The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1878-09-26
OUT IN THE MOUNTAINS.
The Ration Mountains-COl. EIIiOtt,and
the American Desert-Enterprise of
the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe
r. R.-G-eater Need for a Railroad
on the send Parallel.
TRINIpAp. Coz. Semi. q IS7S
Correspondence Of the Citizen.

hlNIDAD, SOL., SSpt. 4, 1Ca Q.
What a strange, queer, wonder
full country is this southwestern
Kansas, Southeastern Colorado
and Northern New Mexico. Noun
tains, mineral fields, wooded parks,
naked plains, rivers with water and
some without, fertile valleys and
patches of barren desert! Just to
the south of me lies the uneven
range of the Ration mountains,
stretching into New Mexico; little
to the right runs Purgatory river
(well named on its way north TO
the Arkansas, while away to the
northwest rise the snow covered
peaks of the Rocky mountains,
whose wild heights and deep, dark
canons give to Colorado the appro-
pirate name of the Switzerland of
America"
COL. ELLIOTT AND THE AMERICAN
DESERT.
In reaching this point l passed
over a portion of the Kansas Pacific
and in Western Kansas and East
ern Colorado, came upon a district
where Col. r. S. Elliott undertook
seven or eight years ago, as Indus
trial Agent of that road, to prove
shat the ''Great American Desert"
as printed on the old school maps
was myth. For about two hun
dred miles across a district that
seemed destined to perpetual steril-
ity, he planted trees, sowed differ
ent kinds of grain and grass seeds,
stirring the surface well with a
plow, cultivating carefully and
trusting to the heavens for mois-
ture. His trust was not in vain,
and the result of his labors proved
beyond cavll that millions of acres
in that so-cssled barren desert,
could be transformed into excellent
stock farms without the aid of irri
CATION. The upturned soil and
growing trees, grain and vegetables,
all aided in restoring moisture, and
turning "a dry and thirsty land
where no water is' into pastures
for flocks and herds, grain folds
and shady groves. The Kansas
Pacific never did a wiser thing
than when they engaged him to
solve this problem, and never made
a greater mistake than when they
allowed him to turn his genius to
other enterprises. The consumma-
tion of this work would have trans
formed deserts into great and opu-
lent States.
OF THE A. t. & S. F. R. K.
But l did not commence this let
ter to write especially about scenery,
to speak Of a railroad enterprise
whose managers are so full of pluck
and perseverance that they remind
one of the fast times of ten years
ago. The Atchison, Topeka and
Santa Fe Railroad will be compile
ted to this point within a few days,
making nearly 500 miles of railway
from Atchison, trending southwest
via Topeka to the Arkansas, thence !
up the rich valley of that river to
La Junita Las Vegas and Albuquer-
que in New Mexico. There the |
route touches the 35th parallel on
the old line surveyed for the exten-
sion of the late Atlantic and Pacific |
from St. Louis to the Pacific coast. |
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa
Fe, has now changed it's general |
name to the Kansas, Colorado and |
New Mexico railway, and while it is
an important branch |
westward into the San Juan mining
district, It's main line is being |
pushed Southwest toward Albu |
luerque which TIE company expect
TO reach by the close of 1889. |
From that point to Fort Yuma is
about five hundred miles and they
have contracted with the Southern I
Pacific of California (Huntington's
road } to meet them at Albuquerque.
5REATER NEED OF THE TEXAS PACIFIC.
While this road-supposing it
20 be completed-Vi ill have plen-
" to do in developing the mineral
wealth of Colorado and Northern
New Mexico and Arizona. and the
agricultural resources of the coun-
Try along the valley of the Arkan
sas and other streams, it cannot |
supply the need of a great open
highway through the Southwest
near the Mexican border. Nay it
will make the building of the Tex
rs Pacific a more imperative neces-
sity than ever.
If the road should be completed /
to the Pacific upon the
plan named, 1t would still be Hunt
ngton railroad tarred with the same
stick that has made the present Pa
;ific railroad-the Union and Cen
5ral Paciic-an abomiLation in /
5he eyes of the whole country. As
5he road would be mostly con
structed by Boston capital, Yankee
thrift would not be shocked at the /
dea of charging two or three pri-
,es for transportation. and so the
monopoly and extortlon
# the present Pacific line would
simply be doubled in extent and
III blIDt. ne uu2e ana !
,onda of Jay Gould, Huntington &
20. whose head now rests in New
York and the convolutIons of
whose hody reach across the con
.inent and down to Fort Yuma,
would have its tail squirmiug1
lbout Bunker Hill monument.-t
There could be no competition for
traffic, forthe inter
st would be the same, and no rich
has ever been known to
sacrifice itself for the good of the
PEOPLE If the present monopoly
inds it desirable to charge $2,4OO
or transporting a ton ton car load
# merchandise across the CONT
Ient, the double geared monopoly
night find it necessary to double
his amognt, in order to make
iberal divide, and so the burdens
Ipon inland commerce would be in
reased instead of lightened. III
he Kansas Colorado and New Mex