Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-04-25
A Network Of Railroads.

To the greater portion Of the people
Of the United States. the immense tract
Of territory lying between the Rocky
Mountains and the Sierra Nevada Is
almost sealed book. Nevada, on the
east slope Of the Sierras, il known for
its famous silver mines, and Utah has
an unpleasant notoriety - place
where man may legally possess an in
definite number of wives but except
ing sonas central points in these Terri
tories, the region lying between those
two great ranges OF mountains is very
little known. The region to which we
refer is about one thousand miles wide
from East to West, and six hundred
from North to South. The Central
Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads
cross the Continent little south Of the
forty.second parallel of latitude, and
the Southern Pacific and Texas Pacific
route touches the thirty second degree
in its most southern detection. Avery
lively fight is now going on for the pos
session OF one or two passes, which
command the lines of travel through
this region. The contestants are the
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Rail.
road Company on one side, and the
Denver and Rio Grande Railroad Com
pany on the other. The purpose in
either Gaze is to build railroad cross
ing the country diagonally and connect
ing with the Southern Pacific or Texas
Pacific, whichever may build along the
twenty-second parallel of latitude.
A glance at the map shows Atchison
and Kansas Cities in the eastern extrem-
ity Of the State OF Kansas, both being
connected by one line with the Union
Pacific. The Atchison, Topeka and
Santa Fe has branches from Atchison
and Kansas Cities to Topeka, in the In
terror of Kansas, where the two branches
unite. This line then continues on to
Pueblo, about $50 miles west of the
Mississippi, and 100 due south of Den
yer, the capital Of Colorado. The Den
yer and Rio Grande narrow-guage rail-
road extends from Denver through
Pueblo to Trinidad, ninety miles south
of Pueblo. South of Trinidad is ROTOR
Pass, claimed by the Atchison, Topeka
and Santa Fe Company and also the
Denver and Rio Grande Company. A
correspondent of the Denver Tribune
says the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe
Company have taken possession Of Rotor
Pass, and in so doing have crowded out
their narrow-guage rival. They have
commenced on 2000-foot tunnel, and
are grading at different points. The
understanding is that they propose to
connect by this route with the Southern
Pacific as the latter company builds
east. It will at least connect with
Santa Fe, their present proposed south
ern terminus. This city, little north
of the centre of New Mexico, bids fair
to be q great railroad centre. 1t is q
little south of the seth parallel of lati-
tude, and south of middle line be-
tween the Central and Union Pacific
route and the Southern Pacific route.
The mountain passes centre all routes
at that point, from which it is supposed
branches will extend easterly and west
erly connecting with the Southern
Pacific in Arizona and with the Texas
Pacific in Texas. There is, then, a
prospect that within short period OF
time this almost unknown interior will
be crossed with railroad lines. The
distance between Kansas City to con.
venient point of intersection on the
Southern Pacific line, in Arizona. is
about the same as between New York
n~I Ny,saa~o