Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-08-22
THE RAILROADS.
An Interview with Mr.. r.
FL. Pratt, Of the s. P.
THE LINE IN GOOD CONDITION
The MOnrOvia Road Carrying Pas
sengers Directly to and
from This City.

superintendent OF the Southern racine
arrived in the city yesterday on specia
. train from the East in his car "Buena
ventura" Mr.. Pratt was accompanied
by Mr.. j. A. Muir, the hard-workine
Assistant Division Superintendent, O.
this city, who had journeyed to Indio to
escort the visitor on his way here. Mr.
Pratt was seen by a HERALD reporter
yesterday afternoon just before he de.
parted for Santa Monica, where he passed
the night, and from whence he will leave
this morning for San Francisco.
"How is the road looking, Mr.. Pratt?"
asked the scribe.
"First-rate, much better than it was
this time last year. 1t certainly ought
to, for good deal of work has been done
on it and thousands Of ties and miles of
rails put in at the weak places"
"I understand you have difficulty in
obtaining ties," said the reporter.
"No, think not; there was state
ment made in one of the papers to the
effect that we wanted three million ties
and could not get them; but this is
scarcely so, for as far as l know we have
not been stopped in our operations Oh
that account"
"How about steel rails; you are short
of them, are you not"
"When l left San Francisco we GER
tainly mad run out of such supplies but
do not know whether reinforcements
have arrived. We want q good deal of
steel for our line along the east side OF
the San Joaquin from Stockton to Poso.
All the grading on that piece of work has
been done but there are about 40 miles
of track to be laid. We do not intend to
complete our line along the west side of
the San Joaquin at present-we have
reached Armondale on the Huron branch
and will stop there for time"
care you getting much coal from the
new mines west of Huron"
"Well, a good deal is being shipped
over the road, but we are not using it, as
it is not adapted for our requirements"
"Can you tell me when the Tustin City
branch will be in operation?"
''No; beyond the fact that it is COM
pleted with the exception of some bridge
strengthening l do not know what are
the intentions regarding it. l suppose
though that it will be turned over to the
operating department shortly"
els the road we'll prepared for heavy
rush of business this fall?"
eyes, we have made very extensive
additions to our rolling stock and new
locomotives have been coming in as fast
as the Eastern shops could supply us.
Two more will pass through Ell Paso to-
morrow on their way West"
GLOW is business at present? ?"
every good, especially the overland
traffic which is very heavy. There has,
naturally, been little dullness through
out the State during the summer season,
but everything is picking up very rapid
ly now"
AS the train was in waiting for Mr..
Pratt, the scribe refrained from intrud-
ing further on that gentleman's time,
and thanking him for the extreme
courtesy he had shown throughout the
interview, withdrew.
AN ENvIABLE RECORD.
Mr.. Pratt is one OF the most able rail
road men on the continent. He was
born at Freeport, Me-, on August I'd,
1924. He came to the Pacific Coast at
the time of the mining excite
ment, but becoming associated
with the railroad kings in the
days of their early efforts entered their
service in March, 1865. Until 1868 he
was foreman of construction OF the Cen
tral Pacific road, and from October, 1869,
to 1871, its superintendent Of track. In
1871 he was appointed division superin-
tendent at Salt Lake and he'd that ap-
pointment until 1878, when he was APP
pointed division superintendent of the
Sacramento and Oregon divisions Of the
Central Pacific and the California Pacific
road and branches. On May Sth, 1881,
he was appointed assistant general super
intendent of the entire system and has
held that office ever since.