Imperial press and farmer., 1902-06-14
Railroad Buildinu.

WOIh III Lue way Ol IdllIOdu DulluluS in the southwestern portion of the United States and conditions are such that the plans of the railroad builders will materialize very rapidly and work will be done in the very near future. A dispatch from Phoenix, Arizona, under date of June 1, seems to be a condensation of various reports that have of late gained credence, and this summary is probably as correct as such reports can be made in advance of official announcement, while some of this report is actually official. It is safe to say that any railroad extension in this section of country will not overlook settlement like Imperial which will soon furnish more tonnage for freight cars than any other similar area in the United States. Following is the dispatch:
 If reports which emanated from reli- able sources here today prove true, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Company is engaged in the greatest project that company has ever attempted
 In brief, the plan contemplates not only the invasion of the Southern Pa cific Company's territory in southern Arizona, New Mexico and California, but the securing of vast lot of rich territory, which the Rock Island route has been expected sooner or later to traverse.
 It is stated authoritatively that the Phoenix & Eastern road, about to begin work here on it's line from Phoe- nix to Benson, is to be the initial con- necting link in great southern loop, which will connect the New Mexico branch Of the Santa Fe line, either with the coast at San Diego or, more likely, with the main line of the system near the Arizona and California boundary, after traversing the richest agricultural and mineral portion of the southwest
 Frank M. Murphy, the promoter of the Phoenix and Eastern road is presi- dent of the Santa Fe, Prescott & Phoe- nix Company, which operates a rail- road connecting Phoenix with the main line of the Santa Fe system at Ash Fork. He is also at the head of a company which is building a road from Congress Junction. on the s. F. P. & F., westward to the Colorado river, and then to a point at or near Franconia on the main line.
 Thus, by the building of another link, from either Deming, New Mexico. or El Paso, Texas, the Santa Fe would complete loop reaching from Albur- querque to Benson, thence to Phoenix, thence north and west to the connec- tion at Franconia on the main line.
 The road from Benson to Phoenix is in itself sufficient to take nearly all of the traffic in that region which has heretofore gone over the Southern Pa c1fic, besides opening the rich agricul- tural country in the San Pedro valley and the mineral districts close by. The road from Congress Junction to the Colorado River will penetrate region which is mineralized to perhaps greater extent than any other locality of similar size in the United States Vast gold and copper fields are being developed there and besides millions of acres of land may be reclaimed for agricultural purposes by the building of reservoirs.
 The plan which contemplates the extension to San Diego involves an extension of the Phoenix & Eastern to Yuma from Phoenix, there to con- meet with the route which has been surveyed from San Diego to Yuma.