The herald., 1898-04-14
LOCAL RAILWAY NEWS
A YUMA INDIAN CAPTURES A
GIGANTIC sAURIAN
SAID TO BE eleven FEET LONG
Progress Of the Valley Road-Hunt-
ington Carries All of His Points.
Personal and News Notes

Yuma possesses a great humorist. or else
a phenomenon has occurred in that land of
queer things that is worthy of investiga-
! ton. Yesterday Assistant Superintendent
Prior received a dispatch from an Indian
at Yuma saying that he had captured an
alligator or a crocodile, he was not sure
which, some little distance down the Co.
orado river, and wanted to sell the saurian
20 the company as an attraction to tourists
The creature is described as being eleven
feet long weighing 600 pounds and being
twelve years old, though how the Indian
arrived at the latter conclusion, unless he
is a crocodile expert. is only TO be sur
missed.
Inquiry in this city among the old-t.mers
brings to the surface the fact that there
is considerable difference of opinion as to
there being any such creature in the Colo
rado river. Some of the spring of 50 men
claim there never was such thing known
as a crocodile this side of Florida, while
some of the winter of ~ men assert that
while they had never seen any such thing
they had heard of them and believed that
they existed.
Mr. Prior thinks that the creature was
frozen out of Florida and came TO South
err California to enjoy real climate. AT
any rate the animal is there and is waiting
for a purchaser. so If anyone is looking for
an eleven-foot saurian with a forty-foot
appetite here is the sought-fo- opportun-
ity.
The Valley Road
The Valley railway is completed to Kern
river and the construction trains are now
bringing the material right up to the point
where work on the bridge Is in progress,
according to the Californian of Bakers
field The grading on the Bakersfield side
of the river is all completed and the track
LAYERS have commenced the work Of plac
ing the rails between the river and Oak
street.
P.le-driving is in progress. as far as the
main channel is concerned the work being
done; as the approaches are very long the
labor will be considerable and when the
chew-chew cars first roll into Bakersfield
the passengers will find everything ready
for doing a first class railway business.
Huntington Wins
In few days c. P. Huntington, the pres
ident of the Southern Pacific company, will
commence his journey homeward 10 New
York. He accomplished all he came TO this
coast to do at the annual meeting of the
directors of the company held short time
ago in San Francisco. and also with the
directors of the Central Pacific company,
he election of which took place on Tues
day in San Francisco. Huntington made
his fight in the open and won on every
point; nothing new for him. 1t is true, but
something which people think he will fail
in every time because he has won so stead
lily. The only thing that has stumped this
master of finance and transportation has
been the San Pedro harbor matter. fight
so forlorn and hopeless that no one with
anything less than Huntihgton's obstinate
courage and determin alton would ever
have attempted to pluck victory from.
Huntington will be here shortly and will
spend some time in this vicinity. 1t might
be we'll for him and for the community If
some of the persuasive members of the
chamber of commerce and Free Harbor
league were to meet him and give him an
understanding of the situation on this har-
Dor question.
Notes and Personals
If the warm weather continues the
Southern Pacific will commence its sea-
side excursion service on Sunday The
time tables are now being worked out.
A special train of twenty-five cars of
wagon material from a ST. Louis firm will
pass through the city tomorrow via the
Santa Fe on its way 10 San Francisco.
This is the largest single shipment ever
made TO this coast.
]. E. Hurley, who is now the superinteud
ent of the two most important divisions of
the Santa Fe, the New Mexico and the Rio
Grande divisions, fifteen years ago, was
hack driver in queer old Kansas. He
studied railroad!ng in his spare moments.
The Santa Fe people claim that they car
land good Kansas hay in Southern Califor-
MA at $40 ton. so there is likely to be
limit of that figure on that article for some
time to come, rain or no rain.
After Saturday the kite-shaped track
special of the Santa Fe will only be op-
Grated on Tuesdays.
The Southern Pacific after this week will
only operate its limited on Fridays.
E. 2. Turner the general passenger agent
of the Texas Pacific. IS in the city, being
guided by the local agent of the company,
F. F. Fitzgerald.
General Superintendent J. Q. A. Van
Wrinkle of the Big Four road arrived in the
city on Monday, going at once to Coronado.
B. F. Porter has been appointed general
superintendent of the Marcopa and Phoa-
nix railway. He has been acting superin-
tendent for some time past.
Arizona shipped out $1,000 head Of cattle
last year and this season the number will
reach 40 900.
Lemon shipments are continuing heavy,
owing to the reduction of rates recently
made The orange men are still complain
ing about their hard luck in being forced
to pay old-time rates with market broken.