Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1882-12-28

A VAST EATEgPBisk.

nAnY Punt lNIbIhAu0no0A
AvAsr ENTEgPsisE.
Abill is pending in Congress 70 al
Loo the Southern Pacific and other raii-
road companies to consolidate as ons
CORPORATION for the purpose OF owning
aod operating q transoontinental road
extending from the PasiAo to the Al
lantic. Those portions Of the Southern
Pacific which lie beyond the borders OF
California are chartered under tns
names, respectively, Of the southern
Pacific Of Arizona and the Southern ra
clio Of New Mexico. East Of II raso
the Southern Pacific line taxes III tue
Galveston. Harrisburg and San Antonio
R.ilro.d, and Morsau's Louisiana and
Texas. which carry it as far As New Or-
leans. The plans Of the Southern Pa
o;f,o syndicate are by no means limited
TO the ownership and operation OF a
road from San Francisco 70 New Or
leans, bat extend, as the bill referred
70 shows, to tho construction OF An all
rail route from ocean to ocean. This
qiQsstic scheme is almost completed,
for while Messrs. Stanford, Croker ana
their associates have been pushing tneir
work ON one side OF the continent
Huntington has been no less active on
the other. From vermillionvliie. La
ll5 miles from New Orleans. short
road il now building to the Mississippi
at Baton Rouge, which will obviate the
necessity of taking the business OF the
line destined for Eastern points as Tar
south a. New Orleans. The Mississippi
Valley road from Baton Rouge to Mem
phis forms the next link in the South
ern Pacific route. but this portion VIII
not be completed until some time during
tho coming year. At Memphis the Val
lev road intereects with the already
completed Chesapeake and Ohio sys-
tenn. over which trains are now running
TO Washington, Richmond and Fortress
Monroe. The Atlantic terminus Of the
system il to be at Newport News, on the
north side OF Hampton Roads, opposite
Norfolk, bat by tn i law of their exist
snos 10y which railroads are irresistibly
attracted to the great csnters OF traffic,
Il 10 plain that before many years the
Southern Pacific will secure runninp
rights over some Of tho northern roads
which will take it direct to Baltimore
Philadelphia and New York.
It is not stated how many Of the roads
forming part Of this great system will
ct once reincorporate with the Southern
Pacific, bat most Of them may be ex'
peoted to fall in before great while
The scheme il colossal one, and IT.
successful execution il as important an
event as the completion Of the Central
and Union Pacific. II 10 80 bold in CON.
oeption that il could only have BEEN car.
ried through TO success by the applica-
tion of almost unlimited means concer
trated In few hands. A road which
crosses great desert, runs for hundreds
Of miles through regions where the
TRAFFIC IN not sufficient to pay for axle
grease, and in another portion Of its
course competes With the Mississippi
River, would have been slow in build
ing II it, stock had had to be Aoated on
the markets Of this country or Europe.
New Orleans, instead of being the ter
minus Of the Southern Pacific, IL only q
halfway station, and though the bulk
ier portion Of tho California freight will
take'ship there for Europe, it in ques-
ton whether the Crescent City will de-
rive M much importance from this
source a. she expects. Railroads are
constantly growing better able to CON-
pete with water transportation, as the
saving in time becomes greater OBJ
jeot. and while a large part Of the cast
bound freight may stop at New Orleans,
the wsst-bound trafic will probably
continue to ooms mostly from the At.
lantic seaboard. Nevertheless, tho New
Orleans Tsmes- Democrat reports that
the Southern Pacific Company will put
on line Of steamers Of 500 to 1000 tons
burden between that city aud Liverpool.
OF course, when the Eastern rail con-
nections are finished. these steamers
may b run 10 Newport News, instead
Of the Crescent City. and it is an I'M
settled question as yet whether the
mouth of the Mississippi oan DO kept
open TO q depth to accommodate vessels
Of " large draught N these would be.
Ii any event, the Southern Pacific. with
IT, own lines Of steamers on tho two
oceans, can lay ono hand ON Europe and
NE other on Asia, and boast itself the
greatest Of transportation companies
shs world has ev.r sseu. From Liver.
pool to HonGkonR 10 243 degrees Of long
lsude. or more than two thirds Of the
~ the 0lo,,~ C Z, An