The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-06-14
ORIENTAL ROUTE.
Big Steamship and Railroad
Project Under Way.

- EsN5hL95l
Project Under Way.
PLENTY OF CAPITAL AT HAND.
Millions Of Dollars to he spent by .
syndicate-New Pacific Coast Port 10
Route VIII Ri Ono Of Its Mig Adj
vnntnEes.
Back OF the recent purchase Of the
Mexican Central railroad by the syndi-
cate headed by H. Clay Pierce of st.
Louis Is one of the most important
steamship and rnilroad transportation
schemes matured In recent years. says
a Chicago dispatch to the New York
Herald. The acquisition of the road
was the first step in a campaign which
the syndicate Is to carry on for the ex-
port and import trade between the
United States and the orient by the
way of a new Pacific coast port to be
established at Manzanillo, on the south
ern coast Of Mexico.
The new oriental route will be 1000
miles shorter from New York than the
San Francisco route. Millions Of dol
lars are to be expended by the syndi-
cate, in which the Seligmans OF New
York and st. Louis capitalists are in
terested, in making the route the most
desirable from a shipping standpoint.
Details have been arranged, and work
on several Of the connecting lines and
extensions and on the new harbor has
already been started.
The establishment of the new Orien-
tai route was admitted the other day by
John j. Mitchell, president of the Illi-
nois Trust and Savings bank, who was
recently elected to a position on the d.
rectory Of the Mexican Central.
The port Of Manzanillo is about 200
miles south of Banderas bay and about
Is miles directly west Of Colima, Mexi-
co, which is the western terminus of
the Mexican Central. 1t Is a natural
landlocked harbor, well adapted for
the entry Of the largest seagoing ves-
sells. At present it Is visited by q few
tramp steamers and by small vessels
engaged in coast trade. The new syn
dictate already has contracted for the
building Of four freight steamers. This
order Is said to be but a beginning, as
passenger steamships may be ordered.
and as the trade grows additional
freighters will be added to the feet.
The final link in the chain Of railroads
from Colima to the coast is under con-
struction by the Mexican Central and
will be completed ina few months.
1t Is understood that close traficsSS.aSN
~iations will be entered into between thesi
which will give them through connec-
tons from coast to coast by way of st.
Louis. Friendly relations may be es-
tablished with the Baltimore and Ohio
and the Big Four. which would not be
difficult, In view OF the Pennsylvania
controlling interest in both.
From st. Louis the route to Mama
milo Will De as follows: The Frisco line
by the way OF Monett. Gpula and Den
nison to Sherman. Tex. From Sher-
man a line will be built southwest to
Fort Worth. thence southwest to
BrownwOod. thence southwest to Spot
fords, where a connection will be made
with the Mexican International rail
way, crossing the Rio Grande at Eagle
pass and continuing south and west to
q connection with the Mexican Central
at Torreon.
The purchase by the Frisco Of the
Kansas City. Fort Scott and Memphis
gives a short connection from Kansas
City straight south to Miami, from
which point a connection will be built
to Wyandotte on the main line of the
Frisco about 70 miles southwest of
Monet. From the latter place the
Frisco also has a line southwest to
Paris, about so miles east of Sherman.
with which 1t Is connected by the Tex
as and Pacific. The Paris line is now
used in connection with the Gulf, Col
orado and Santa Fe and the Interna-
tional and Great Northern into San
Antonio. BY using the Southern Pa
cific from Fort Worth the Frisco also
has connections with the Mexican Cen
trail and Ell Paso. for which place the
Rock Island Is headed. 1t Is not ex-
pected that the new service. which will
reach Hongkong. Shanghai and all the
big cities of the far east, will be in on
GRAFTON in several months.
Henry Seligman. a member of the
firm Of j. & w. Seligman & Co. of New
York, admitted the other night that the
syndicate had been formed.