Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-12-09
RAILWAY SYSTEMS
Of the Great State OF
California.
THE PRESENT AND FUTURE.
Grand Developments Now In
Progress = Others Begun
or Projected.

1VSAtos' OeAAN-o 49,
or Projected.
California has at last ia irly joined in
the race of material development and is
now the scene of great tivity in railway
construction, with much more soon to
be inaugurated. Hitherto its progress
has been slow compared with its dimer.
sions and possibilities. For ten years ITS
increase in railway mileage has averaged
only about 100 miles per year, although
it is true that this growth was contin.
ually in advance of the growth OF popu.
lation. At the beginning of the present
year, although second in area OF all the
States and Territories only by
Texas-California was fourteenth in
respect to railway mileage. Comprising
the enormous domain of l5S, 800 square
miles it had only 3,042 miles of railway,
or almost exactly the combined mileage
of Massachusetts and little rock and ice.
bound New Hampshire, whose aggregate
area is only IL, $40 square miles. or about
one ninth the size OF California.
But the day of the Pacific coast
country has arrived and California, with
its uneaualled climate and its great hor-
ticultural, agricultural and mining pos
sibllities, has shaken off the semi-tropic
languor which has characterized the his
tory of its southern portion especially.
and is now rapidly increasing in popula'
ton and in the accompanying. evidences
of growth.
The Southern Pacific Company, the
uioneer whose enterprise and courage
first opened the long stretch Of wilder
ness from San Francisco eastward over
the Sierra Nevada, and southwark to
and across ths trackless deserts of Cali.
forpia and Arizona, and thus inaugu.
rated the prosperity which is now so
rapidly increasing, is pushing out in
further development of its great terri.
tory. 1t has driven line northward
through the mountains of Shasta and
Siskiyou counties almost to the Oregon
boundary, aud is pushing a line south
ward from San Francisco along the
coast range to intersect its main line
near Los Angeles, while several shorter
branches and feeders are under way.
Meantime the Atchison, Topeka &
Sauto Fe, the other great system which
il now dividing the business of Califor-
mia with its powerful rival, is not con-
tent with having its own line to San
Diego and with enjoying joint facilities
with the Southern Pacific to Los Angeles
and San Francisco. Under the charter
Of the California Southern it is now
pushing q branch westerly to Los An.
geles and evidently will extend it di-
rect to the coast, about twelve miles dis.
tan. 1t is also apparently preparing to
build branch from Anaheim south
sixth miles, to interssct the main line at
San Diego, thus greatly shortening the
distance from that place to Los Angeles
as we'll as avoiding the heavy grades
and expensive curves of that portion OF
the California Southern line through
Temecula cafion. Work has also been
begun 10 the same interest on branch
from San Bernardino westward, north
of and parallel to the Southern Pacific,
to los Angeles, distance of about sixty
miles, by way of the rich San Gabriel
valley, and passing through Pasadena
and the other growing suburbs in that
region. This line will parallel the Los
Angeles L San Gabriel Valley road now
in operation from Los Angeles about
twenty.one miles. unless the latter is ab-
sorbed by the Atchison company, which
seems quite likely. Under the title of
Pacific Atlantic, a company has just
been incorporated to build road from
. point opposite San Francisco down
the San Joaquin valley between the two
lines of the Southern Pacifi to Bakers
field, distance of 3l5 miles. This last
point is about sixty miles from Mojave,
the present terminus of the Atlantic &
Pacific Railway, and it would not be
strange if the enterprise was intende
for the purpose of eventually extending
the latter road, and bring the Atchson
Topeka 4 Santa Fe, by its own track
into San Francisco, making it more di-
rect com mpetitor of the Southern Pacific.
All these great enterprises, and Others
of lesser magnitude in progress or pro.
posed, are causing a rapid development
of the region along the Pacific coast
which until recently has lain almost un.
inhabited and apparently unadapted to
sustain large population, but which is
constantly growing more and more pro-
ductive as efforts are made to develop
the hidden resources of nature. Thus
far during 1856 over 200 miles of track
have been laid in California upon ten
different lines, and work is in progress
or will soon be commenced ON as many
more roads, while several other enter
prises have been projected. Although
from the nature of the country railways
eau never be as numerous in this State
rs in Illinois or Kansas, still they will
steadily increase in numbers and extent.
and from total population, at last GEN.
sus, Of oply 665. 600, California will soon
become the home of many millions.
1t is now reasonably certain that the
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad
Company will extend its main line from
Kansas City to Chicago, and thus CON-
plets continuous system from Lake
Michigan to the Pacific coast. The dis
tance from Chicago to San Diego over its
own lines will be about 1920 miles, and
from Chicago to San Francisco-to
reach which city this company has run
ming powers over the Southern Pacific
Railroad for the last 3S2 miles-about
1855 miles, making much the longest
continuous distance upon the lines of any
one railway company in the world. The
charter of the Atchisop, Topeka & Santa
Fe Company under the name of the Chi
cago, Kansas & Western Railroad Com.
pany Of Illinois. indicates two alterna-
tive lines from either Keokuk or Fort
Madison to Chicago; also a line from
GaIesburg southeast by the way of Peo-
ria to the east line of the State; another
from near Galesburg north to Rock Island
and another to Muscatine, Iowa. ALI