The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-05-01
IN RAILWAY CIRCLES
jeff Chambers Views on the Salt
Lake 4 Los Angeles Line.
THE NEW RIO GRANDE RATES

THE NEW RIO GRANDE RATES
A Day at the Railway Camps in Southern Utah
"A Railroader With Level
Head.
Colonel R. G. Kerens, Colonel jeff
Chandler and the st. Louis syndicate of
capitalists interested in the Los Angeles
terminal scheme have reached st. Louis
from the Pacific coast. Colonel Chandler,
speaking OF the object of the trip, said:
1.-The Los Angeles Terminal railway COM
pany has concluded all arrangements to
complete its terminal system at Los An
geles by the 1st of September, 1891. This
system embraces about eighty miles of rail-
way, and large and adequate grounds in the
city OF Los Angeles for yards and switching
purposes and the general business of first
class railroad system. The company has
also about three thousand acres of land,
commanding one entire side of San Pedro
harbor and the approaches thereto. This
harbor is about $50 miles south of San
Francisco and 120 miles north of San Diego
on the Pacific coast, and the only inter
mediate port between them. 1t has about
eighteen feet of water at low tide now, and
is being improved by the government with
view of securing a uniform depth of
thirty feet, to accommodate vessels coming
to the Pacific ocean through the canal
across the isthmus, which is now in course
of construction. San Pedro will be the
shipping port for southern California. A
high range of mountains extends
east and west between Los Angeles
and San Francisco, over which all
north and south railroads must
forever climb. This rugged barrier to
heavy traffic by railway guarantees the su-
premacy OF water transportation between
the northern and southern Pacific Coast
points for all time to come. San Pedro
is the most eligible harbor for the collec-
ton and distribution of heavy commercial
substances of the southern Pacific Coast,
and is twenty three miles distant from
Los Angeles. The prosperity of railroads
in the region including and tributary to
Southern California is assured by the
creation and reconstruction of industries
therein. The speculative era in town sites
has passed away, and the growth of the
country now rests on solid principles. The
agricultural lands are being steadily occu-
pied and improved under a constant in
creasing valuation.
Much has been written of Southern Cali
fornia and the adjacent country that to
those unfamiliar with the subject has the
appearance of exaggeration. If, however,
an estimate of the future of railroad
property there is measured by the capacity
OF the country to furnish tonnage it will be
seen that no over-estimate has been made.
1t requires about thirty acres of ordinary
farming land throughout the west to pro-
duce one carload of freight while in the
fruit regions of the Southern Pacific coast
one acre has produced within the present
year three carloads. Much of the orange
and other fruit lands pay net annual in
come OF from s., 900 to $1,000, 5000 and up
to Sl2,O Thousands of acres of trees of
various character are being planted during
the present year, and the fruitrgrowing
limits are being constantly extended
What that country demands is additional
railways. This is also true of the south
western mountain region, near southern
California. A line Of railway ought to be
constructed from Los Angeles to Salt Lake
city, there to unite with the multitude of
tain region and the northwestern states,
This vast region would eagerly take up the
production of southern California, and re-
turn to the fruit-growfng country an
abundance of coal, iron and timber. Salt
Lake city is developing into one of the most
beautiful, aggressive and wealthy of Amer
lean cities. 1t is situated in the midst of
the richest mineral.substances existing in
any part of the American Union. 1t is sur
rounded q la nf
tural country than is generally supposed
to be tributary to it. 1t will soon be the
seat OF great commercial, manufacting and
smelling interests. 1t is far enough re-
moved from all competing cities to draw to
1t immense wealth The distance between
Salt Lake and San Pedro harbor is 100
miles shorter than from Salt Lake to SaI
Francisco. The grades along line of rail-
road to the southwest from Salt Lake to
the ocean would not exceed fifty feet TO the
mile, while they are much greater on all
present lines of railway. A line of fast
seagoing ships plying between San Fran
cisco and San Pedro would enable railways
operating to San Pedro harbor to reach ali
points on the Pacific coast, including San
Francisco, as expeditiously as those points
are now reached by the present lines of
road.
The Rio Grande Western is slowly but
surely building down to the southwestern
sea coast The terminal system spoken of
above is prepared to unite with all roads
coming into that region, and to furnish
them ample facilities for handling any
quantity of traffic. The construction of a
line of road to the southwest from the ter
minus of the Rio Grande Western would
open up to southern California connection
with the Chicago & Northwestern, the
Chicago, Rock Island g. Pacific and
the Burlington system, and, indeed. all
other northern lines. Salt Lake CITY and
Los Angeles have it in their power to Sc
cure within the next year the completion of
this line OF railway by contributing reason
ably to that end. 1t is believed that this
will be done, and that Southern California
a year hence will be supplied with as gsod
railroad facilities as any section of the
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