Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1902-04-24
STOCK SHlPM ENT.
Heaviest Movement in History ol
Santa Fe Road.
PLENTY OF EQUIPMENT.

The heaviest stock movement in the
history of the Santa Fe road is now on.
HundIs eds of carloads of beef steers are
coming north from Texas and New
Mexico every day to be fattened for
market on the pasture lands in Kansas
and Oklahoma.
From carefully prepared estimates
of men in the field it is given out by
the Santa Fe that the movements of
stock this spring will aggregate $500
carloads, or about lS9 900 head. This
is about 10000 heau above any prev
ious record
Since April the Santa Fe has haul
ed 5000 cars over the Gulf, Colorado &
Santa Fe, via Purcell, and it is esti-
mated that this is onIy little over so
per cent of the total movement for the
season. So far most of the shipments
have been coming to Red Rock, White
Eagle Elgin and Davidson, four cattle
towns of immense importance situated
in Oklahoma and southern Kansas.
The town of Elgin is the greatest ship
ping point in the world for fat cattle.
or cattle fattened on grass and ready
to be finished off win Kansas corn.
Before May | il is estimated that tne
Santa Fe will haul 1000 carloads of
cattle over the Pecos valley line and
6Jo cars more from the big ranches in
New Mexico.
In anticipation of this stupendous
movement of cattle. the Santa he has
for months been gradually preparing
for the rush and now the officials OF
the transportation department are jub-
liant at the record they are making for
the abundance of equipment where it
Il needed.
Plenty of equipment" said George
Heatherington of the transportation
department to the Topeka State Jour
nal. we have not had bit of trou-
Bile so far through lack of cars. This
is simply because we have for weeks
been getting ready for the movement,
and have been sending cattle to the
country where the cattle are shipped
from. The movement is now at is
height, and we are taking care OF the
cattle as fast as they come. We will
have the heaviest movement we have
ever had"
The cattle now being shipped north
are not for market. They have been
spending the winter on the pasture
lands in southern Texas and New Mex
leo. They are leaving the exhausted
pastures of that country now and are
coming to the north, where the pas
tures are beginning to get green. They
will be kept on grass during the sum
mer and then sent TO market.
The unusually heavy movement OF
cattle is said to be due to the fact that
the cattle are now pretty well cleaned
out Of the north, having been rushed to
market last fall when the corn crop
fell short.
Rock Island Also Rushed.
The unprecedented rush is not con-
fined to the Santa Fe. The Rock Island
traffic officials state that their business
this year will eclipse anything in the
history of the company. This is due to
a considerable extent, no doubt, TO the
completion and operation of the El
Paso extension It is stated that over
2 900 carloads of cattle were hauled
over the El Paso line last week. The
Rock Island will haul a great many
cattle to the summer pastures OF Wyo-
ming and Idaho, but this movement
has not started yet. The cattle for
these points will be taken 10 Dolhart,
and there transferred 10 the Colorado
& southern. 1t is estimated at the pres
ent time that about 10000 head will
go north by this route.