The Lincoln County leader. [volume] (White Oaks, Lincoln County, N.M.) 1882-189?, 1888-04-14
From the FL Pase Times,
A True History of the White Oaks
Railroad.

, | n y
Railroad.
Having the positive facts at our com
mand we desire to honor all those 10
! whom honor is due in this now ripening
enterprise Of the railroad to White Oaks,
and therefore we will give concise and
true history of the whole affair. which
will prove interesting and will at the same
time confirm euI statement that the
Southern Pacific is behind the present
contractors who will commence the con
struction as soon as the money is ready.
In the year 1882 the first charter was
procured by the following named gentle
men to build railway to the White Oaks
country: Judge B. H. Davis, General l.
F. Harrison. Colonel George Noble, Judge
j. F Crosby, G.. r. Morehead, Joseph
Magoflin, w. J. Fswel. Charles Davis, S.
II. Newman and two or three others in
New Mexico. the names not now remem-
bered.
Colonel George Noble made critical
examinstlon of the line from III Paso to
White Oaks and the resources of the
country along said line and soon after the
orgaization, accompanied by General Har-
rison, Colonel Baylor and Charles Davis,
returning to FL Paso he determined to 90
to Philadelphia and present the project to
Mr.. Scott and other railway men of that
city, which he did, but failing to enlist
them in it, he went over to New York
where he met Governor John G.. Brown,
then general solicitor for the Gould sYs-
TEN including the Texas & Pacific rail
road. Governor Brown was a joint own
er with Colonel Noble in a large amount
of property in Ell Paso, After consuts
| ton they concluded to lay the project be-
fore the Texas 81 Pacific directors then in
session and which Governor Brown had
gone there to attend. They succeeded in
attracting the attention of these gentle
men to the project and during the latter
part of 1889 they sent Mr. Spense, geo
| ogist of note out to make an examination
of the coal and other mineral resources of
the country along the line of the propos-
ed road. Mr.. Spense reported favorab Y
and predicted the development that has
since been made In coal and other miner
ais. Colonel Noble was with him on this
trip, and left him at White Oaks to pur
sue his investigation of that country, the
San Andreas, Jarrilla and Organ noun
tains. After receiving The report of Mr..
| Spense the Texas & Pacific company re-
solved to build the road and the matter
was referred to committee with power
to act. In the course of the procedure
Of said committee they found that there
were some questions to be settled upon
with the Southern Pacific before they
could proceed, and upon conference
with the Southern Pacific company it was
agreed they should have time to examine
| the coal question and if found satisfac
tory they would join and build the road,
and if not they would withdraw any OBJ
! lection they might haye to its construction
| by the Texas & Pacific. So it was that
Maj jor ]. j. Gordon was sent out by the
Southern Pacific people. He arrived a.
bout the first of February, 1888, and left
soon thereafter with G. T. Newman for
| White Oaks, via Shedd's ranch and Tu-
lorosa. Colonel Noble went up about the
same time via the Santa Fe railroad and
stage across to White Oaks to meet them.
Major Gordon soon after returned to New
York and made his report, and afterward
returned 10 White Oaks and purchased
mi TarnCnpptpH
and purchased other coal lands for Mr.
Huntington, involving and expenditure of
over twenty thousand dollar. Simultan
eous with this movement the Texas g.
Pacific company sent Henry Mclaughlin,
esq. their chief engineer, to Ell Paso 70
survey aud locate the line and make pro
file preparatory to letting the contract.
Mr.. Mclaughlin commenced this work
the latter part Of March, 1888, and return
ed to Fort Worth about the 1st of June,
1888, where he completed the profile and
estimates later on and forwarded them to
New York, About this time the money
market began to tighten, as many Will re-
member. and grew worse from day 70 day
and continued so long that the work was
abandoned, Subsequently in the year
5 1885 Major Tibbtts, Messrs Detwiler,
Window and others took the project up,
obtained new charter, expended from
ten t) fifteen thousand thousand dollars
. and have, after about three years constant
: effort made an arrangement with parties
S now proposing to our people to build the
y road.
8 DURING our recent trip to Lai