars with seats nailed to the sides and windows cut out above them.