The San Francisco call., 1897-02-09
TWENTY CHANCES
TO GAIN FAME
Valley Road Open TO Hints
as to Names for New
Stations.
Superintendent Mcfarland Going
to Fresno to Push Exten.
sion Work.
Telegraph and Trains Will Be kent
to the Front of the Track
and Grading.

There are now only few comparatively
minor obstacles in the right of way of the
San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley
Railroad between Fresno and Bakersfield,
and the construction department, under
Chief Engineer Storey, is showing in
creased activity in the making OF prepara-
tions for construction work. There are
but few more finishing touches of engi-
neering work to be put on.
When the construction work is begun it
will be pushed with all the dispatch that
insures irst-class roadbed. When the
first 125 miles of the line, from Stockton
to Fresno, were completed the Valley
road then had as good and as well bal
lasted a track as there was in the State,
and in some respects railroad men said it
was as level, well jointed and solid as it is
possible to construct.
The first excursion train that went
through from Stockton to Fresno for the
celebration at the latter city last October
OF the opening of the Valley road was
drawn by locomotive that had two days
before run with two coaches from Claus
ton to Stockton, distance of thirty miles,
at rate of nearly sixty miles per hour.
The locomotive had just come from the
shops and was being warmed up for
heavier work ahead of her. There are few
newly constructed roadbeds in the coun-
try on which this rate of speed would
Lave been safe.
Chief Engineer Storey said yesterday
that the roadbed from Fresno to Bakers
field would be as well graded and the
track as good as the division north OF
Fresno. The distance from Fresno to
Bakersfield is about 120imiles as surveyed.
Superintendent E. A. Mcfarland OF
Stockton, who has charge of the division
TO Fresno, Will have his headquarters
changed to Fresno on the 18th INST, to
take charge of the work on the extension
to Bakersfield. About 400 men will be
employed in grading and tracklaylng.
Poles will be set and wire stretched In
pace with the construction work, so that
telegraph instruments and trains can be
kept within jumping off distance of the
front end of battle. The company wants
to get trains running into Bakersfield by
the middle of June. Trains will probably
be run regularly to Hanford, about thirty
miles south of Fresno, soon after the track
is built to that place. There are still some
impediments yet IN the right OF way to
Fisalia.
The company is not waiting for funds
on account of the issuance of its bonds to
make the extension. The proofs of the
bonds were read about ten days ago, by
Vice-Presdent Robert Watt, and returned
printed. Mr.. Watt said that the company
would not be in any hurry to dispose of
the bonds.
There must be stations and, if stations,
names for them, on the new extension.
This will receive the attention of Chief
Engineer Storey before the line reaches
Bakersfield. This was found to be pug
zling question to some degree when the
names had to be selected for the seventeen
stations south of the "Mill City" not pre-
viously determined by settled commune
ties of some pretension to population.
But the directors are said to have entered
into hearty unanimity when it was pro-
posed TO name the places of future
great metropolitan aspirations, after the
president of the road, Claus Spreckels. So
Clauston got on the map, and who knows
that some day it may not be donated a
patronymic town hall or q beet-sugar fac
tory with thousand employees. The sta
tions will be fourteen to twenty in number.
Chief Engineer storey said that the road
is open to suggestions for names for the
stations from The pioneer, the farmer, the
fruit-grower and packer, the business man,
to the young husband or country swain
who wants the name of his frst-born son
or sweetheart TO be sounded down the
ages by the angel-voiced brakeman,