The herald., 1896-01-29
Important Contracts Let by the
Valley Road
HUNTINGTON ROASTS SUTRO
And Assigns Reasons for His Determined
Opposition
An Unnamed Pacific Coast Senator Says Sutro
Has Aided the Funding Bill
and 1t VIII Pass
Associated Press Special Wire

SAN Francisco, Jan. 2S.-One of the
most important meetings held by the board
of directors of the San Francisco and San
Joaquin Valley railway was that which
took place today. The session was long,
and the result showed the determination of
the company to push the line to the head
of the valley without unnecessary delay.
Contracts were let for over 500 900 worth
OF construction mater al to be furnished
during the coming spring and summer.
The committee had already bought enough
material to build to Fresno, and it has or.
dered sufficient supplies in addition to
carry the road to Bakersfield. The prin-
cipal contract let was that to John f. Mer-
rill of Holbrook, Merrill & Stetson, fol-
$4,000 tons of 6212-pound steel rails. The
price for delivery here is $29.25 the long
fon, or Y52o, 800. contract for the
Bolts, spikes and angle plates necessary
for laying the rails was awarded to Dun
ham, Carrigan & Co. at $2.l6 the 100
pounds for bolts ana 81 81 for spikes. The
total of this contract is over 100000.
Another large contract was that for loo
flat cars. 1t went to Carter Brothers of
Newark and San Francisco. The cars are
to be delivered at Stockton at $4S9.50
each, the total being $73,425. The COM
pany had already ordered 100 fiat cars, go
actual service. The $50 flat cars will soon
be required in the construction of the road
and their number will be augmented when
the line is opened to traffic. Tho new or
der for flat cars is to be filled by the first
of June.
In addition the road has 13 of the box
80 box cars contracted for i'll service, as
well as three water cars provided with
tanks, which are used for furnishing an
additional supply TO the engines. The box
cars are being made by Hammond IL Co.
Large supplies of material are also being
received for immediate use. Rails are be-
ing discharged from two ships in the har-
bor and lumber and ties are being taken
from three other vessels and sent to Stock
ton and the iiout. The ship Roanoke has
also arrived with 1000 tons of rails and
other material, which will be unoadad in
few days.
The first telegraphc dispatch over the
new line of the road was received today
from Escalon, twenty miles from Stockton.
II was addressed to Superintendent Storror
of he Postal Telegraph company. which
has the contract with the railway company
The news from the front is that the
track between Stockton and the Stans,aus
is being Put in shape. aud that the work IS
progressing rapidly on the bridge across
the river. The ructure will be compile ed
in three weeks il there should not be con-
tnued high water. Chief Engineer Storey
will then resume track laying to Dry creek
and the ruolumne, a distance CT seven and
ten miles. Bridges are being prepared for
both points. That at Dry creek will need
only few days to put In position, while
that at TuoluInne will require about three
weeks. Two months then will see the road
constructed to that point. Thence it will
be pushed on to Merced, Fresno and
Bakersfield, and the valley building COM
pleted, a way will he found to continue the
Francisco.
THE FUNDING BILL
WASHINGTON, Jan. 2S.-Francis B. Thur
Der of New York appeared before the house
committee on Pacific roads today as rep
resentative ofthc National board of trade
and the New York board of trade and trans
portation, to advocate the passage of a
undng bill for the Pacific railroads. He
commended Senator Frye's bill for hun
dred years extension of the debt at 9 per
cent. The settlement of the Pacific rail-
road finances, he said, affected the brlsi-
ness interests of the entire co Intry. He
had aroused the commercial bodies of the
country to the support of the anti-pooling
clause of ex-senator Reagan's interstate
commerce bill, but the logic of events had
convinced Senator Reagan and himself
that the prohibition OF pooling was un-
necessary and that railroad rates were
forced as low by competition and other
forces as they could be.
The rates on the Pacific railroads are
less than one-third of the standard at the
establishment of the lines, and this fact
should be considered in paying obligations
incurred on the basis of these conditions.
Congress should do three things to settle
the business interests of the country-pass
a tariff bill to increase the revenue, a IA
cific railroad funding-bill, and bank
ruptcy bill.
Mr.. c. H. Tweed, attorney for the Cen.
tral Pacific, also spoke. In the hearing
yesterday, Mr.. Patterson of Tennessee
had asked Mr.. Pierce of the Union Pacific
whether that company would be able to
comply with proposition to pay the prin-
short time if the interest was remitted,
and Mr.. Pierce had answered in the affirma-
tive. Today Mr.. Johnson of California
asked the same question of Mr.. Tweed
and he answered that he did not see how
the Central Pacific railroad could comply
with such a proposition. Its ability to do
so would depend on the condition of the
money market and whether the company
could make showing OF earnings good
enough to float the issue OF bonds neces-
sary to raise the funds, and he doubted
whether such a showing could be made.
Mr.. Tweed declared that the ninety-nine
years. l5ase OF the Central Pacific held by
the Southern Pacific would not operate to
prevent it's acceptance of the terms of the
Frye bill.
THE BILL WILL PASS
WASHINGTON, Jan. 2S.-'The funding
bill will! pass both house and the sentae,
and will receive the signature of President
Cleveland This is the broad and unquali-
fed statement made tonight by Pacific
coast senator, who says that, despite this
belief, he will vote against the bill and do
ell in his power to defeat it.
"When the present session opened," ne
continued, "the opponents of the bill, of
which am and always have been one, felt
confident that we could prevent its pass
age, as we did in the last congress. but that
feeling of assurance is a thing of the past
now. 1t is with regret that say it, but the
truth is that our own people are to
blame for this state of affairs.
"These red-letter circulars sent out by
Mayor Sutro and others are as good as q
dozen of HuntinQton's agents; they have
done more to push the funding bill than
anything else. 1t is unfortunate that such
tactics as these have been pursued, but we
at this end seem powerless to prevent
them"
HUNTINGTON TALKS BACK
LOUISVILLE. Ky.. Jan. 28.-C. p. Hunt