Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-05-03
THE SOUTHERN PACIFIC.
Interesting Interview With G. p. Hunt
ington About Railroad Matters.

Interesting interview Win y. r. Hunt
ington About Railroad Matters.
rs F. Bulletin.
During the month that Vice President
c. p. Huntington of the Southern Pacific
has been on this coast he has been at work
steadily He has travelled over very nearly
all the branches of the Southern Pacific sys-
tenn, and when not on the road has settled
down to the details of the business at the
Fourth and Townsend-street headquarters
with an assiduity that no new employee
could ever hope to excel. My days are
long Ones" said he, in speaking of his
methods yesterday. Il keep at it. but l
find lots of fun in my work." and he
smiled as he picked up fresh budget of
contracts to look over.
81 can say that have found all matters
on the system out here very satisfactory"
continued he, when questioned regarding
the results of his visit. Everything is
extremely satisfactory except that the lines
are not making the money they should
not the money warranted by the capital
invested. Yes, we had very pleasant trip
north. We went especially to look at some
property acquired recently by the company
on Vancouver Island. There are some
2,000, 900 acres there and about 300, 900 acres
of coal land. was delighted with the pur-
chase and with the country there. The
coal deposits are of excellent quality, very
similar to the Wellington. The nearest
port to them is Port Augusta. We are 60
ing to put on a line of steamers between
that point and San Francisco. The fuel
supply here must be cheapened, the people
deserve to have it SO, and the railroads
need it. There is nothing in the report
that my company is considering plans for
building north from Seattle to the Cana
So rah 10, l~tla
be built-they are talking of it up there
but it is out of our bailiwick
I'VE have laid out many plans of work.
Colonel Croker and l have Just been look
ing them over. Nearly all are feeders for
our lines in California. We have thought
of several branches in Central and South
ern Oregon, but we cannot do anything
about them now. The road connecting
Templeton and Santa Barbara will be COM
pleted in due time, although not rushed.
1t will go directly through San Luis Obispo
and there will be a branch line from some
point to connect the Salinas and San Joa-
quin valleys. Already about ninety miles
on the branch down the west side of the
San Joaquin river have been built This
will go down and join the main line, but
on which side of Lake Tulare has not vet
been determined. We do not know that
the Santa Fe is back of that other line in
the San Joaquin. 1t is my judgement that
gentlemen are building the line indepen-
IDENTIFY, hoping to sell it out when DONE
Our line to Santa Rosa will be running in
about three weeks. We are going to build
down the foothills from Oakdale to Sum-
ner, and the line from Visalia will form
part of the same branch. We have been
looking over the country in the foothills
north through Ell Dorado Placer and Butte,
but have merely looked things over. We
will build into Lake county, and doubtless
in time get up into the northern coast
counties. We are at work now building
twenty miles west from Huron, and pos
sibly some day connection will be made
from there with the end of the line in San
Benito county.
We are soon going to extend the Mon
terey line around by Cypress point and
Carmel bay. The Pacific Improvement
Company has some 1000 acres in there,
and near Cypress point are banks of fine
glass sand-about the best on the coast. 1t
is beautiful at Carmel bay. The climate is
delightful. 1t is planned to build large
rack-track and establish other attractions
there.
1--WE shall keep our Occidental and ORR
entail line up In good shape. We have just
lost ship, but we never insure on land or
sea, and we could lose several such steamers
without the account being against us. We
have just leased the Arabic to come out and
take the place of the San Pablo. We have
no thought of taking up the Australian or
Hawaiian trade-all our lines run east and
west. Our coal steamers from the north
will make regular trips to San Pedro. That,
l am convinced, is the best port of South
ern California, far better than San Diego,
because more accessible, and it is also well
protected.
in Monterey county is excellent in quality
and we feel fairly confident as to quantity
1t will be good thing for the State if it
turns out as we hope. 1t is soft coal, and
will doubtless be of value on the railroad. :"