The herald., 1895-02-10
Spreckels Talks of the San JOa-
quin Valley Road
ROUTE STILL IN MYSTERY
A Short Line May be Built to Handle
This Years Crop
The Company WIN Incorporate Next Week and
Then Commence Business.-Stanis-
1aus Aroused.

San Francisco, Feb. 9.-The San Fran
cisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad
Company had no subscriptions to report
today. The committee took a rest
On Monday E. F. Preston, the attorney
OF the committee, will present draft of
the proposed articles of incorporation.
They will be submitted to the committee
for action and it may be week, though
he thinks the time will be less, before the
incorporation documents are filed.
Once this is accomplished the question
of route will naturally force itself to the
front, though it is the evident policy of
those in charge to keep the matter in the
background, in order that there may be
as little difficulty as possible over rights of
way and that the best inducements to
build in certain directions may be first
received.
'That is a good idea," said Claus
Spreckels, speaking of the Examiners sug
gestion that it might be well to begin
building from Stockton down the valley,
during the next four weeks, and thereby
enable the handling of a large part of this
years crop to tide water.
1--WE may do that and afterward build
from San Francisco to Stockton or may
3, be by the San Jose route. Nothing, how
ever, has been determined on that score.
The incorporation papers will be submit
ted on Monday and the matter of route
will not come up until after those papers
have been filed. The most pressing thing
now to do is to get another million in
subscriptions, and to accomplish this
most thorough canvass of the city will be
made, both by subcommittee of this
committee and committees formed by
outside gentlemen in various lines of
business
Member after member spoken to as to
route, sought refuge in silence, which,
they stated in this case, was golden. Sub
rosa, however, there is considerable talk
on the subject. Some persons take it for
granted, that starting from Oakland the
general line of the Southern Pacific will
be followed to Stockton and down the val
ley. Others speak of the possibility of
making short cut into the valley south
of Stockton and reaching deep water at
some point on the bay near Antioch,
where grain could be at once placed on
shipboard. In addition to this, strong in
huence is being exercised on the leading
spirits in the committe in favor of max
ing the Santa Clara valley the main route
to the San joaquin.
Opponents of this way, however, say
that later branch by way of San Jose
might be constructed with benefit to that
region, San Francisco and the State at
large. 1t is not unlikely that the articles
of incorporation may deal to certain ex-
tent with the subject. They will be based
on the agreement signed by the subscrib-
ers, but will be more specific in terms.
Thus, the agreement states it is tbs inten-
ton to construct a railroad from San |
; Francisco, or point on the bay or the |
waters d!scharging into it, to some point |
in Kern county 'easterly by any practical
BILE route, hereafter to be determined. The |
words in quotation marks are the essence
of the contract and will have to be taken |
as the guide in determining the direction |
to be followed by the railroad.