Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1880-05-20
NEW RAILROAD SCHEME.
Surveyor General Hatch Before a Stock.
ton Audience.
THE PROPOSITION TO CONSTRUCT A MAR
ROW GAUGE IN OPPOSITION TO THE
CENTRAL PACIFIC.
Ex.speaker CASTOR on the situation

Zens met in one OF the Superior Court
TO consider the question of a mar
row gauge railroad from Stockton to some
point in the State of Nevada. Al. Hatch,
Surveyor General Of Nevada, and H. A.
Castor, author Of a book called 1.-The Lit
tie Lawyer" and Speaker Of the last As
sembly of Nevada, were present. A. @.
Paulsell was elected Chairman of the meet
ing, and Z. L.. Colnon Secretary. Mr..
Hatch hung up a map of the Pacific States
and Territories, by the aid Of which he ex-
planned to those present the narrow gauge
railroad system Of Nevada, now built and
projected. Many Of the roads surveyed,
and which will be built the coming sum
mer, will extend north into Idaho, north
west into California, and east into Utah.
Several lines are projected in the western
portion Of Nevada, which could be easily
connected with the outlet to the sea, pro-
posed in the road from Nevada to Stock
ton. Mr.. Hatch said he was not there to
further any personal interests OF his own
or anybody else's. What the people of Ne
vada wanted was q narrow gauge railroad
connecting with their home roads, and
leading to ONE center of AS
they are situated now they are
SLAVES OF THE @. P. R. R.
This road discriminates against them all
the time because it has a monopoly Of
transportation, and the people cannot help
themselves. To illustrate a car load Of
freight from New York to San Francisco
costs $500; from New York to Winnie
mucca, in Nevada, it costs 5000. Yet Win
nemucua is 500 miles nearer to New York,
on the line OF the road, than San Francisco
is. The people of Nevada want to throw
of this yoke. If they had any other line
to patronize, the Central Pacific would
never get a dollar Of their money. There
fore, as a State officer of Nevada, and a
property holder there. he had COM to
Stockton to make certain representations
to the people here, which he thought was
as much to their advantage as to the ad-
vantage Of Nevada or anybody in it. AL
though he was a surveyor and a civil engi-
neer, it must not be inferred that he might
ant a job to survey some new line. He
would have nothing to do with the survey
ing, or with anything else connected with
the enterprise, beyond furthering it in a
general way.
NO oNE REQUIRED.
Nor did be come to Stockton to ask the
people to subscribe money to build a rail-
road. No money would be necessary, az
he would explain: certain New York CAPT
~talists, who are building a narrow-gauge
road south through Nevada to Columbus,
are anxious to have an outlet this way, so
as to increase their business. They have
plenty Of money, and are willing to use it
or loan it. They would prefer, instead Of
building a road themselves from Nevada to
Stockton, to have the people here do it
with their money, which they would loan
at from five to six per cent. per annum
The reason of this is because, if the people
are interested, they will endeavor to get
business for the road and prevent adverse
legislation, should any be attempted.
Either of these would be difficult for East
ern men to do, especially with the earnest
opposition they would experience from the
Central Pacific Company. Authorized
agents of the New York syndicate had in
structed him to make this proposal. 1t
seemed to hin that the people Of Stockton
at present occupy the position which Stan
ford, Croker * Co. occupied when they
commenced building what was then called
the Atlantic d Pacific Railroad-they had
an opportunity to build q railroad with
other peoples money and finally W it
when it pays for itself.
THE PROBABLE COST.
1t would take, he thought, about 81. 000,-
900 to build the road. all which could be
paid back out of the profits Of the business
in two years. The Virginia & Truckee
Railroad, which is a broad-gaage and was
a most expensive road to build, paid for
itself the first year. The Eureka d Pail
SADIE road, which is q narrow-gauge, has
paid for itself over n over every year
since it was first built. There is no reason
why the proposed line from Stockton to
Nevada should not have one-half as
much business as the lines mentioned.
1t might have just as much. The
country to be traversed was full of devel-
oped and undeveloped resources, while
the development Of Nevada had but just
commenced. The supplies for that
whole region would naturally be
drawn from Stockton, because they could
be got here, or should be got here as cheap
as anywhere else, while the cost of trans
portation by a narrow-gauge railroad is
one-third less than by any other. Stock
ton, in short, would be the marketing place
for a greater area Of country than any
other interior city on the Pacific coast
could, by any possibility, supply. All the
cattle, he thought Mr.. Hatch is, himself,
one of Nevada's heaviest cattle men-Ed. |,
shipped from Nevada to San Francisco,
would come by the narrow-gauge road, as
the cost of transportation would be SO
much less, and as Stockton is the natural
point for the cattle market Of the coast. 1t
remained for the people to say whether they
would organize and build this road, or not.
The narrow-gauge road now being built
from Reno to Bodie, was on the plan he had
proposed for this road-by money furnished
from New York, secured by mortgages on
the road. The narrow-gauge. road from
Battle Mountain to Austin, a distance OF 80
miles, had been built by the people OF the
little town Of Austin, on borrowed money,
entirely. The estimated distance hence to
to the point Of connection with the narrow
gauge system OF Nevada, was about 1874
miles.
OTHER REMARKS.
Mr.. CASTOR made a few remarks on the
resources Of that portion of Nevada to be
tapped by the proposed road, and also
about the railroad system of Nevada, broad
and narrow-gauge and the oppression of
the Central Pacific Company. Mr.. CASTOR
was Speaker of the Nevada Assembly last
winter, when the railroads of the State
were pretty thoroughly hauled over the
Goals. He dwelt upon the important fact
that the people OF Nevada are everlastingly
down on the Central Pacific Railroad, and
would not patronize it a dollars worth, II
there was any other line for them to travel
on or receive their freight by.
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Mining Locations.
The following claims have been recorded