Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-09-30
VALLEY 4 N. E.
The Extension Of the Pecos Valley
Railroad Means Much for
New Mexico.
WESTERN CONNECTIONS
At Amarillo the Extension Will Connect
with the Santa Fe and Make a Straight
Shoot for Kansas City.

With the commencement of track lay
ing from Roswell n~ortheasterly toward
Amarillo, Texas. all doubts of the build
ing of the much-talked-o Roswell eX-
tension are dispelled, and southeastern
New Mexico is now sure of a trunk line
connection with Kansas City, st. Louis,
| Chicago and other great eastern points,
in addition to connection with important
southern points which it has enjoyed
now for some years. BY mex spring,
southeastern New Mexico will be able to
ship stock and it's varied products di-
rectly to the larger markets without
having to drive across the country to
the Santa Fe in central New Mexico, or
to ship around through Texas over the
Texas & Pacific to Fort Worth, which
latter road has profited largely by the
absence of direct rail connections from
the middle Pecos valley country and ad-
joining parts.
The Pecos Valley railroad extends SO
miles from Pecos City, Texas, north
ward to Eddy, the county seat of Eddy
county, and rs miles to Roswell, the
county seat Of Chaves county. The road
was completed in 1890, and the extension
from Roswell to Amarillo will be 2OS
miles, making an entire length of line
372 miles. That the Santa Fee intends to
connect Amarillo with the Santa
Fe-Pacific is evident from the fact
that the road has arranged to use
140 miles of the extension west
from Amarillo as a CUTOFF for Its
new line to the Duke City, thus ena-
bling the Santa Fe company to send its
! California trains over the new route
and avoid the long detour through
southern Colorado and over the Ration
and other ranges. The Roswell ex-
tension enables the southeastern part
of the territory to also have immediate
connections with the Denver & Gulf,
giving a Fort Worth connection In addi-
ton to the Texas & Pacific route as well
as a connection with Denver.
The Pecos country is noted for its
fine grasses, artesian wells, sugar beets,
a wide variety of grains. magnificent
fruit, it's extensive cattle ranges. its
sheep herds, mild winter feeding, many
local mines of coal, valuable minerals,
marble and building stone deposits, Its
beet sugar factory, timber, and various
other industries which bring wealth to
a community. Cattle shipments now av-
erage annually 1870, 900 head, which are
shipped in all directions for feeding or
Strengthening. The new line will make 1t
easier to ship stock to Kansas City and
Chicago after fattening on the cheap
feed raised upon the irrigated lands OF
the Pecos valley or the refuse from the
sugar factories which promises to de-
yelop into an extensive industry of it.
self. One hundred thousand tons Of su-
gar beets make 40, 900 tons of beet pulp,
which is excellent for fattening and for
dairy purposes. 1t is claimed that the
new line will carry $4,000 car loads an
nually of stock from that part of the
country. Moreover, by shipping over
the new connections the rigid Texas
quarantine laws will be avoided, and
this of itself Is considered a surety that
the greater part of the cattle south of
the Texas & Pacific, and all coming
from the south and west of Ell Paso for
the Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri
feeding grounds will be hauled over the
Pecos Valley route.
Southeastern New Mexico is growing
very fast, and when direct connection
can be had with central New Mexico,
communication can be had directly with
the central parts of the territory In
stead of being obliged to go away
around by Pecos City, Texas, and Ell
Paso.
BY building from a convenient point
on the Pecos Valley and Northeastern
westward from a point near the New
Mexico line via Fort Sumner to a on
nection with it's New Mexican lines
somewhere in the vicinity of Bernal or
San Miguel in San Miguel county, a dYS-
lance of about $50 miles, and thus open
ing up it's Santa Fe-Pacifc railway on
nections, the great Santa Fe railway
system would be enabled to beat it's old
time rivals for transcOntinental trade,
the Texas Pacific and Southern Pacific
for the California business, both pas
senger and travel all the year around,
as the route from Chicago to San Fran
cisco and Los Angeles via Kansas City,
ottawa, Winfield, Amarillo, Bernal and
Albuquerque and the Santa Fe-Paciic
would be the best in every respect.
The distance to Los Angeles will be
shortened 200 miles or over, and the
time car be cut down to a marked ex-
tent not only by the shortening of the
distance, but by the avoidance of noun
tain ranges and heavy grades. With
the new through line from Kansas City
via Winfield, Kan, and the Amarillo
cutoff, the Santa Fe will escape all
crossing of ranges between Albuquer-
que and Chicago. That this enterpris-
ing. carefully and ably managed COM
pany will take measures leading up to
this move, is a foregone conclusion, as
it is easily the Pennsylvania railroad of
the west. 1t is a road that does not hes
itate to pour out it's money along the
line of improvements, and does every
thing in it's power to make its patrons
feel that they are travelling over a rail-
way whose management takes a per-
sonal interest in their welfare.