Los Angeles daily herald., 1874-10-16
Encouraging Prospects,

ern PaclEc RalIroau, are now In TINS
city. They arrived yesterday, having
come down from San Francisco ovel
the Southern Pacific road. The visit
of these railroad powers is fraught
with good for Southern California,
One of the purposes in hand is the
final location of the road from Bakers
field to San Fernando. This matter
has already been definitely settled fol-
nearly the entire distance. The order
has already been issued for the imme-
diate construction of another section
of twenty miles south of Bakersfield.
This will complete the road to the
head of the San Joaquin valley and
the eastern end of the Tehachape Pass
and leave but 98 miles Of staging be-
tween the two ends of the track. We
understand that it is the purpose OF
the railroad company to so arrange
their timetable that the entire stage
route will be passed over in daylight.
The train will leave San Francisco at
O'Clock in the afternoon and arrive
at the end of the track at o'clock in
the morning. BY or s o'clock in the
evening the passengers will reach the
cars at San. Fernando, ami an hour
later they will be in this city. The
whole distance between San Francisco
and Los Angeles will be made in
twenty-eight or thirty hours. 1t is the
purpose of the company to close up
the gap and give us continuous rail
from city to city as rapidly as money
and men will do the work. The gen.
tlemen named at the head of this ar
ticle will, visit Wilmington to-day
for the purpose of inaugurating meas
ures for increasing the facilities for q
more rapid handling of freight at that
point. Whether channel will be
eXcavated, as proposed by General
BoSCHKE, or the wharf extended to
deep water, will be determined by in
vestigation. To meet the demands of
the present, the wharf now in use will
be enlarged, the fleet of lighters in
creased, and one of the steamers
decked over with canvas for the better
protection of passengers while passing
to and from the large steamers. Both
Mr.. CRoCKER and General COTTON
express an anxiety to afford the full
est accommodations to shippers and
travellers. The Anaheim branch will
receive attention, and possibly an
order may be issued for continuation
Of the road to the heart of the rich To-
cality beyond Anaheim. The party
will visit Spadra, and perhaps travel
over the line of the road from its pres
ent terminus to and through Cor
gonia Pass. 1t is not promised but we
should not be surprised to hear that
the company had decided to push the
road on to the Pass during next Sum
mer. If fifty or sixty miles more of
track were added to that already built
all the freight and passengers to and
from Northern Arizona would pass
over the road and through this city.
The two Vice-Presidents- CROCK
Err and General COTTON - will devote
the greater portion of their time and
energy to pushing forward the rail-
road interests of Southern California.
The task could notb be entrusted to two
more wide. awake, thorough going
men. Both fully realize the advan-
tages which will result to the public
and the company from an early COM
pletion of railroad communication be-
tween Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The long stretch of nearly 800 miles
of road now completed does not
pay Interest on the cost of
the spikes that hold down the rails.
The road runs out of San Francisco
but it does not go anywhere.
Its passenger traffic is next to nothing
and its freight business might be done
with hand-car. A completion of the
road to Los Angeles will change all
this for the better. The passenger
travel now going by sea will change
over to the railroad and increase three
and perhaps five fold. Thousands of
tourists and visitors from the East
who come to San Francisco would like
to visit Los Angeles city and valley,
but they will not travel by stage and
they dread sea voyage. All these
will travel by rail, when the rail is
ready for them. A large quantity of
way and through freight would pass
over the road. The road will add
thousands to the population of this
part of the State every year and this
will increase the business of the road.
The track will be completed to the
eastern end of Tehachape Pass by the
first of January, and if arrangements
are made, as the company propose, to
pass travellers over the 98 miles Of
staging by daylight, we may reasona-
bly, expect considerable portion of
travel by way of the railroad. The
good time coming for which the peo-
pie of this and San Bernardino c0un-
ties have so long been looking, APP
pears to be almost here. The visit of
Mr.. CRoCKER and General COTTON