El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-12-13
THE CHOCTAW AND Ell pASO
A White Oaks Official Tells Why
This City Is Within the Range OF
the New Roads Terminal Posi-
bilities-Wlll Not Go Beyond
Amarillo This Winter

Said White Oaks official this
morning, discussing the railroad s1tua
tion: 'sThere Is little TO be taken for
granted In the proposed building OIL
roa Is into this section, aud When a
piaa il once announced as dehn1tely
determined upon, radical changes may
be expected Just as confidently as car
rying out of the scheme; The best
laid plans of mice and men, you
know.
"To a case in point. In relation to
the much heralded Cnoctaw road from
Memphis and the Mississippi river TO
the west, | can tell you two things OF
vital interest to Ell Paso not generally
known.
.sIn the first place, because survey
ing parties have reached AlbuQ uerque
and its vicinity, New Mexican papers
have settled on that city as the certain
goal to which the new road Is reach
ing. As matter of fact, not only
have surveying corps of this road been
twice in the White Oaks country also,
but the promoters of the new road have
baen in consultation with our own
people regarding possible connection
at Captain, and the idea has been so
we'll received both ways that it is still
An open question Is to whether this
road, the Rock Island, or the Santa Fe
will make the connection.
'Personslly, L am of the opinion that
toe ChoctRw road will find it far more
advantageous to turn to the south west
from A marble, to tap our wonderful
pine and coal and gold country, and to
benefit as an integral factor in q
connection, through US, with the
Mexican Central, the Sierra Madre,
and the Southern Pacific, rather than
to continue on via Albuquerque where
q direct connection with the Santa Fe
would mean direct competition with
that lice for eastern traffic.
The second point 1 make is that the
Choctaw road will build to Amarillo,
aud only to Amarillo this fall and win
ter. This is absolutely authoritative. Its
object in reaching that point not only
Is TO CONNECT with the Pecos system,
but as we | to furn sh the Pecos road,
and both the F5. Worth and Denver
and the Santa -Fe there, with the coal it
brings from i.s fields in the territory.
'For its next objective point beyond
Amarillo to q city in northern New
Mexico, who's distance from the roads
coal base would make it cheaper to buy
Cerrillos coal from its rival the Santa
Fe, would certainly be less wise in a
road of its kind than to turn southwest
possibly to run through coal fields yet
nnfound along the proposed line.
THE Choctaw road, then, will reach
Amarillo this winter. The primal
cause of its delay there will be the
present high price of steel This cause
alone is holding back railroad building
al over the country, and it fs particu-
larly direct reason for not extending
the Choctaw at present. because it
has neglected to order ahead when
steel rails had not so advanced.
SAT any rate, from Amarillo as
present western terminus the roads
owners will survey the prospect to the
west and south west. and in the late
spring Or early fall we shall know
their decision.
Amarillo is 376 miles from Pecos
city and it is 225 miles farther to Ell
Paso, by the Tesas and Pacific. That
means that 900 miles lie between us
and the new road now, but by a direct
extension from A msrtIlo or even from
Ros we'll, to Captain, less than a hun
cred miles in one case, and $50 in the
other are neceSsary,'