The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-14
LOST ARIZONA FRE|GHTS,
The Southern Pacific Injured
by the Santa Fe'S Branch
Railway.
In Less Than a Month the New
Phoenix Feeder Has Proved a
Perfect Bonanza.

The people of Phoenix, Arizona, have
been enjoying the benefits of railroad COM
petition for about month and the result
is cause for mutual congratulations
among the merchants, miners and cattle
men in and around Phoenix.
Formerly the only way of reaching that
thriving town was By the Southern Pacific
Railway to Maricopa and thence over
branch line running north as far as Phe-
nix. The terminus of the branch line has
been an important freighting center.
Train after train loaded with cattle and
sheep pulled out of the place, and an i'm
mense quantity of freight from San Fran
cisco and Los Angeles was distributed
there from the Southern Pacific depot.
But all this has been changed, SO far as the
Sunset road is concerned.
The Santa Fe Company saw what rich
field for freight business lay within its
grasp and a line was run south from Ash
Fork on the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad
through Prescott to Phoenix. This road
was completed about April 1, and shortly
afterward entered into competition with
the Southern Pacific.
All at once the tables were turned. The
heavy trains of freight that used to leave
and arrive at Phoenix via Maricopa ceased
almost altogether and nearly all the bust
ness was transferred to the Santa Fe peo-
pie. And now, while the old carriers are
barely paying expenses on the spur road
the newcomers are reaping a rich harvest.
G. r. Hill, travelling auditor of the Santa
Fe system, arrived in this City last Satur-
day. He spoke yesterday about tina great
increase in revenue which the Phoenix
road has given his company, thinking it
might interest San Francisco shippers.
"The competition" said he, "has given a
better service to the Phoenix district, and
it did not take long either to find that
instead of sending freight down south over
the Southern Pacific and turning back
ward from Marlcopa to Phoenix, the great
bulk of it goes over the Atlantic and Paci-
fic, right straight through from San Fran
cisco and Los Angeles to Ash Fork and on
to the terminus.
"On this Arizona branch of ours there is
an immense freight business all the year
round. There is the Government barracks
at Whipple, the Jerome copper mines and
other rich mines, nearly all of which are
operated by San Francisco people; and also
an immense traffic from the cattle ranges
of that country. Long trains full of sheep
and cattle leave there continuously, and
besides there is great deal of freight
going in. This used to go over the South
ern racine, Out now II Is ali Seut over Tie
Atlantic and Pacific. We give good SER
vice and watch the interests of our patrons,
which may have something to do with the
change" B
the object of Hills visit was to turn
over the local ticket office of the Santa Fe
system from Peter D. Mccarthy to s. H.
Perkins. The change took place yester-
day, and in day or two Agent Mccarthy
will go to Ell Paso, where he will be placed
in the ticket department. Perkins was
chief cherk in the passenger department
of the Santa Fe and was formerly con-
nected with the Southern Pacific Company.
Vice-President ]. G. Stubs of the
Southern Pacific Company, E. F. Lomax
of the Union Pacific and some other promi-
nent railroad officials in the Western Pas
senger Association held conference at
Chicago yesterday.
The main object of their meeting was to
settle some difficulty over the Union Pa
cifc Company's refusal to enter the pas
senger combine in San Francisco. Gen.
era1 Passenger Agent T. H. Goodman said
he expected to hear from Chicago to-day
that the Union Pacific Company had de-
cided to draw D. W. Hitchcock, its local
ticket agent, into the passenger agents
combination.