The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-01-08
THE ATCHIsON, topeka G. SANTA FE R. r.

THE ATCHIs0N, TOPEKA G. SANTA FE R. 4
Like the great Rock Island road, spoken O
IN our last, the Atchlson, Topeka and SAINT
Fc is railroad system of It's own, belonging
to no Jay Could, Vanderbilt or other comb
nation, but owned from beginning to end b.
one set ot stockholders and cot trolled by on
directory. OF all the railroad systems IN tn,
country, this has been the most daring in ii
undertakings and the most astonishing IN it
achievements. Commencing some eight year
ago, few bold Boston capitalists conceived
the project Of RAINING a railroad from Atchi
son. then small town on the Missouri river
through sparsely settled country to Topeka
in Kansas. This paying but poorly, and III
stock selling tor Q cents on the dollar, It ven
turcd to make bid for the Texas cattle trad,
and run n branch to Wichita, towards the Tex
as Dor Ter This did better, and Its one train &
day with one passenger coach carrying doz
EN- or two OF passengers began rapidly to dou
bic up. Then II rich land grant in Kansa,
induced it to construct branches to make it,
dHbS dNdlldDlt. mus u was run u
Manhattan, another to Howard, another to
Lyons, and then others to Arkansas City, Cald'
well and Anthony, on the border of the forbid
den Indian territory Branches were also built
to Leavcnworh and Kansas City. All these
did SO well that in about 1876 the question WAS
submitted to the management IN Boston wheth.
err to stop where they were or to strike out
boldly up the beautiful and fertile, but wholly
unnhabitcd valley of the Arkansas, and pierce
Colorado After duly celebrating on 1t, the
directory told their general superintendent,
Mr.. WIN. Is. Strong, to go ahead. In an in
credlbly short time the long leap of some three
or four hundred miles from Newton to Grana.
da on the Colorado border was made. But tins
was only striking Point no Point and il
wouldn't do to stop here. So the road was
next opened to Pueblo and as by thus time
Georgetown, Leadvile and other important
mining points IN Colorado had blossomed out,
it was proposed next to proceed to open up
Colorado by a network of branches from
Pueblo But after securing a connection with
Denver and few other points, the courts Of
Colorado decided that none but their own mar
row gauge ten cents . mile lines could have a
right Of way in that state, and the cheap four
cents mile lines of the A., Il. IL 5. T. were
driven out. Thus checked in Colorado, and
chated by inactivity, manager Strong sat down
like another Alexander and sighed Tor new
worlds to conquer AS a result" says the
Chicago Times, from long article in which
we have mainly condensed the above facts
There soon dawned upon the west that Il
new route to the Pacific was in contemplation.
The Southern Pacific, of California, and its
extensions, pushed quietly but swiftly east
ward. The Texas Pacific moved with slow,
uneven steps to meet 1t, and junction was
expected to be formed somewhere in the dim
and distant future. At this juncture, the
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe magnates in
Boston again gave Mr. Strong the signal to go
ahead and he went. 1t became apparent that
at a given date-vIZ., about Feb. |, lSSl-theI
Southern Pacific line would reach Florida
Pass, in southwest New Mexico. True, six
bundled miles separated the nearest station on
the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe-La Junta
from Florida Pass True, the Ration noun
tains had to be tunneled to get south, and sew
eral hundred million cubic yards of rock and
earth had to be generally gotten out Of the way
OF the locomotive; but these obstacles appear.
ed to the AtChison, Topeka and Santa Fe but
as passing incidents Of railway experience.
To-day these difficulties are all conquered, and
tomorrow there will come into existence anew
line to San Francisco; beautiful line, free
of snow all the year round; a line that runs
through the garden of Kansas, through the
of Colorado, through the fertileI
New Mexican valley of the Rio Grande,
through the golden fields Of Arizona the or
ange groves of southern California and even.
tually to the City Of the Golden Gate. To-
northern portions of California the distance IS
some greater, and to southern portions much
less, than by the Union and Central Pacific
The fares to San Francisco will be the same |
and the difference of time between the two
routes little If anything. In another direction
southwest from the junction point with the
Pacitc-the Atchison, Topeka and
Santa Fc company are building TO meet the
Sonora railroad, which is being pushed rapid.
ly northwest from Guaymas, on the Gulf Of
California. This line will render the Atchison,
Topeka and Santa Fc nearly fifteen hundred
miles the shorter route from Chicago to Aus
tralia, besides the consideration OF opening upl
the rich mines and other resources Of the Mexl''
can state of Sonora In still another direction
the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railroad !
with the St Louis and San Francisco railway
is building directly west from Albuquerque
across northern Arizona to San Diego and San
Francisco Lastly should be mentioned the
line to FL Paso on the TexasMexico border,
with possible further extension to the City
of Mexico"
But does all this apparent recklessncss in
railroad construction pay? We should re.
mark The stock which for several years was
quoted at and cts, on the eastern stock
boards now stands at 146 Evidently some
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railroad is to-
day power in the land, but TO quote again
from the Times mild and benefccnt one. IL
pets instead of squeezing its land grant set