The record-union., 1895-09-10
SHIPPING INTERESTS.
THE CENTER OF THE INLAND
COMMERCE OF THE COAST.
Railway and Steamboat Lines Which
Give Us UneXamplsd
Facilities.


center for the mining region. Its impor-
tance as distributing point was limited
to the area of profitable transportation by
wagon roads from the head of navigation
by bay-going steamers. Eventually a
new era dawned upon the history of CAL
ifornia. The construction of the Central
Pacific Railroad eastward from Sacra-
the lines of rail communication. That
system of railroads has and will continue
to control the channels of the great in
land commerce of the entire Pacific
Coast, and from the first Sacramento has
been and Will continue to be the focal
center of that system.
At Sacramento the great overland rail-
road, which is the highway Of commerce
and travel between the populations Of the
Atlantic and Pacific divisions of the
country, found tide-water terminus.
This line extends eastward 5000 miles.
Sacramento at once became Through
point" position she has ever since
maintained, enjoying terminal rates for
Eastern freight.
AS relating 10 all commerce carried by
railroad between California and the At
lantic States. Sacramento is the great
natural center of collection and distribu-
ton. At Sacramento this commerce
finds, for collection, converging lines. as
follows:
The California and Oregon Railroad.
north through all the fertile Sacramento
Valley, through the Siskiyou Mountains,
ana thence the Oregon and California
Railroad leads into the great agricultural
lands of Southern Oregon, and up the
Oregon valleys to Portland, the metropo-
lis of that State. On this line, from
Marysville to Oroville. is railroad TWEEN
ty-eight miles in extent, leading to the
most fertile section for citrus fruit cult
ure in all the valley and foothill region.
The California Pacific, from Sacra-
mento to Benicia, through the rich lands
OF Solano and Yolo, and by division of
the road to Vallejo. connecting with the
line of road leading up that modern Eden
the Nspa Valley. A road is also now
building to connect with the California
Pacific that will soon bring Sacramento
into immediate connection with Sonoma
County, one of the richest agricultural
sections on the globe. From Davisville.
on the line Of the California Pacific, on
the west side of the Sacramento River,
through the great grain fields of Colusa,
Yolo and TehaIna, the Northern Railway
leads northerly to Tehama, where it
unites with the California and Oregon.
Thus Sacramento is related by rail with
the valley on both sides of the river.
From this west-side line branch is
pushing westward and northward to and
through Lake County uplands with its
objective point far up the coast upon
Humboldt Bay. So. too, from Colusa,
on the Sacramento River, line of road
connects with the Northern Railway,
and, crossing it, is penetrating Lake
County far TO the west. From the Cali
fornia Pacific line at Elmira the Naca
Valley and Clear Lake Railroad is ex-
tending from Madison also into Lake
County. Thus by three distinct rail lines
the Lake County region Is related, COM
mercially, to Sacramento. On the North
ern Railway, at Woodland, branch line
leads to knights Landing, upon the Sac
ramento River.
Other leading lines to Sacramento are
the Central Pacific, from Ogden, in Utah
Territory, through the length OF the great
mining region of Nevada, a distance of
744 miles.
At Ogden, the Utah Central and South
ern open up railroad communication
southwark. and by the Montana Railroad
northward.
Connection is also made at Palisade
with the line running to Eureka, dis
tsnce of ninety miles. aud at Battle
Mountain with the line to Austin, dis
tance of ninety three miles.
At Reno, connecting with the cities of
Carson. the capital of Nevada, and Vir-
ginia City, the metropolis OF that State,
by the Virginia aud Truckes Railroad, a
distance of finy-two miles.
The Nevada County Railroad, following
q line parallel with the trend of the
mountains from the cities of Nevada and
Grass Valley, the largest mining cities in
the State, connect at Colfax, q distance of
twenty-five miles.
From Placerville. Ell Dorado County.
the seat of one of the most fruitful and
promising mountain sections in the State.
the Sacramento and Placerville Railroad
leads to. and terminates at Sacramento,
fifty miles.
The Southern Pacific Railroad, leading
from the Gulf of Mexico, and relating
Sacramento to all tho south and south
west through numerous connections, and
traversing the entire Tulare and San Joa-
quin Valleys-the largest and most fertile
body of land embraced within the terri
tory of California-and connecting at
Lathrop with the Western Division of the
Central Pacific. This latter leads from
Sacramento to Oakland and San Fran
CISCO via Stockton and Niles. From the
latter place the San Jose Division leads to
San Jose, the commercial seat of the mag
nificent Santa Clara Valley. From Tracy
q branch line connects Sacramento with
the upper portion of Contra Costa and its
county seat. Martinez. From Gait, Sac
ramento County, on the line of the West
ern Division, the Amador Branch Rail-
road leads to lone City, in Amador
County, one OF the most prolific and pros
porous counties of California, and the
trade of which is thus brought into direct
and close relation with Sacramento.
c. ]. Ellis. Freight and Ticket Agent of
the Southern Pacific Railway for Sscra-
mento. informs the RECORD UNION that
since the 1st of January last up to the
present time the shipments from this city
have exceeded in volume those of any
preceding year for corresponding
period.
Last month Sacramento's shipments Of
freight by rail for Eastern markets were
twice as many tons as Oakland, San Jose.
Stockton, Marysville and Portland COM