Williams news., 1903-09-26
RACING FOR THE REDWOODS
Santa Fe Evidently Placing Sodp Dc
 rived From Land Here.


 very much in evidence these days in the rivalry of the competitive railroads. Through all the years in which railroads have been eper- ating in this state the redwood belt has been treated with indifference
 by their managers and promoters. This year, however, they are taking a very lively interest in the belt and the race is on in earnest to se- cure a commanding position for their respective lines within it's borders.
 It started with the recent ripen- ing of the plans of the Santa Feand the revelation that the corporation and its agents had acquired large tracts of redwood forests in the northern coast counties and in local railroads and was actively prepar- ing to put into actual shape the surveys which its engineers had been able to make without attract ing attention in any quarter. Later it was discovered that the Great Northern had designs upon the belt, that corporation having been se- cretly preparing for months to in- wade it from the north The South ern Pacific Company has since evinced a lively interest in this forest region and is still trying to reap share of the harvest of freight carrying it promises to yield in the future. During the past few days also the California Northwestern has been aroused into activity and an auxiliary corporation has been created to enable it to extend it's main trunk line through the timber belt northward to Humboldt bay. Much speculation has been indulged in of late concerning the future of this railroad. At one time it was supposed to have fallen into the hands of the Southern Pacific, but later developments have proved this to be erroneous. Subsequently the Santa Fe was believed to have secured control and was arranging a connection somewhere between Willits, the present northern ter minal, and Humboldt bay, the joint traffic of both companies to be carried over its tracks to San Fran cisco bay. This is, however, dis claimed by the Santa Fe managers, who claim to be seeking an inde- pendent outlet for their line on San Francisco bay, regardless of the fact that it will parallel the Cali fornia Northwestern's tracks, rep resenting that there is enough traffic in the territory occupied for both railroads for an indefinite period. The indications are strong, therefore that the northern coast counties, which have been neglected so long by the land transportation companies, will soon be the theatre of unusual railroad activity and that they will be gridironed from one end to the other.
 The reason for all this sudden among the trans-con- tinental and other railroads for a position in the California redwoods is plain. Lumber is growing in value all over the country. The forests of the eastern and midwest ern states have disappeared. The east looks to the Pacific coast for its future supply. Redwood is in high favor there It is in demand for all purposes to which soft woods are devoted and it has a wider range of usefulness than any other soft wood grown. The trans-con- tinental railroads realize that they have in these redwood forests there fore a ready stock of profitable freight available from the date of the opening of any track penetrat- ing them and that the business be exhausted in a hundred years to come. Under such con- ditions and with such prospects