Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-08-29
WITH
HUNTINGTON
DEATH OF MAGNATE REMOVED
STRONG OPPOSITION TO
CLARK'S RAILROAD.
NEAR LOS ANGELES
WAS THE CHIEF ISSUE.
History of the Deal by Which Clark
Was Interested-Proposed Route
of New Road.

~ >IlCdSo ulSpdlCH 10 the SC. LOUIS
Globe-Democrat relating to the purchase
of a half interest in the Los Angeles
Terminal road by w. A. Clark of Mon
tana, recalls a bit of history and brings
out some new points in connection with
the deal not generally known.
The article says: The deal was closed
IN New York a few days ago. 1t preceded
the sudden death Of c.. P. Huntington.
The Los Angeles & San Pedro Terminal
is largely a ST. Louis enterprise. Among
the heaviest holders of the stock are r..
c. kerens, the Leightons, the Davis es-
tate and some other capitalists of that
city. After the st. Louis men put their
money into the railroad, and the general
plan of developing San Pedro as a port
on the California coast, C. p. Huntington
arrayed all of the Southern Pacific in
fluence against them, openly declaring
his intention to destroy the project and
to make Santa Monica, a few miles dis
tant and entirely controlled by the South
ern Pacific interests, the harbor.
The fight was carried to congress.
-Four Investigations were made by the
government engineers. Three boards of
engineers were appointed in succession.
The reports were all IN favor of San
Pedro. A committee of senators went out
at the i~nstigation of Mr.. Huntingdon.
Every recourse was tried to defeat or
postpone development at San Pedro, until
finally, after congress had repeatedly
voted the Improvement, a cabinet meet
ing was held and the whole influence of
the administration was put forth against
Mr.. H~untington's obstruction policy. The
magnate took the defeat very seriously.
On one occasion he had openly stated in
Washington that he would spend $780,
00O, 900 to destroy the San Pedro enter
prise. It was a matter of pride rather
than of profit with him to have his way
in his particular matter.
Some weeks & negotiations were
opened with Mr.. Clark to enter the San
Pedro company, with a view to the fur
ther development of the property on a
scale calling for the investment Of mil
lions Of dollars and contemplating the
most extensive railroad construction of
the present time. Mr.. Clark mao a very
elaborate investigation made of the prop
erty and of the franchises. If he went
into the Los Angeles & a Pedro Term
inal it was to be with the idea. of much
greater investment to follow. The Mon
tana capitalist weighed also with great
care the possibilities of a bitter contest
with Huntingdon, whose field the intend
ed extensions would invade far beyond
what the original plans Of the terminal
| company had provided for.
1.-THE results of the investigation en-
tirely satisfied Mr.. Clark. The purchase
agreement was signed. The money which
obtained the half interest was paid in
$3.50, 900 installments. One of the first of
the projected expansions of the terminal
into a t~ranscontinental line has been
taken in the purchase of a tract of n
in the suburbs of Los Angeles for $3.50. 900.
The r~eorganiZed company will, as soon
as p~reliminaries can be pro-
coed to construct eastward from Los An
geles to San Bernardino, forty or fifty
miles. The new line will pass through
a wonderfully rich valley, already highly
developed in fruit culture. 1t will invade
a rich local territory Of the Southern Pa
citic, touching all of the important points.
AT San Bernardino the new road will
strike the Santa Fe. Then the question
for the Santa Fe to decide will be wheth-
err it shall grant use of tracks for 200
miles eastward or shall be paralleled.
The probability is that the Santa Fee
people will grant joint use of the tracks.
Where the new line leaves the Santa Fe
it will bear to the northeast, and will
supply the long expected link between
Salt Lake City and the junction point
on the Santa Fe will be 400 miles long.
MONTANAN AS RAILROADER.
The road through from Los Angeles
to the Salt Lake connection will be
made with the two or three systems
which now reach the Rocky mountain
country, and are looking to the coast.
Mr.. Clark has been for some time de-
sirous of adding tran%scontinental rail
road management to his mining, beet
sugar making and other enterprises. He
enters upon this new field with enthu-
siasm. It is his desire to proceed with
the construction of the road, selling ma
bonds. When the road is completed from
Salt Lake to Los Angeles a new corpora
ton will be formed.
"Some idea of the ability of Mr.. Clark
to swing such an enterprise may be
formed from he fact that the Install
ments of $3.50. 900 paid on his interest in
the terminal company represented the
profits of his Verde copper mines as
they came in. Mr.. Clark had established
} large beet plants in the vicinity
!. of Los Angeles before he turned his
thoughts to the terminal property. He
. was also fully aware what a light with
: Huntington would mean,