Arizona republican., 1899-03-31
SANTA FE, PRESCOTT
 & PHOENIX RAILWAY

This road, starting at Ash Fork, Ari- zona, where it connects with the trunk line of the Santa Fe system, extends SOuthWard to Phoenix, at which point it connects with the Southern Pacific system by a branch line of the latter company from Maricopa. At Jerome junction, forty-one miles south of Ash Fork, it connects with the narrow gauge line of the United Verde and Pa cifc Railroad company, twenty-six miles in length, extending to Jerome where is located the famous mine of the United Verde Copper company. At Congress Junction, 126 miles south of Ash Fork, it connects with the Con gross Gold cOmpany's railroad, leading to one of Arizona's greatest gold mines, at Congress. At Hot Springs Junction, 153 miles south of Ash Fork it makes connection with a daily stage line to Castle Creek Hot Springs and Castle Creek mining district. At Wickenburg and Kirkland it also has stage and mail connections with the adjacent mining districts. At Pres colt, the largest mining town in the territory half a dozen mail and stage line connections are made, reaching | in all directions to the various mining camps. Prescott is also the junction point of the branch road to Mayer, which was recently completed The total length of the main line is 197.6 miles, with 26.1 miles of branches and 206 miles of sidings, spurs, etc.
 The rolling stock and all equipment of the company is first-class and con- sists of: Twelve heavy locomotives, in excellent condition; 12 passenger and combination baggage, mail and express cars; 25 box cars, 16 coal cars, 30 fiat cars, 2 water cars, 12 outfit cars, | , caboose cars, 1 business car. All are equipped with Westinghouse air brakes and automatic o0uplers, mak- | ing them standard and modern in all respects.
 The company's station buildings at Ash Fork, Jerome Junction, Prescott and Phoenix are commodious struct- ures and ample for all traffic require ments.
 The company has at Prescott one of the largest and best machine shops in the southwest, with equipment con sisting of wheel press, driving wheel and other lathes, planers, etc, enabling it to perform any class of work that may be required. There are also large engine houses, oil houses, store houses, etc, at Prescott and Phoenix. The general office building of the company is located at Prescott.
 The directors of the Santa Fe, Pres colt & Phoenix Railway company are: F. M. Murphy, Prescott, Arizona; D. M. Ferry, Detroit, Michigan; C. c. Bowen, Detroit, Michigan; Simon J. Murphy, Detroit, Michigan; N. K. Fairbank, Chicago, Illinois; Jay Morton, Chicago, Illinois; G. w. Kretzinger, Chicago, Illinois; Robert McCurdy, Youngstown Ohio; F. B. Gage, Prescott, Arizona.
 The officers of the company are: F. M. Murphy, president and general manager, Prescott, Arizona; D. M. Ferry, vice president, Detroit, Michi- gan; c. c. Bowen, secretary and treas urer, Detroit Michigan; G. w. ,Kret- ginger, general counsel Chicago Hi nOis; R. E.. Wells, assistant general manager, Prescott, Arizona; F. J. Sarmiento, assistant secretary and as- sistant treasurer and auditor, Prescott, Arizona; J. J. Wragovich, assistant auditor, Prescott, Arizona; A. w. Ed wards, cashier and paymaster, Pres colt, Arizona; George M. Sargent, gen eral freight and passenger agent. Pres -cott, Arizona; w A. Drake, chief en- gineer, Prescott, Arizona; H. c. Storey, trainmaster, Prescott, Arizona; o. H. Jackson, master mechanic, Prescott, Arizona; T. w. Johnston, local coun- sel, Prescott Arizona; l.. H. Chalmers, local counsel, Phoenix, Arizona.
 Including general foremen of shops, road and bridge work. and other em-T plOyes, there are neaaly $50 men in this company's employ.
 Mir. D. B. Robinson, who at the time was also general manager of the At lantic X Pacific, was the cOmpany's first president. In 1892 he was sue ceeded by MT. F. M. Murphy of Pres colt, who up to that time was the com | panys secretary and manager, and who has continued in the office of president | and general manager up to the present | time. Mir R. B. Burns Of Williams was the company's first chief engineer. | In 1891 Mir. N. R Gibson succeeded Mr. | Burns and continued the work of pre- liminary and location surveys. He | graded fourteen miles of the roadway northward from Phoenix and several | miles soUthward from Ash Fork. Ma jOr G. w. Vaughn succeeded MT. Gibson | as chief engineer in March, 1892. Ma jOr Vaughn found the surveys con- pleted to point more than twenty | miles south of Ash Fork and ground | broken for grading as far south as Rock Butte. At this time the work of construction was taken up vigorously, | a contract having been awarded to B. Lantry & Sons of Strong City, Kansas. Dul ms thC odAAuSI OA 1o5A duu WIACSl of 1892 and 1893 the work was pushed | energetically, several hundred men be- ing constantly employed. The track reached Prescott in April, 1893, and traffic between that point and Ash Fork began immediately. The work Of grading still continued southward and in April, 1894, the track reached Skull Valley, twenty-three miles south of Prescott. All forces were then greatly increased and the work of grading and track laying pushed to completion at Phoenix, which point was reached in March, 1895.
 The year 1893 was the period of the greatest financial panic which our country had experienced for many decades; this was a time when it WasI