The San Francisco call., 1896-05-16

of the town almost, or at least within a
couple of blocks from the main business
street.
By July ! it is expected that Kings River
will be crossed Then the San Francisco
and San Joaquin Valley Railroad will be
within half mile of Reedley. In much
less than q year, it is thought, ReedleV
will have become one of the most import
ant railroad centers of the valley. Alresdy it
is the largest wheat shipping point in the
valley, but the policy of the Southern Pa
cific, which runs a branch line through
this country from Reedley to Porterville,
has been to kill Reedley from a CONNER
cial standpoint. And the Southern Pacific
has succeeded fairly well in this. The
handsome brick hotel constructed here in
the old boom days when the Porterville
branch road was being built, has been
vacant for years. 1t costs 81 ton to ship
wheat from Reedley to San Francisco, or
two bits ton more than the wheat can be
sent to Stockton, there loaded on bsrges
and shipped the rest of the distance by
water.
Last week a man shipped eight-dozen
live chickens from Reedley to San Fran
cisco-and paid So for the privilege OF
sending them in q Southern Pacific car.
Reedley is only twenty-four miles from
Fresno, yet the round-trip passenger rate
is 81 50-more than FIVE cents mile.
Reedley is cursed by the Southern Pacific
that's the truth of it. 1t is cheaper for
two men to hire a livery rig and 90 from
Reedley to Fresno and return, or vice
versa than it is to ride on the Porterville
branch OF the Southern Pacific. The rail-
road never takes more than it can get, but
it generally gets very nearly full the value
ofevery pound of freight it permits to
travel over its road.
But Reedley is now escaping from the
heavy hand of the octopus. George F.
Wakefield and party, of the engineering
corps OF the Valley road, have been quar-
tered here several days now, and their
presence in town has given Reedleyits
renewed hope. They have their derricks
on the Kings River, half mile north of
town, and are making an extensive series
Of borings in the bed of the river. When
their work is completed the pile-drivers
will commence theirs. There will be an
other railroad bridge across Kings River
in few weeks, and then the wheat.
ranchers and fruit-growers and cattlemen
in this section of the valley will be able
to move their product with some sort of
profit to themselves. Heretofore, no mat.
ter how rich the harvest, all the work was
for the railroad. This year is going to be
very good one in this part of the valley.
There will be at least one-third Of wheat
crop, if not more. There will be a big
crop of hay and much fruit that escaped
the frosts.
Reedley is only ten miles from the foot.
hills, which are lined with the finest and
most productive farms in this part OF the
country.
The nearest town is Dinuba, six miles
distant by rail; Sanger is ten miles from
Reedley, Orosi twelve miles, Kingsburg
eleven miles, Selma eleven miles and Ira
yer eleven miles. Reediey is thus the onIy
center of an immensely rich and product.
i've section Of the San Joaquin Valley, and
needs only the benign influence of rail.
road transportation at living rates to make
it spring into prominence as one of the
leading valley cities.
In spite even of the curse of the South
ern Pacific Reedley has in some ways
prospered. While the big brick hotel has
been idle, the handsome brick school
building has not been closed for lack of
scholars, and there is to-day a comfortable
and well-appointed frame hotel, presided
over by Robert Simpson, that is famous in
this section for its hospitalities. Mr..
Simpson is genial host and one OF the
best known and best liked men in this
part of the valley.
Reedley is unique as being probably the
only town in California that can BOAST of