Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-01-01
THE STEEL HIGHWAYS.
The Railroad System Of Los
Angeles.
XPORTS AND IMPORT S
Lines Built and Contemplated-The
New Passenger DepOt-Great
Array of Statistics.

The past year will mark an important
epoch in the history of railroading in
Southern California, for it has been sig
nalized by the placing on foot of two
gigantic projects, which will rebound
with incommensurable value to the
country. The first is the commence
ment of operations by the Southern Pa
cific on an immense wharf at San Pedro
Bay, at which ocean boats of the hugest
dimensions will be able to load and un-
load, and the other is the movement by
which another transcontinental railroad
has obtained footing in the heart OF
the city, and proposes to construct its
line forthwith. When it is completed
Los Angeles will enjoy the benefits OF
four transcontinental roads-the Central
Pacific, operating northward by Ogden
and the Union Pacific; the Sunset di-
rectly East to New Orleans; the Santa
Fe to Chicago and interior points, and the
Salt Lake road dnortheastward to the Nor
mon stronghold, and thence eastward via
the Union Pacific. In addition to these
roads it is we'll known that the Chicago,
Burlington and Quincy, the Chicago,
Milwaukee and st. Paul, the Rock
Island, the Union Pacific, the Missouri
Pacific and the Chicago and Northwest
ern have all surveyed routes in this
direction, and it looks absolutely certain
that Los Angeles will always be the lead
ing railroad centre on the Pacific Coast.
It is easy to account for this desire OF the
great systems to build here. The enor-
nous influx into Los Angeles county
during the past five years has brought
into existence countless little cities and
villages, each with traffic necessities
that have been a rich source of revenue
then the city of Los Angeles itself has
assumed such formidable dimensions,
and commands the commerce of such
vast section of country, that, to the keen
eye OF the railroad builder, it Is
evident it will one day be one
of tie most important trading
points on the continent. But while fu-
ture competitors have been hard at work
planning how best to reach the City of
the Angels and tap its wealth, the roads
ALREADY here have been steadily estab
fishing themselves by constructing net
work of branches all over their territory,
30 as to accommodate and further build
up the towns within their reach.
ME LINE TO SAN DIEGO.
Probably the most important of these
projects has been the opening up by the
Santa Fe of line from Los Angeles to
San Diego, thus binding with a golden
chain of commerce the two leading cities
of the Southern part of the State. When
the year opened it found the Santa Fe
in possession of lines from Orange to San
Juan by-the-Sea and from point farther
south called Los Angeles Junction into
San Diego. 1t was most roundabout
manner that passengers were conveyed
from the City of the Angels to San Diego
They were carried to San Bernardino and
then switched off to the San Diego road,
the objective point being only reached
after tiresome journey occupying over
nine hours. The Santa Fe, in response
to the crying demands for better SER
vice went to work and constructed lines
from Los Angeles to Orange and from
San Juan to Los Angeles Junction, thus
which measures only 1913 miles and
utes. This road added fifty-ive and FIVE
tenths miles to the Santa Fe's tracks,
but it does not record all the building that
company did here during the past year.
Eleven miles of track were built from
Inglewood to Redo. do Beach, giving Los
Angeles new ocean road; between
Perris and San Jacinto 10 4.10 miles of
track were laid down; from Escondido
to Escondido Junction 81 2. 10 miles, and
from San Bernardino to Mentone 121a
miles-a total of 119 6-10 miles of new
lines.
SOUTHERN PACIFIC BUILDING.
The principal piece of construction done
by the Southern Pacific was from Santa
Barbara to Elwood, between which
points thirty miles of roadbed were
added, but of far more importance to the
interests of Los Angeles county was the
building of the eleven miles OF road from
Conrad to Tustin, which gave another
outlet for the stream OF wealth
OF the Santa Ana Valley. Be-
sides these feats of enterprise
38 miles of road were built between
Thenard and Long Beach; SO miles
from Studebaker to Whittier; miles
from Tustin South and 2 miles from San
Pedro West, a total of 54 7 miles of new
road.
Most of the work of the company has
been done however in enhancing and
enlarging its already established work
ing points, new depots having during
the past year been established at the fol-
lowing places: San Pedro, Santa Monica,
The Palms, University, Downey, Tustin,
Whittier, Los Nietos, Fulton Wells, Al
hambra, San Gabriel, East San
Gabriel, Pomona, Ontario, Cucamonga,
Cotton, Beaumont, Indio, Tropico, West
Glendale, Burbank, Pacoima, Saugus,
and Lang's, and new ones are in order
for Compton andMcPherson. The fact
is that during the past year the company
has built nearly all of its depots in this
part of the country; that is, it has re-
placed the former temporary structures
with permanent buildings. To accom-
modate the thousands of freight cars
that at one time nearly blockaded the
road, thousands of feet of sidings were
laid down, in addition to which num-
Der of passing tracks were coma
structed as follows: Alhambra, sa.
yannah, Monte, Spadra, Pomona,
Ontario, Cucamonga, Alexis, Brookside,
Banning. Thermal, Wortmere, Ruthven,
Cactus, Tejunga, Cienega, Vincent. Ian
caster, Cerritos, Gloster, 5000 feet each ;
Cotton, $500 feet; Beaumont, 1000 feet; /;
Indio, 1000 feet; Salton, 1000 feet ;
Tropico, 1,50O feet; West Glendale,
1,2OO feet; Burbank, 5000 feet; Pacoima
1900 feet; San Fernando, saugus, Lang's