Los Angeles herald., 1892-02-18
A Talk With a Terminal
Road Magnate.
George Leighton Discusses the
Railroad Prospects.
Three Things Los Angeles People
Should Work For.
A Road to Salt Lake City, an Appro-
priation for San Pedro and the
Nicaragua Canal-some Ex-
ce1lent Advice.

boyish, but be knows the railroad busi-
ness thoroughly and talks like Chaun-
~cey Depew, Jay Gould and Henry Viii
lard all rolled into one. He is the son
of George E. Leighton of st. Louis, a
many times millionaire. The son has
undoubtedly inherited his fathers busi-
ness talents, for today, besides having
many other responsibilities, he is presi-
dent of the Development and Land COM
lpany which is behind the Terminal
Railway company.
Mr.. Leighton is in Los Angeles on
business connected with his railroad.
and appears to be thoroughly satisfied
with the prospects of the Terminal com
pany and of this city.
"We have put in a large amount of
money here" ne said to HERALD re-
porter yesterday; 1--WE have been very
courageous, but feel sure that the re-
suit will justify our investment. There
is very large freight and passenger
business to the square mile in this coun-
try, and it is growing. | am convinced
that Los Angeles will be very large
place, and that some time our road will
be the means by which another trans
continental road will come into the city.
"We have so far done no freight busi-
ness at all. There is only one other rail-
road in the county Of which that can be
said, and that is the New York Elevated,
but now that we are in San Pedro, we
expect to develop that line of business.
We shall also work up the excursion and
summer traffic to Long Beach, and ex-
pect to make that very attractive re-
sort. We may also build up towards
Hueneme, but possibly not further than
the Santa Susanna mountains. as l do
not see any way of getting through there
except at great expense, too great to
make the line profitable"
What are the prospects of your build
ing to Salt Lake?" asked the reporter.
"Well, if you will build the road we
will operate it. It is outside of our idea to
build transcontinental line. We are
here so that other roads can come in
over our line if they so wish. There
are three roads looking this way, the
Denver and Rio Grande Western. the
Union Pacific and the Rock island. /
am sure the line will be built in time.
but we do not contemplate it.; our pres
ence here, and our facilities will likely
enough bring one of the roads have
mentioned, or possibly another.
Zone thing the people here should do,
and that is to, by the chamber OF COM
merce or some quasi public body,
agitate the subject instantly. A COM
mittee of responsible men should keep
on the watch for visiting railroad men,
and when theyscome here, talk up that
line. A railroad magnate from
one of the great overland roads coming
here would have to stand on the side
walk until some one spoke to him-that
is, mean, excepting the reporters.
The local newspapers have done more
good than any other source of action.
You have kept the subject before the
attention of railroad men pretty con-
stantly. The city and the county need
that line; and, as said, am sure that
in time it will be built. But the people
must work for it, if they want it in the
near future.
"We are in touch with the people
here; their interests and ours are ident-
ical. We try to give them good service
on our little road. We have given them
fine equipment and good management.
Our ambition is to conduct the road SO
that when people travel on other lires
in other places they will have to say
ours is the best managed and the most
comfortable. We shall grow with the
country. In railroad business you can
not 20 with rush and construct a sys-
tenn at lightning gait. A system must
develop itself by its intrinsic merit, not
by boom methods, and we expect to
have good paying business in time.
There is another point that the peo-
pie and the press cannot work at too
much, and that is the development of
San Pedro harbor. That must be the
port of this county, for it is the only one
which will answer when this city, as in
few years will be the case, has a pop
ulation of 100000. The government en-
gineers have reported endorsing the
place, and the authorities all favor it
what is needed is generous appropria-
tion. Why already, with little dredg-
ing, we have secured about
sixteen or seventeen feet at our
wharf. The people on this coaat think
too much of deep water, however. This,
suppose, comes from the fact that
English ships have done the bulk of the
shipping trade. and they build all their
vessels very deep. Few ports in the
east have deep water; at Fernandina,
for instance, there is only twelve feet.
These whaleback boats will change that
deep water question considerably. L
think you will soon have number of
them out here.
"The completion of the Nicaragua
canal will be another most important
factor in your progress here. That
would bring out here in the winter time
large percentage Of the eastern coasters
which would otherwise have to tie up
all winter. If your people bend their
energies to these three things, the result,
L think, will exceed what the most san
guine boomer has predicted.
Mr.. Leighton in the above little GER
mon advances some very sound doctrine
which, if relied upon, will advance the
interests of the city and county as moth
ing else will.
CLIMATE REFUGEES.
A Santa Fe route excursion arrived at
Los Angeles yesterday with the follow
ing list:
B. @. Norton, Belfast, Maine; H.
Williams, Waterville, Maine; O. l..
McLoon, Mrs. 9. L. McLoon, j. Della
ney, Mr.. and Mrs. G.. NJ. Bartlett, Bos-
ton, Mass. Mrs. Thaxter and family,
Portland, Maine Mr.. and Mrs. II. I.
Hope, Woonsocket, Mass; Mr.. and
Mrs.J. W. Kimball, w. hutchinson,
Sherbrooke, Canada; Mr.. and Mrs. j.
Kilman, Brattleboro, VT; Mr.. and Mrs.
III. E. Sheldon, Mr.. and Mrs. r. HI.
Sheldon w Jonee Mics n Va,