The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-10-25
RAILROAD NEWS.
Importance of the Purchase Of
the San Joaquin Line
By the Santa Fe is Shown by a
California Merchant.
HARD BLOW TO S. P.
ShreWdness of President Ripley
In Its Manipulation.
California People Hail the
Move With Delight.
HARD BLOW TO S. P.

The importance of the recent move Of
the Santa F'e company in securing the
San Francisco & San Joaquin Valley
railroad, and the shrewdness of Presi-
dent Ripley in laying the plans for its
acquisition, can be realized from the
following interview with Mr. r. H
Heron of Los Angeles, an oil merchant
Of that place. Mr.. Heron was formerly
a resident of Pittsburg, and while visit
ing there a few days ago the interview
was printed in the Pittsburg Dispatch.
He said:
mo deal ever closed has meant so
much in California as has this one. I
knew that it was on the taps and have
been looking for it for some time For
many years the people Of California
have been throttled by the Southern
Pacific line, which would let no other
line run IN the state, and has made its
own rates TO the farmers. They have at
last been OutWitted by the Atchison
people, and we will now have another
road into Frisco and through the best
part OF the state, SO that there will be
competition and consequently lower
rates This San Francisco and San Joa-
Quin Valley road is a line built bv the
farmers of the San Joaquin valley, aid
ed by Claus Spreckels. It runs from
Bakersfield to Stockton. a distance of
80 miles, and line is being built from
stockton to the docks at Oakland which
means san Francisco This addition is
1U3 miles long, making a line Of 43S
miles almost parallel with the Southern
Pacific.
I was in business in California at the
tlme the road was started, and I know
the circumstances leading up to if The
farmers could not get out their produce
as the rates charged by the Southern
Eacllc ROAD were simply prohibitive;
YET there was no other road. I was in
san francisco the day the start was
MADE TO raise money for the road
Claus Spreckels, who offered to lend a
hand' put down S50O,000, and his two
sons, between them, came I'D with $500 -
600 more, and with this for a start the
road was soon under way. This wa {
four years ago, and most of the line
has been opened since That part from
stockton to San Francisco will be RIM
ming within a year.
From Bakersfield, the southern term
mus OF the road, to MOiaVe across the
mountain and the desert of MOiave il
but o. miles The Atchison peopIe are
into MOjaye and all they need do is to
pulId the line across to connect the east
with the west once more. am in posi-
ton to tsate that the Atchison peoDIe
nave already surveyed their route from
MOJaVe to Bakersfield, and it will be a
revelation to the Southern Pacific peO-
pie, who went over the TehachaDi NTO11r
tain at great expense. The Atchisou
people purpose to get round this noun
tain and have, I understand a very
nice route mapped out.
1t looks very much to me as if the
Southern Pacific has been caught nan
ping after many years of wakefulness.
Coils P Huntington has undoubtedly
been out-generaled by President f p
Ripley, of the AtchisOn. and the peOpIe
OF California Will be the gamers The
hrst move of the AtchisOn people to get
into California properly, so as to be on
a footing with the Southern Pacific. was
made last July, when Ripley made a
trade with Huntington He gave to the
Southern Pacific the Sonora railroad,
running from Benson, Ariz.. to Guay-
mas, Mex, 265 miles, and So miles of
another road in Mexico, in exchange
| for the Southern Pacific branch line
from the Needles TO Mojave, in Cali
fOrnia, a distance of 241 miles
Railroad people stood Mortified at
the AtchIsOu people giving 353 miles of
road into rich Old Mexico for 241 miles
of branch road in California, one with
no outlet, but Ripley knew what he wa
doing. It placed his road within 81
miles of the terminus of a road whose
other end was in San Francisco, and he
was after a straight shoot into that city
Before the Southern Pacific peOpIe
could stop him Ripley had the coveted
line I have no idea at what price the
SpreCkels people sold out to the Atchi-
son. but the line is cheap at any price.
/ viewed from the standpoint of the peo-
pie of California who have freight to
ship.
I have a little oil field about a. miles
up branch of the Southern Pacific
line and can haul my stuff overland
with four horses. for half the money I
am charged by the Southern Pacific for
carrying il. Not only can I do it but
I do do it. I am forced to haul my
stuff from the field with a fourth
team. California is a good oil state
but never until we have some good oD-
position to Huntington's road can we
expect to get out with it. We see
gleam of hope now since the Atchison
people have got in know two oil
companies near Los Angeles who have
been in the habit of paying the Southern
Pacific road 100000 per year each for
hauling their oil They could not stand
the pace, and were thinking seriously
Of giving up the fields It was at my
suggestion that they built a steamer
and within six months after they start
ed to ship their oil Jointly by water
they paid for their steamer and are now
making money. 1t is only by such COM
bines, helped by the ocean. that the peo-
pie of that state have been able to ex-
ist at all The purchase of the San
Joaquin road by the Atchison is the
biggest thing for California since the
r7Ecr IL