Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1900-03-17
RAILROADFOR BLAND
A Number of Capitalists Have Gone
Over the Ground and Decided
to Build.
REVIVAL OF AN OLD PROJECT
The Preliminary Work for the Construction
Of the Railroad to Connect Thornton,
Bland and Santa Fe Has
Been Started.
special Cor. New Mexican.

Bland, n. NJ, March 16.-The New
Mexican may congratulate itself on be-
ing the first 10 announce that Bland is
more than likely to have railway COM
munlcation with the outside world in a
very short time. Residents of the Co.
chit district are quite jubilant to-day
over their prospects in this respect. D.
L. Kemp, the hotel man at Thornton,
brought the news into camp. He came
here to purchase a lot of tents and a
camping outfit, and it leaked out that
he was acting in behalf of
A NEW RAILROAD
enterprise, which intends to place
an engineering corps in the field be-
tween the Rio Grande and Bland,
When questioned by several leading
business men he stated that party of
capitalists had been making their head
quarters at Thornton for the past week,
quietly looking over the situation, and
that as result it had been determined
to go at the work at once and push the
road to Bland with all possible speed.
This party consists Of Judge John S.
Thompson, of Los Angeles; j. T. Bar
tellson, of Minneapolis; Mr.. Gillespie,
of New York, and several others, said
to be men of influence and capital Their
intention is to take control of the Berg
man -ClaussenP Purdy project and oper-
ate under the territorial charter taken
out by these parties several years ago.
THE ROUTE.
This charter, as filed with the territo-
rial secretary, it will be remembered,
provides for a railroad to run from San
ta Fe, following the general course of
the Rio Santa F'e to a crossing of the
Rio Grande near the outlet of White
Rock canon, and thence up Pine canon
to the towns Of Woodbury. and Bland,
with branch from the mouth of Pine
canon to Thornton station. The original
design was to operate such q road by
electricity, the necessary power to be
generated by the construction OF dam
and power plant on the Rio Grande in
White Rock canon, but whether this
idea is to be followed by the new pro-
moters Of the scheme remains TO be
seen. 1t may be also that the plan at
present contemplates merely the con-
struction Of a direct line between
Thornton and Bland. However this may
be, it is fact that not until to-day have
citizens here had any faith in the prof.
ect, and now they are inclined to look
upon it as more than fiattering prob
ability that something of momentous
Importance to the district Is about to
transpire.
AN OLD PROJECT.
1t would, indeed, be pleasant for all
concerned were it to turn out that suc-
cess had at last crowned the efforts of
the men who originated this enterprise
three years ago, and have never for q
day lost confidence in it. Samuel Ell
dodt and other citizens of Santa Fe put
up the money for the preliminary sur
vey of the road. Since then James H.
Purdy has been steadily at work trying
to enlist capital to carry it forward, and
for the past five months he has been at
Thornton doing great deal of detail
work in connection with the matter,
while Judge Thompson has made sever
al trips from Los Angeles to San Fran
cisco, Chicago and New York to lay the
facts before capitalists.
IT'S FEASIBILITY.
One year ago the agent for a railway
construction firm on Broad street, New
York, paid a visit to Santa Fe and
Bland, and also examined White Rock
canon to verify reports that had been
sent east on the feasibility of the un-
dertaking. Last summer Mr.. Bartell-
son came here from Minneapolis on a
similar mission, and it seems now that
these reports have been Of a very favor
able character. Judge Thompson is we'll
known to Santa Feans, he having spent
the summer there some years ago when
the Sandia Mining and Smelling Com
pany's property was so sadly wrecked
after Kim-ki Rogers death. Judge
Thompson was attorney for himself and
other New York stockholders in that
company.
Las Vegas Notes.