Red River prospector. (Red River, Taos County, N.M.) 1900-190?, 1902-01-16

BY January LIST the Rock Island ex-
poets to be able to open for business
its southwestern extension to lei PasO,
Texas. This line, in connection with
the Southern Pacific and the Mexican
Central railroads, will give the Rock
Island the shortest line both 90 south
ern California and the City of Mexico,
and make it a dangerous competitor Of
the Santa Zee. 1t took just one year to
construct the SAG miles of the new ex-
tension from Liberal, Kansas, to Eel
Paso, Texas. For the purpose of COM
plying with the Texas law that every
railroad within that state shall have
state operating headquarters, and also
for general construction facilities and
convenience, the new road was placed
under the charters of five different
railroad corporations, viz: The Chica-
60, Rock Island & Pacific proper; the
Chicago, Rock Island & Mexico; the
Chicago, Rock Island & El PasO; the
Rock Island & Ell Paso, and the lei
PasO & Northeastern. The o from
Liberal to Santa Rosa, New Mexico, a
distance of 272 miles, was placed IN
der direct Rock Island construction,
with j. II. Conlen, vice president of the
Chicago, Rock Island & Mexico, as
chief engineer and general manager,
while from Santa Rosa to Carrizozo, n
distance of 1870 miles, the construction
work was given to the FL PasO q
Northeastern, which already had a
constructed line from Eel Paso to Car
rlzozo. The road from Liberal to Car
rizozo will be equipped with eighty
pound steel rails, oak or pitch pine ties
and modern ballasting. Depot, side
tracks, switches, station houses,
y%ardings, water tanks and West
ern Union telegraph lines have
all kept pace with actual road
building, int when the road is
opened by the frst of mex year it will
be in as perfect condition as any of the
lines of Rock Island system that have
been in service for years. In connec-
ton with the Rock Island-El Paso line
is the new thirty-mile railroad which
is to develop the immense Dawson coal
fields, owned by the Rock Island, on
the Beaubien and Miranda grant, in
the northern part Of ColfaX county,
New Mexico. This road will leave the
main Rock Island rails at or near Lib
ers} station, twenty miles southwest of
the Canadian river crossing, and run
through the New Mexican counties of
San Miguel, Mora and ColfaX.
This branch viii be completed
by May 10, 1902. The coal to
feed the southeastern portion of
the Rock Island-EI Paso line. and
probably will largely supply the South
ern Pacific railroad, in addition to a
heavy domestic custom in that section
of the country. The completion of the
El Paso line will give the Rock Island
a route of 222 miles shorter between
Kansas City and Ell Paso than that of
the Santa Fe between the same points,
together with a saving of fifteen hours
of tiAe, the latter fact being largely
due to the favorable alignment and
maximum one per cent. grade of the
new Rock Island line. In connection
with the Southern Pacific, the Rock Is
land will have a shorter line from Chi
cago to Los Angeles than. will the San
Ia Fe. The construction cost of the
Rock Island-El Paso line will approx
mate S7,OO0,O00, an average of about
$4,000 per mile.-Chicago Tribune.