Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1903-10-02

The melancholy days are here when
work in the Santa Fe shops has
ceased to be rushing.
The International Live Stock asso
citation will give its annual exposition
at Chicago from November Is to De-
cember S. For this occasion the Santa
Fe announces a rate of one fare plus
So. The dates Of sale will be Novem-
Der %, 20 and 80. The limit has been
fixed at December Z.
Robert Bonsall, fifty-foGr years old,
connected with the land department
OF the Santa Fe, killed himself Tues
day. The cause was dependency over
the death Of his wife. The remains
will be taken to New York. He left
a note directing his brother-inlaw,
Chas. Steyn Of Denver to take charge
of his estate.
The Santa Fe railroad is preparing
to extend its line into Joplin from
Pittsburg, Kans., a distance Of about
thirty miles. A survey is now being
made and it is said the line will be
constructed at once. The immense
business done by the "Katy's' new line
into Joplin from Parsons is said to
have caused the Santa Fe to look to-
ward the mining district.
1t was great sport, and the number
of inny denizens Of Kroenig's lake as
we'll as the specimens of aythya vail
isneria brought back was something
astonishing. The party of mighty
hunters and skilful fishers consisted
Of Engineers Chas. Wolf, Tom Bowen,
Arthur Langston, Frank Hansen, H.
P. Smith and Fred Rainier. They stay
ed two days, returning last night. All
their friends are eating duck or trout
according to preference. Everybody
had a fine time and plans to go again
some day.
T. E. Purdy, who has been Santa
Fe agent atWellington SO long that the
memory Of the average man runneth
not to the contrary, has decided to
leave the city. He has been offered a
better position at Guthrie and accept
ed 1t. Mr.. Purdy has been the most
successful railroad agent who has
aver been stationed in Wellington.
The business OF the Santa Fe has
grown rapidly and regularly under his
management, not only because the
business Of the city has increased, but
because he has always gone after
everything in sight and has always
had the confidence and good will Of
the people Of the city and surrounding
country.
d. s. Griffin of Denver, land agent
of the Union Pacific road, is on a deal
with an AfroAmerican club at Galena,
Kans., to locate a colony of negroes in
Wallace county. The railroad has
agreed to sell a big tract Of land there
at a low figure on easy payments,
providing the negroes will settle there,
start a town and work the land. The
idea is to give the negroes an oppor-
tunity to show white people how well
they ian manage public affairs. No
white man will be allowed to live on
the townsite, and all the public Of
ficers will be in control OF the negroes.
There is a big negro colony at Nico.
demus, Graham county. 1t is thriving
and its members are well satisfied.
The colony in Wallace county will
devote its attention mostly to wheat
raising and cattle.
Damage suits against railroads in
Texas are increasing at a rate alarm
ing to the railroads. In the last ten
years they have multiplied tenfold, and
suits pending In that state July !
last aggregated $4,000 per mile Of road
within the state. Should all these
claims be recovered it would simply
be %ruinous "a the roads. In discus.
sing this matter G. II. Markham, vice
president Of the Southern Pacific, In
charge of the Texas lines OF the sys.
TEN, said: 'In 1898 the railroads Of
Texas paid out on account Of personal
injuries $685. 900! in 1902, ten years
later, s1,765.0 900. II the same ratio Of
increase is maintained by 1918 the
amount paid will have increased to
s10.590,0 900, and at the rate suits are
being instituted there is no reason to
look for any other result"