The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-02-21

line of thought and phraseology of the
speaker have been adhered to.
B. d. Murphy, president of the CONNER
clal Bank and one of the most prominent
business men in the county, said:
81 think that if the proposed railroad
fails to run direct out of San Francisco
down through the Santa Clara Valley and
over the Pacheco or Phoebe Pass into the
San Joaquin Valley north OF Fresno, and
thence to Mojave, the project will be a
failure Starting from Oakland, as some
desire, and running to Stockton through
Walnut Creek and on through the low
range of mountains between Contra Costa
! County and Oakland will be simply sui
cidal.
''There is little or no traffic between Oak
| land and Stockton and that traffic is now
| divided between the Southern Pacific and
| the river, and a third road there would
neither be of any particular benefit to the
communities through which it would run
nor to the railroad, so far as freights and
passengers are concerned. The only point
worthy of any consideration at all is from
| Stockton to Fresno, and a line through
Santa Clara would leave that out, but to
offset the 80 miles of territory which
would be left off in the upper San Joaquin
Valley the road would have 100 miles of
territory contributing to its support in the
Santa Clara Valley.
"The road through this valley will fur
nish more freight and more passengers
than any similar distance in the San Joa-
quin Valley. In addition to this it would
be very easy matter to run branch road
north from where the Santa Clara line
would enter the San Joaquin Valley, reach
ing up to Stockton, Sacramento, Marys-
vile, Chico and Red Bluff. This would
give an opportunity to San Francisco to
not only receive the products of the in
terror, but to ship all her goods and mer-
chandise at cheap rates, thereby making
her general distributing point.
1.-The distance between San Francisco
and Mojave, the present terminus of the
Atlantic and Pacific, is $50 miles, while l
believe the distance between the same
points via Pacheco Pass is but 800 miles
The latter route used to be the one fol
| lowed by the old stage line because it was
| shorter and better than any other
Another strong Indication that this is the
most practicable outlet is afforded by the
| course OF the gentleman who recently at
tempted to haul dry fruit to San Francisco
from Fresno, and who loaded his Wagon
and came through Pacheco Pass because
years of experience in that locality ha6
taught him the road was the shortest.
"Of course am in favor of railroad
anywhere, and am now simply talking fo1
the best interests of the road, as I under
stand them. A good many persons appear
TO think that the road would be an injury
to the Southern Pacific, but am not of tn,
opinion. We have had an example O
what competition will do in the valley
when the narrow-gauge road was con
structed. For a short time the Southern
Pacific's freight and passenger traffic fel
off, but it soon picked up again and finall!
doubled, tripled and quadrupled in volume
so that there is sufficient business for boil
roads. believe the same conditions would
be brought about by this competing road
but that cheaper rates would also follow.