Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1902-05-24
THE CUTOFF SURVEYS.
The General Manager, H. U. Nudge
Talks on the Situation.
WILL REBUILD PEcos LINES.

! papers " inc effect Jldl the santa re
has completed it's survey of the pro-
posed cutoff from Portales, N. NJ. on
the Pecos Valley line. to a point near
Albuquerque, where it will connect
with the Santa Fe main line to Cali
fornia, says the Tojeka State Journal.
Our surveying parties are still work
ing in New Mexico" said Mr.. Nudge,
and no ina reports have been made.
The object of all the Investigations
and surveys is to find a route which
will give easy grades. That is the
principal object of the surveys"
The Santa Fe is now surveying for a
new line from Hereford, Texas, on the
Pecos Valley line, south toward Lub-
buck, a distance of ~ miles. This pro-
posed line will enter a portion of the
rich PeCos valley which has heretofore
been without railway connections. 1t
is said to be the purpose of the Santa
Fe to extend this line through to Mid
land, Texas, a point on the Texas Pa
cific road 240 miles from Hereford.
This new line will be built, it is said.
as soon as the surveys are completed
and the contracts can be let for the
work.
The Santa Fe officials have main
tanned throughout that the chief object
of the proposed Portales cutoff is not
to secure q short line to California.
and thus regain it's supremacy as the
short line to the Pacific coast, but to
avoid the heavy grades on the line
! through the mountains ear Lamy.
The proposed route from Portales to
Rio Puerco. on the coast lines, is $50
miles in length. 1t will cut off at least
$50 miles of the present distance via
the Santa Fe to Mexican and Pacific
coast points, and will he so miles
shorter than the Rock Islands new
line. The territory through which the
road will pass is a good agricultural
country, and is capable of great devel-
opment by means of irrigation. The
Santa Fe is already doing it's utmost
to stimulate immigration to this coun-
try. and thus have the region settled
to some extent ven bfore the advent
of the road.
The Pecos Valley lines will he relaid
with new steel, and will be rock bal
lasted. The Pecos Valley lines are now
what is known as a mud bed road,
which is all right for light service. but
which could not withstand the heavy
use it would get when the through
trains to the coast are put on, The pro
posed Portales cut off will also be laid
of heavy steel on rock road bed, and
when these are completed the Santa
Fe will have a line to the coast which
will be capable OF withstanding all the
heavy trafic it can get.
In speaking of the proposed cut off,
the Las Vegas Optic says:
"F. Meredith Jones, the well known
civil engineer who for so many years
has been in the employ of the Santa
/ Fe road, is paying a brief visit to mis-
Il 70 ,,iIu thou hninu rogilanTG nf nc
Vegas.
Mr.. Jones for some weeks has been
at P~ortales. in the Pecos valley. but is
now on his way to Belen. or rather to
the section of country a little south of
that place. His headquarters, how
ever. will he in Belen.
"Of course. Mr.. Jones cannot say
whether the cut off line will be built
or not. He knows that it is being care
fully surveyed. with estimates and that
the proposed line will he quite feasible
both as to directness of route and cost
of construction.
Much conjecture has been engaged
in concerning the effect such a cut off
would have on north central New Mex
leo. the section through which now
runs the Santa FEES main line. The
: Optic does not believe that this sec
Il llOH NOhlu NC at all udllidSNu ny ~
cut off. OF course, the portion of the
territory through which it may run
will be largely benefited thereby, bat
this will be a benefit to the entire ter.
ritory instead of a damage TO any part
of it.
ION the other hand, only fast freight,
fast through passengers and fast
through mails, would use the cut off,
All other travel and traffic would seek
= the old route through the more desira-
+, BILE. healthful and picturesque portions
| of the territory. In fact, the Optic
doubts should the cut off be construct
ed, whether the ordinary traveller OF
citizen would see any difference along
the old line"
Wellington, Kan, is also greatly in.
terested in the proposed cut off, and
the Wellington News says of it: III
will work to the great advantage OF
/ Wellington in that it will place this
city on the direct Mexican n Cali
, fornia route of the Santa Fe, making il
much shorter than the present route
] and will of necessity add to her i'm
5 portance as a division point
The Santa Fe will certainly make
Z Wellington a heavy division point. The
shops will needs be enlarged and ii is
i not out of the question to say that the
depot will be made to accommodate g
half hundred men. The bulk OF the
5 business now lone out of Newton vii
/ be lone here. Newton, Wichita anC
20 Topeka, as well as other towns on the
main line of the Santa Fe, will not be
given all through train service but II
will have to he given this town. The
Santa Fe is laying a double track ovel
the Emporia cut OFF, which shortens
the distance between EmDoria anC
Kansas City nearly 20 miles. This is
indicative that a good deal of the
through passenger and perhaps all %
the through freight business viii be
sent that way,
From Florence via FL Dorado anC
Mulvane is a branch which leaves out
Newton and Wichita and makes the
run 16 miles less to Wellington. This
is to be relaid with new steel, double
tracked. and will be used almost eXclu