The herald., 1893-08-23
RAILWAY AND GEOGRAPHICAL coNsID-
RRATIONS.


way and geographical situation of Los
Angeles. Quite naturally San Francisco
has figured so long as the great domi.
mating city of the Pacific coast, with the
glamour associated with the "days oi
gold. the days of old, the days of 49,
that the average easterner is inclined to
concede to tho "Toll.taker by the Sea-
the primacy In all Pacific coast cities
not only as to the past but as to the
future. There could not well be more
mistaken idea than this. San Francisco
fulfilled very well her mission ss the
metropolis OF the placers and Of the
hectic gambling days of California. As
long as the intercourse Of California was
confined to ocean communication with
the east. San Francisco could we'll ex-
claim that her "rule there was none TO
dispute" From the center Of the con-
tinent all round to the Pacific ocean,
like Robinson Crusoe. she was lord of
the fowl and the brute and of everything
pertaining to positively regal territory.
Far different is the case nowl Rail-
way development, and tho lack of liber-
ality Of San Francisco merchants. have
left this at one time imperial city away
in the background. She has seen her
tributary territory narrowed from day
to day without 80 much az the slightest
effort to rouse herself to the work needed
to maintain her status. On the north
and on the south she has seen the
markets that were formerly tributary to
her fall away. On the east particularly
she has been compelled to see her trade
absolutely annihilated. As to San
Francisco alone it is q debateable ques-
tion as to whether the building of the
Central and Union Pacific railway was
an unmixed blessing.
That road is the only one che has
now. 1t passes over grades that are al
most impracticable, and that involve
the maximum cost of transportation.
To reach New York by this route in
wolves land transportation OF thirty
three hundred miles. As matter of
fact, that is the only transcontinentsl
railway that San Francisco has, unless
che adds FIVE hundred miles to the Sun
set route of Los Angeles or to the Santa
Fe and comes down and begs participa.
ton in the benefits of our unrivaled
transcontinental railway system.
How different is the case with Los
Angeles? In the first place, we enjoy as
fully as does San Francisco, the benefits
of the Central and Union Pacific sya-
TENS. and of their ramiications, and
that without ever going near San Fran
cisco. Then we have the Sunset route,
reaching from Los Angeles to tidewater
at New Orleans and Galveston, and in
volving at the outside very little more
than eighteen hundred miles in travers.
ing the whole width OF the American
continent. Complemented by the Nor
gan line of steamers, purchased by Mr..
Huntington, this gives from Santa Mon
lea or San Pedro the very shortest and
cheapest transportation between Oalifor-
MIA and New York City possible on that
portion OF the American continent that
is in the control of the United States,
and even with extensions of territory to
the southwark it would remain the
favored route where quick and cheap
transportation was the desideratum.
In addition to the Sunset route we
have the Santa Fe, and it should not be
forgotten for q moment that this in.
wolves all the ramifications OF the At
lantic and Pacific system, just as the
Sunset route commands the whole sys-
tenn of the Texas Pacific railway. There
may be some pretence that to the north
of San Francisco, in the states Of Wash
ington and Oregon, there may be some
chance of rivalry with Los Angeles so
far, but thcre is no stage of the game
at which San Francisco, in q railway
sense, is in it, either with her rivals OF
the south or the north. The old Toll
taker is simply in the Slough of Dee
pond, and with nobody to pity her, be.
cause, with her tremendous accumula-
tions. she could have created her own
railway and commercial conditions BY
the exercise OF a little judicious lib
erality.
In addition to our unrivaled existing
system of transcontinental railways, this
city is not more than eighteen months
away from the completion of the gap
which separates us from Salt Lake City.
Years ago the trade relations between
Los Angeles and Salt Lake were of the
most intimate character. The easy
grades between the Mormon and the
Angel City led to the former getting its
supplies from the latter before the COM
pletion of the Union Pacific railway.
These relations will be shortly renewed
and extended, with the addition Of an
other tranacontinental railway added to
the matchless Los Angeles system.
AS to our local systems Of railway,
they stretch like great ganglis up and
down and around and across the richest
region on the globe. They literally
gridiron Los Angeles county and South.
ern California generally. One can
scarcely take a step without stepping on
a railway track. The number of trains,
transconti tinental and other that arrive
and depart from this city every day is
sonething that really approaches the
marvellous. Their number is explained
By a remark made by Mr. Richard
rr II IL