The herald., 1895-02-21
Some Favor the New SpreCkelS
Railway
THE MAJORITY AGAINST 1T
Our Greatest Need the Salt Lake
Through Line
Needed, and Those Who Think 1t
Would Be Too Costly.

Here are some further interviews con-
corning the advisability of constructing
railroad to connect with the new Valley
line about to be built by Spreckels and the
merchants of San Francisco down through
the San Joaquin Valley, probably as far
as Bakersfield:
A. Haas, of Haas, Baruch & Co., said
yesterday that in his opinion Los Angeles
would be better off without competing
road between it and Bakersfield, because
when the San Joaquin road is built the
Southern Pacific would undoubtedly re-
duce rates, especially on through business
from San Francisco. The country be-
tween here and Bakersfield is largely COM
posed of the Mojave Desert and the Te
hachepi mountain range, and contains
few towns of importance, whose trade
would in no way repay the outlay occa-
stoned by the building of another road.
"Of course, said he, ''we would be will
ing to contribute our share towards the
building of this road if the people of Los
Angeles should decide upon it's construc
tion, but we would be much more willing
to aid the building of line to Salt Lake
The latter road would develop stretch of
country rich in mineral deposits and of
great agricultural value. Besides, it would
give us another competing line to the
East, and also open up the Northwest and
North to our fruit and vegetable produc-
tions, and form quick and pleasant
route by which tourists could reach
Southern California. l am heartily in
favor of rail connection with Salt Lake
or,I ! 1;s,l,o
IsadOre Fleishman, of the Germain
Fruit Company, declared that he could
see no reason why an additional railroad
should be built between here and Bakers
field when the San Joaquin Valley
road is built, said he, 1--WE will have
three railroads between that point and
Frisco, and the produce of the San
Joaquin Valley will go to San Francisco
as it formerly has gone. The stretch of
country between here and Bakersfield
holds no inducements for the support of
such road. What we do want is road
to Salt Lake. | am in favor of that now
and all the time, and when it is fact
this city will grow as it never has done
before. There is no comparison in the
advantages resulting from the construc-
manifestly the most important"
p. NJ. Daniel, president of the Pacific
Crockery and Tinware Company, stated
that he saw no necessity for another road
between here and Bakersfield and thought
if one was built it would be regretted by
the people of this city. 1--WE find that our
salesmen, =" said he, "can sell more goods
in territory regarded as belonging to San
Francisco than they do in our own, and
do not see why our merchants cannot
hold their own against those of the city of
the Golden Gate. This paralleling of the
Southern Pacific is not what we want for
the development of our city. We want
Salt Lake road, and deep sea harbor at
San Pedro When those two things are
accomplished our city within ten years
will be larger than San Francisco, and we
won't care very much whether it exists in
a commercial or any other way. The Salt
Lake road is of the utmost consideration
and this other proposition of very secon-
Diary importance. y,
w. Fl. White of Baker & Hamilton
was emphatically in favor of giving the
preference to the construction of road to
Salt Lake. "It would be foolish to build
a line from here to Bakersfield, " said he
"What would be the benefits derived from
such a line? 1t would mainly traverse the
Tehachepi range and the Mojave desert
with no towns of any importance on its
route until it reached San Fernando. In
my opinion Spreckels is working the San
Joaquin Valley road in the interests of the
Santa Fe. After its line reached Bakers
folI Il a,,y;n la foly ,f 4
ain pass to the east and the road then ex-
tended through the desert to Barstow and
connected with the Santa Fe system.
When that is done, what advantage would
Los Angeles derive through possessing a
line running through desert? This
Bakersfield proposition is side issue,
however. The live one of the day is the
opening of rail communication between
Salt Lake, the East, North and North
west. When that is done this city will
indeed have greatness thrust upon it,"
Freeman j. Teed, favored an effort
to get the connection. "By all means let
an effort be made to build the road to
Bakersfield, " he said. 81 have Just been
in San Francisco, and I heard lots of talk
about the Valley Railroad. l know that
San Francisco is earnestly trying to make
the road go, and it looks now as if the
men up there would carry the thing
through. If they do, think Los Angeles
ought to make big effort to complete the
line to Los Angeles -
H. o. Haines said that road to Salt
Lake would rebound more to the pros
perity of this city than any other which
could be constructed. In his opinion an
additional road between here and San
Francisco would only tend to increase the
prosperity of that city and be of no