Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1900-07-14
ARAILROAD PROJECT
The Rock Island Railroad Has De-
cided to Build from Liberal
to Clayton,
SURVEYORS STARTED WORK
The Ell Paso & Northeastern Railway Will
Be Extended from A~lamogordo to Clay
ton-The Road Will Be Built
This Year.

A dispatch from Liberal, Kan, dated
July II, says: This morning the Chica-
go, Rock Island & Pacific corps of sur
veyors started overland west to begin
the preliminary survey on the proposed
extension of the Rock Island south and
west into New Mexico territory, with a
connection to White Oaks or CariZoZo,
close to White Oaks, where the Ell Paso
& Northeastern railroad is now COM
pleted.
There is some doubt whether the de-
sired grade can be had directly through
White Oaks, and it may be necessary to
swerve around that camp. the engin-
GERS understand. The line would in that
event start from CariZozo, where the
stages leave for White Oaks, or per-
haps a few miles eastward toward Wal
nut. Captain is not considered a point
from which to extend. the route via the
camp being more difficult.
THE outfit consists of Chief Engineer
w. d. Worral, sixteen men and five
wagons. Engineer Worral says that he
had orders to begin work 100 miles west
of Liberal, at the end of the old survey,
and run a line to Clayton, N. M. Fur
Their than this he has no official word.
He expects to receive orders at Clayton.
| Mr.. Worral believes that the prelimi-
nary survey will be made from Clayton
to White Oaks, and as soon as the first
survey is made the grade stakes will be
| set and the grade work vigorously
pushed. He anticipates a stay in that
country of about ten months. While
the chief engineer was unable to tell
anything official, he agrees with the
| public sentiment that the prospective
| extension is now assured. From the in
terviews secured from the officials at
this place, everything portends a new
road for the great southwest.
"In consequence of the movement real
estate has gone to a high price, and
mortgage lifting is raising a dust in
which prosperity is written in large
Gothic letters. Property is so per cent
higher in Liberal"
A later dispatch from Chicago verifles
the above as follows: "An official at the
general office of the company said the
report was correct. 50 there is to-day
no longer any secret about it, he said
We do not tell of railway plans in ad-
vance of a determination, for obvious
reasons But the extension from Lib
eral has been fully determined upon,
and the route is in a general way set
tied, although variations may be re-
quired by the survey now being made
We had surveys made many years age
for a line to Ell Paso, crossing the Pecos
branch was designed for the southwest
with the view of getting New Mexico
Texas, Arizona and California business
Then a change of plan was made that
hung up that line and sent us down to
Fort Worth and Indian Territory.
There was nee a thought of acquiring
the Texas & Pacific line west from Fort
Worth, but that idea was abandoned,
and we no longer need or seek that
rnute, since we have the chance given
us to get through business desired
without buying a line, and by building
an extension through a fine stock coun-
try that will furnish a paying local
business. We are not going to build to
II Paso, but have ar agreement to go
tn a common point, presumably Clay
ton, N. NJ, where we will interchange
LLsiness with the FL Paso & Northeast
ern railway, which will be constructed
to that point. The matter is simply a
traffic arrangement, mutually satisfac-
tony, by which passengers and freight
| business will be handled as if by one
line, and the proceeds divided in the
way usual to connecting lines. Our
wide reaching lines extending into Col
orado, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South
Dakota, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska,
Iowa, Kansas, Texas and Indian Terri
ern Texas, Mexico and the Pacific coast
through the gateway of Ell Paso, as the
spout of a funnel carries from the
spreading mouth. We will not have
trackage rights, but our freight cars
will run over the connecting line and
theirs over ours, and through sleeping
cars between Chicago o. Kansas City
to El Paso, and perhaps to the City of
Mexico and California, will be run. No,
we are not planning to absorb the Ell
Paso & Northeastern railway. 1t is not
for sale; it is a paying line, and has
not been offered to us. But Mr.. Parker
went into that territory months ago
and saw the situation in regard to Ell
Paso, the advantage of entry there and
the outlets from that mart. The agree
ment to build to a common point was
virtually completed several weeks ago
as the direct result Of the efforts of
President Charles B. Eddy, of the Ell
Paso line, who came here with C. B.
Simpson, of New York, a large stock
holder in the line from FL Paso to Cap
itan. Their road has made a wonderful
record for the first year by reason Of
local resources. The local trade that
now goes to El Paso may be cut off to
extent. but El Paso will gain a
h~undredfold more than she loses by the |
1t may be that the tendency |
Of roads to consolidate may result in
Rock Island eventually owning the
connecting line, but that is not now
thought of. With the advantage of
from 200 to 225 miles saved between FL
Paso and the east, under the mileage
If all other lines, and good territory for
ocal business, the two lines could fear
10 competitor
But will not the Santa Fe-Pecos
Valley combination head you off on
his?' was asked.
mo was the answer; at the best
hey a only play even If they run a
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