The morning call., 1892-07-24
The SANTA FE COMING.
A High Official of the Road Authority
for the statement.
MONEY WAS RAISED III EUROPE.
1t Last There Is Revealed the Significance Of the
Recent Visit of Allen Marvel to
San Francisco.
THE SANTA RI COMING.
MONEY VAS RAISED IN EUROPE.
Special to THE MORNING CALL

WASHINGTON, July 23-Drect from q
high Santa Fe official to-day THE CALL cor
respondent is enabled to state as fact that
within few months the Santa Fe will
build line into San Francisco. The road
will run in as straight course as possible
to connect with the Atlantic and Pacific
Railroad near or at Mojave. President
Marvel secured the money to build the road
on his recent trip to Europe. The Santa
Fe official intimated to The CALL corre-
spondent also that the Santa Fs would build
road north from San Francisco to connect
with the Northern Pacific.
A gentleman thoroughly posted In rail-
road matters, to whom the above dispatch
was shown last night, said at would seem
from your dispatch, and / have reason to
believe there is a great deal OF truth In it,
that there was vastly more In the recent
visit of President Marvel to San Francisco
than has yet been permitted to appear Why
the Santa Fe has for so long been content
to stop at Mojave. reaching San Fran
cisco over the tracks of its great
rival, is mystery easy of solution. The
Santa Fe had but just reached Moiave when
the Southern California boom drew the at
tentiOn of the Boston management as an
excellent business prospect, and there fol-
lowed an era of building railroads for
fun" that was disastrous to the company,
although. as 1t has proven. being an excel
lent thing for that section OF the country,
and promising eventually rich returns to
the great corporation. Then came a success
sion of bad harvests in Kansas, where the
Santa Fe is in absolute control of the local
trade. and the great system went as near to
Uir1o ! 81
the storm. There was no money to build to
San Francisco then, there was scarcely
money enough for operating expenses.
The Marvel management came In under
the reign of Kidder, Peabody 81 Co., and
while the finances of the system were put
In better shape. Santa Fe stockholders had
been too badly bitten to make California in
yeStmentS palatable, and Marvel saw that
the opening here could wait-meanwhile
acquiring the Colorado Midland and ST.
Louis and San Francisco roads, strengthen
ing his eastern position, and getting an en-
trance into Salt Lake.
The time has come now. and it may be
anticipated that brief period will see the
track Of the Santa Fe stretching toward
San Francisco from tho south, and from
San Francisco to the north Certainly the
present activity in railroad matters about
the bay, the upheaval visible upon the sur
face, mas beneath it some force more potent
even than the desire Of San Franeiscans for
competing railroad.
"The recent transfer Of the North Paciic
Coast road, the talk about change of
ownership of the DOnahue line, the
evident desire OF somebody hostile to the
Southern Pacific for ferry privileges from
Oakland, and above all the activity noted
from time to time along the San Joaquin
Valley, are all purtents of the times
1t IS OF course impossible 10 conf lecture
what course would be taken by the Santa
Re IN building northWard from San Fran
cisco, although presumably a road on that
line would head for Portland and the
sound cities as directly as might be-
FOR the extension from MOjaVe the waY
Is clearer. The Santa Fe fathered tbs Will
bur line once upon time, and that Is still
the most direct route from the line of the
Atlantic and Pacific to the bay. Leaving
OF MoJave, the line would cross the South
ern Pacific south of the present point Of
Junction and run little north of west to the
IeJon Pass. Through this, by a grade
much easier than the Southern Pacific gets
into MoJaye, the road would enter Bakers
held, and, running thence up the west side
OF the San Joaquin, parallel the Southern
Pacific northward through the most fertile
portion of the valley to Martinez, with a
branch to Fresno on the way north, and
tapping the raisin belt. The bay shore
would be struck at Martinez, where as is
well known, the Santa Fe long ago acquired
land for terminal purposes. From Mar
uneZ to Oakland the extension might or
might not be made. OF course, it must
come eventually. but much would depend
upon whether the town had recovered pos
session of the water front by the tins the
new road was ready to come in. -