The Phoenix herald. (Phoenix, Maricopa County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1879-1882, 1879-05-07

! iOUa OF ali Inc lerillOrleS- ne I'M
/ porlance Of the railroad business in
this section OF the country is shown
by the fact, that although but one
railroad, and That recently, has touch
ed Arizona, five arc now pointed to-
ward Tucson, its principal city Ar
! iona and New Mexico were once Il
part of Old Mexico, and about them
still clusters much of the romance
of that former glory and departed
grandeur which Prescott has immor-
talizcd The region gives evidence
of once having supported Il vast pop
ulation, and though the people at
present native to the soil are barbar-
GUS MeXicans Of Spanish descent
and lI5,lF civilized Indians, natural
wealth lies on every hand. The val
lcys are adapted to grazing and the
richer portions to agriculture, while
/ the mountains lock up incstimable
wealth in gold, silver and copper.
The products OF Arizona mines have
been sent over the Atchison road,
being carted nine hundred miles to
reach it.
For the through business to China
and Japan this lower route will have
some advantages over the northern
lines, aside from It's freedom from
snow in winter. The harbor of San
Diego, reached without gree at difficult
ty from Arizona, is the best on the
California coast south of San Fran
cisco. 1t is Il small lantI-locked lake
with deep-watcr entrance The
surrounding country has climate of
even temperature, pronounced the
finest Oh the globe. This point is
31j4 miles from New York via the
AtchIs0n roads, whIie San Francisco
is 1919 miles distant from New York
via the Union Pacific coad But the
great advantage this southern line
viii have la its cost and consequent
interest bearing debt. While the
Union and Central Pacific roads are
bonded for from seventy five TO
eighty thousand dollars per mil
the New Mexico s. Southern Pacific
will cost, it IS calculated, but IRON
eighteen TO twenty-five thousand
dollars per mile The Mexican road
through the Sonora valley, awaiting
Massachusetts legislation, has not
yet been med But its managers
have SECURED for it valuable privileges
including an exemption from taxa /
ton for ten years and land grant of
twenty-thrcc thousand acres per mile /
of road, to be selected from the unoc- .
cupied land of the country The /
land grant now stands in the names
of Robert r. Symon of New York,
a gentleman at present in charge of
the Mexican Government minis, and
Mr. Ferguson, Mexican, both of
whom will enter into joint owner
ship with the Atchison people. The
terms of the grant may vet be chang
ed by the Government to a certain
sum of money. How soon this rail
road will be completed cannot now
be stated, but there will be no avoid
able delay in its location and con
struction. Work will begin as soon
as the charter is secured. At the
present time our southern ncIghbor
with Il population of nine millions,
has no connection with the states or
and but'three hundred and
sixty miles of territory within her
own territory. Sonora is fertile .
ricultural district raising Il large VA
riety of products i'll her warm coast.
inland and mountainous
districts Portions of her soil
readily yield two crops n year, and
he products of our Southern states
cotton, tobacco and sugar cane
flourish here, as well rs wheat, corn
md potatoes. II is the only region
IN the west where anthracite coal,
which commands a high price in
California cities, can be mined But
Is chief value lies i'll its mineral
wealth. There are few farms in Sono-
Il that do not show traces of ore de
1osits, but the American machin-
r such as is used in the mines Of
Nevada and California is needed 10
work the veins. Still in 1870 there
we're one Shundred and forty-four
mines worked in the State, though
here were but one hundred and nine
thousand inhabitants At the same
ime 5e3 productive mines were re-
ported abandoned. The chief exports
# Sonora arc gold, silver, hides, pep
,er, gum, four aal cigars.
Within five years and probably
ooner, will the Atchison roads nave
pened to trade and settlement the
outhern territories and northern !
Iexico, carrying the arts and indus
RES OF the civilization of today into
he mountains and valleys of the
'lerras, once peoplcd with nations
has werc old when the American
oIoaic3 we're young and bringing ,,
or1h wealth to the North and to the
CASTE. =. ;Straiae in he Boston