The Florence tribune., 1901-07-13
THE ROCK ISLAND This is the Name of the Railroad that will First Come to
 Florence. The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Will Fin- ance and Build
 the Arizona
 Central.
Especial Dispatch to The Examiner

Especial Dispatch to The Examiner.l FL PAso (Tex.), July S.-For several | months Fl Paso has been the theatre of 1 a desperate struggle between many of 1 the large railroad companies of the | United States, and, although at it's in eeption, so far as the people were con- csrned, it seemed to have orly a local importance, it now develops that oue gigantic railroad scheme conceived by Jay Gould will be put into effect, and that one of the millioraire's pet pro- jects will be realized years after his death. The so-called Bisbee road, owned by the Phelps Dodge Company of New York, recently got n franchise to en- ter the city on Franklin street, one of the most important thorough fares of tue city. Their first application was denied because of the stroue opposition of several railroad attor. neys for the Southern Pacific and the Santa Fe and few residents of the city, who attempted to force the road knocking for admittance to take route which would bring it in by the Rio Grande at another part of the town. The people, however, arose al- most in body and demanded of the clty's representatives that an orIi- nance be passed giving the Phelps Dodge Company's road the rights and privileges asked for, and upon a second petition the application was granted and the road, under the terms of the ordinance passed, was permitted to Insect the city of Fl Peso.
 The Bisbee road gained what it de- sired, but it is now apparent that it is not the Phelps Dodge Company that is primarily interested in the coming of tue new road neither is Southern Arizona the objective point from which it expects to derive it's main support. It IS the Rock Island and Pacific Rail- road, which will both build and finance the new line and construct the road not merely to Southern Arizona, but along the international boundary to the Pacific Coast. The preliminary surveys for the entire route were com pleted not less than two weeks ago. The reason is now obvious for the Bis bee road persisting in going down Franklin street, as no other route was practicable which would allow it to connect with the Rock Island terminal already established. The real poin, at issue was not the Bisbee road secur- ing an entrance into Fl Paso, but rath. CT that of the Rock Island finding ur exit. Otherwise stated, the problem for the Bisbee road was not particular. y to obtain Q suitable entrance into Fl PasO, but to enter this city in suct manner as to connect conveniently with the Rock Island terminal.
 The titantic struggle now on be tween the great railroad combination, of the country to secure the rapidl, developing traffic from the Orient, vi, the Pacific Coast, and the threat of tn Rock Island to divide the business o Southern California, has aroused tn southern Pacific Company to the mos desperate fight of its entire existance This new extension of the Rock Islam will not only share in the Souther Pacifc's California business, but will in tercept forever the enormous shippin from Northern Sonora. and Chihuah us Mexico.
 The route from Fl Paso as now SUI veyed parallels the Southern Pacif from here to Deming, N. M., angle southwest thence to Bisbee, Ariz., an from there northwest to Florenc Phoenix. Yuma and the Coast. Whel 1t will touch. the Coast is yet matt, of conjecture.
 In 1880, when the Goulds built il Texas md Pacific into El Paso, Gou and Huntington entered into a cor pact wherein, among other things,
 was provided that neither Jay Gou or his assigns should for the term
 fifty years extend their line from
 Paso through the United States to t
 Pacific Coast in competition with |
 Southern Pacific. Later Jay Gould I
 pented of the action and sought
 evade the effect of his contract
 building competitive line throu,
 Mexico to the Pacific Coast. He wis
 cd Fl Paso in 1894 and went so lar