Newport weekly independent., 1901-11-08

The Southern Missouri and Arkan sas Railroad is attracting considerable attention just at present, and consid- erable speculation is being indulged in with reference to the objective point ! toward which it's southern end is be- ing built. The purchase of the Hoxie, Pocahontas and Northern, from Hoxie, Ark, the crossing of the Frisco and Iron Mountain, to Pocahontas, the county seat of Randolph county, sev- enteen miles in length, by the South ern Missouri and Arkansas has con- N sderably changed the tenor of the theories concerning the ultimate ter W minus of the line, and left the un- known features of the enterprise more Mm Of mystery than at any previous I time.
 W The purchase of the H. P. & N, W practically puts end to the idea 8 that the road would be pushed on to M the southwest from Pocahontas and cross the Frisco at Imboden, Black z Rock or Portia, and either take route S through the mineral region of Law x renee and Sharp counties follow ~ the eastern bank of Black river to A Newport M It has been stated that the purchase of the H. P. & N. was to give the new l'ne foothold in Pocahontas, but it hardly seems reasonable that such considerable of money would be expended for this purpose and then there is the bridge across Black river and the seventeen miles of railway to Hoxie to be considered that would be of very small value to the company if the road were continued to the south # , west.
 This purchase is of considerable inn
 and makes plausible, at
 or that has been in circu- lUnoo IT. me time which has before V3lUo, g. out scant notice. The Iron Mountain route is a part of very ~ strong system and it's policy has ever been unfriendly to weaker roads that entered it's territory competitors and there is not the slightest doubt that it would assume the same atti tude towards the S. M & A. that it has always shown towards the other lines and that it would be only ques- /ipn of time until the latter road would
 kpmpletely crowded out and ab-
 kpy it's more powerful rival un-
 re backed by unlimited funds
 Mas extended north and south Dand enlarged into a system of equal strength with the Iron Mountain. " There seems no likelihood of such ex- tensions and although the country traversed by the line is especially fer tile it is almost a self evident propo- sition that the traffic of the territory alone would not pay the operating ex- penses of the road. The men back of it are plainly shrewd enough to ap- preciate this fact and would not put their money into the line unless they expected it to pay dividends -
 It is rumored that the line will be extended from Hoxie tsa4ewport aRd there seems to be good foundation fof this report gut this extension would no nsfsU the Southern Missouri x Arkansas in fight with the Iron Mountain, it would be paralleled by the latter line the entire distance. Consequently there must be some thing back of the deal that has not yet been brought to light, and there must s~he good deal more than guess work " the report that the Illinois Central and Choctaw jointly back of the Southern Missouri and Arkansas and / are building it for the purpose of { 1Cengthening the combination in (mpeting with the Missouri Pacific. While the Newport and Hoxie and Chpe Girardeau extensions of the Southern Missouri and Arkansas built thefeewould be direct connection be- HkWe1 linois Central and Choc-
 ipg the haul from Chicago
 Dctaw territory many miles
 Apresent route by the con-
 Memphis. The St. Louis
 Re handled in close com
 Aae Iron Mountain. The
 e Chicago territory to
 Sooid be handled at a
 Ie Dyer practically
 ef the nlinod