The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1880-03-10
4 SUNSET ROUTE.
The New Orleans and Pacific Short
Line.
A Real Southern Pacific Railway-Tt
San Francisco via San Antonio
and Ell Paso.
The Development Of the South and the En-
couragement Of Commercial Rela-
tions with Mexico.

couragement Of Commercial Rela-
tions with Mexico.
In former issue OF the DEMOCRAT refer
ence has been made to the proposed extension
OF the Pierce Railway (popularly known as
/ the UBunset Route, from Sun Antont, to El
| Paso, where It will meet and connect with the
Southern Pacific Tor Huntingdon road, now
being rapidly built eastward from San Fran
cisco. This connection being made at El Paso,
and the gap between Vermllonville and Lake
Charles closed up will form the shortest con-
tinuous railway line, within our territory, be-
tween the two oeenns. According to state
ment made by Mr. r. s. Spofford, attorney
for the Sunset Route, to q representative of
the Boston Herald, the distance from San
Francisco to New Orleans by this line will be
240O miles, or some 900 miles shorter than
from San Francisco to New York vln the
Union and Central Pacific railroads, and With
the completion Of the contemplated branch to
| San Diego the distance between the two oceans
will have been shortened more than 1900
miles In favor Of New Orleans. Mr.. Spotford
says II a transcontinental line Ia ever to play
any part In Eastern com merce,a popular antic.
ipation never realized, 1t must be- by The South
ern Pacific line, and that alone, as well for the
reason that 1t Is shortest III distance as for the
reason that New Orleans is to become again
great commercial city, where there will
always be found q merchant and steam ma
rine ready to supplement their eoid freghts
OF the great staples Of the Mississippi valley
and the Southwest with the lighter or meas
urement freight OF China and japan. Mr..
Spofford says that the tables show that the
great volume OF traffic to which the success
OF the Union and Central Pacific railroads is
due is intermediate or way business, less
than 35 per cent being through business.
This disparity between the way and terminal
business he attributes to the commercial
ineligibility OF the present line as great
national highway, from Its extent, its cost Of
maintenance It's climate and other draw
backs. A different result will, he thinks, be
secured with the completion Of the road from
the Pacific to the Gulf OF Mexico ct New Or
leans, thus linking the two oceans on the
shortest line. The East and West, the At
lantic and Pacific States, stand toward each
other In position Of mutual dependence.
The products Of the Pacific are those OF which
need, and especially those OF the Atlantic
seaboard. The Pacific States demand In re-
turn the products OF our Industrial and manu-
featuring skill. For. rich as California is In
her mineral resources, having been able to
dispatch to the East In a single year the I'm
mense amount OF S48. .0O0, 900 in gold and sill
YER, she is richer still In the extent and va
riety Of her other products. For example,
her wheat product for the year 1876 was
larger than that OF any other State, aggre-
eating 10000. 600 bushels-10,00 1000 bushels
more than Ohio or Indiana, twice the number
OF bushels raised by Michigan, Wisconsin or
Missouri. So OF her barley product for the
same year; she led all Of the other States In
the Union with an aggregate OF nearly 12,000.
600 bushels-3 O0O.0 coo more than New York,
five times as much as Illinois, twice the crop
OF Iowa. With wool product second only
to Ohio, product Of wine aud fruit whereof
the value Of the former for 1876 was estimated
at $4,000 900, and Of the latter at s. 500, 900; o
large and expanding silkworm culture; q
constantly increasing product of fruit and
wine, with varied and extensive fisheries and
facilities for curing and canning In immense
quantities both fruit and fish. Mr.. Spofford
thinks that with the completion of the
Southern Pacific Railway the wheat and
, other staples OF the Pacific coast des-
tined for domestic and foreign markets
will find shipment at New Orleans.
He says that this has been the grand object
and spur OF the prom oters OF this enterprise
from the beginning, and that they have as an
auxiliary enterprise the establishment OF
steam freight and passenger lines, by which
freights are to be moved In volume ana at
rates hitherto unwitnessed. while the tide OF
European emigration will be thereby turned
toward the fertile plains and valleys OF the
Southwest, to the rich mining fields OF Arl-
zona and New Mexico. thus to develop the
country and to augment the business, both
through and local, Of the Southern Pacific
quantities OF crude ore and bullion Will be-
forwarded for reduction, going In ballast or
! at mere nominal freight. The saving OF a
. thousand miles tells the story. Besides, there
is a momentum now which our commercial
, intercourse with Mexico has never before
known, thanks to the liberal policy OF both
governments, and 1t Is along this line via San
Antonio that the great Staples Of Mexico and
, Of Texas, an empire Ia herself, hardly as yet
passed the infancy OF her development, their
= cotton, coffee, wheat, wool, hides, cattle, are
9 to find transportation, as we'll as the return
freights Of merchandise destined for the sup
ply both OF Western Texas and Northern
> Mexico. Already with the opening o1
rail communication to San Antonio, the
d trade with Northern Mexico has received a
9. marked impetus. When 1t is stated as a fact
4 that the San Antonio line is receiving and de-
- - liverng freight-not occasonally-not In In.
. frequent and exceptional instances, but with
8 considerable reguiarity-which Is hauled BY
It oxen and mules from 700 to 900 miles, the
9 crude ore and bullion, the hides, wheat anC
4 wool, of Northern Mexico, for which otl
o manufactured products are returned, there is
! : abundant room for reflection In that single
Z. statement. This Is matter OF far more I'm
= portance to the United States than to Meyi
co. and must continue to beso as long ae, tn {
total commerce with that country, which has