The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-04-20
SENATOR CLARK
EXPLAINS DEAL
Company Has Purchased
Oregon Short Line Roads
and Will Build More.

NEW YORK, April Ex-senator w.
A. Clark, of Montana, tonight said that
he desired to correct certain material
view of yesterday relative to the newly
organized San Pedro, Los Angeles &
Salt Lake Railroad Company.
"The transaction" said Senator
Clark, "has been described as a lease.
On the contrary, I and my associates
have purchased all of the lines of the
Oregon Short Line company south Of
Salt Lake City and will construe$ about
400 miles of road from Calientes. Utah,
southwesterly through Cajon Pass to
Riverside, from which point the road
will soon be completed to Los Angeles.
THE San Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt
Lake Railroad company is authorized to
issue $50,000,000 bonds and has $25 ,OOO,-
600 capital stock. 1t has purchased the
Oregon Short Line system south from
Salt Lake City to Calientes, embracing
340 miles of road. and in addition to
the main line, has taken over several
shorter lines. Most important is the
bennington cutoff, extending from
Salt Lake City to bennington, Utah.
This cutoff was recently constructed
and is only II miles long, besides hay-
ing the advantages of lower grades.
West from Calientes 1 have already
mad forty miles of grading completed.
The road will go through the Meadow
Valley wash, the dry channel of an old
water course which constitutes the
only available route At Cajon we
meet grade of LOG feet, but aside from
this the maximum grade Is but 70 feet.
The cost will average $50, 900 a. mile
"The portion of the Oregon Short
Line system which we have purchased
will be relaid with 75-pound rails and
the equipment will be the very best
From San Pedro to Los Angeles and
riverside the road now has the best
Pullman passenger equipment which
Will be extended to the entire system
In Southern California tributary tn
this line, $4,000 car loads of fruit were
raised last year and there are exist
ing orchards which in less than five
years will have an annual output of
$4,000 car loads. The new line will
swiftly move trainloads from that sec
tlon into cooler altitude, an import
ant deSideratum in handling such ner-
ishable shipments.
From Salt Lake City to Los Ange-
les by this new route is 500 miles.
winch we intend to cover with limited
trains In "a hours
AT present traffic from Salt Lake
city can only reach Los Angeles via
Sacramento, distance of about 49,
600 miles.
AT San Pedro the United States
government is building a breakwater
to cost $S,O00,000. and Wilmington Bay
is being deepened by dredging so that
II VIII form fine harbor. Near River
side we are constructing across the
santa Ana river a great concrete
prldge with spans of 500 feet each and
an extreme height of 20 feet.
We have made arrangements with
the oregon Short Line company for a.
joint use Of their terminals for a ne
riod of SO years. Tributary to the
new road are vast deposits of iron and
opment.
No bonds have been issued on the
Los Angeles road so far completed
and $15,0OO,o0O of the $4,000 600 bond
ed debt will be held in reserve in the
companys treasury to be applied to the
construction of the branch lines
We expect to have the throueh line
fully completed within two years.