Arizona republican., 1896-05-15
4 NEW SANTA FE LINE 1t Will Probably Be Built
 to Congress. Another Rail Connection for
 Phoenix.
Eng 'neer Vaughn of the Santa Fe Is In Charge of the
 Survey.

Los Angeles E1pTeSS: Ine Santa Fe is projecting an entirely new line, practically an air line, from Victor, City, N. M, and President Ripley dur ing the last few days has visited 4Sil- yer City and other points that .wouldi be touched by the llne.
 It is understood that Mr. Ripley is coming here to look over the ground and hear the report of Engineer Vaughn, who the osher day, returned from the desert with surveying party.
 The party left Victor April IA and proceeded by the most direct route to Parker station on the Colorado river, which is distant fifty four miles from the nearest Atlantic & Pacific point. The maps of the proposed routes were carefully made up, showing aM the ele- vations and oiher information. The line extends through the rich central mining belt, passing the Desert Queen mine and going directly through Vir- gtmia Dale on the way. -~ Mir Vaughn says the survey will be extended on a direct line through to Silver City, N. M., which by the very shortest route is estimated at a d.s- tance of 400 miles from Victor. The party making the survey consisted of six men, besides the emgmeer, and trav- eled by forced marches, making the distance of 164 miles from Victor to Parker in sixteen days The route is declared to be very easy and feasible one
 MT Vaughn makes no secret of the line of the survey, but wil mot say
 whether his employers are the Santa 1 Fe people; but from the fact that he ] has been in consultation tilroughout
 with the Santa Fe officials, it is easy ! to determine the projectors.
 It has been a wel-knowm fact tl1a. i the relations between the Santa Fe system and the Atlantic & Pacific have l lately been much less intimate than i formerly, so much so that Itlhe roads are now under separate receiverships. The Atlantic & Pacific stockholders several months since offered to sell the | road for $16,000,000. The officials of the latter, however, In view of the cheapened railway construction, de- clined to give more than $9,00O,0OO for the property.
 If the deaI between the two roads cannot be effected it can be very read i fly seen that it will become necessary for the Santa Fe to build a, connecting ! line, and it is for this that the surveys are being made.
 . The lime which is proposed would
 prove a far more valuable one than
 the Atlantic & Pacific, as it would
 traverse a far richer country and would be hundreds of miles shorter. The directness of the survey just
 completed can be realized better when
 it is understood that Victor is abou! i forty miles north of the base lime me- ridian, and Parker, Arizona, Is exactt..y on the meridian.
 The building of line of railway over the recent survey would be of inesu-
 maIble value to Los Angeles, San Der
 nardino and southern California ali large. In addition to the roads open i ing up some of tlhe richest and le9st developed gold bearing sections in the west, it would precipitate a fight flor t'business between the Santa Fe end the Southern Pacific and great reduction in tlhe present high freight and passen- ger rates in Arizona and New Mexico ! would follow