Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1903-01-03
NEW MEXICO
IS FOURTH.
Indian Territory, Oklahoma
and Texas Only Exceed
It In Railroad
Construction.
SOUTHWEST IS FAR AHEAD
Most Of the Building Was Done
By the Santa Fe, Frisco and
Rock Island Companies. F.,

| y
Age published its summary of railroad
building for the first half of 1902, it ap.
peared evident that the new mileage for
| the entire year would exceed 6,O0O
miles, but the incessant rains during
July and August, and in some por-
tions of the country during September
and October, seriously interfered with
grading and trackIaying, and the de-
lays thus enco untered, coupled with the
difficulty, so widely experienced, of Sc
curing rails, have prevented the realiza-
tion of expectations. However, the
new mileage completed during 1902 ex-
ceeds that of 1901, when 5,222 miles
of track were laid and is greater than
that of any year since 1890, when 5,670
miles were built. The returns for the
year just ended are still incomplete and
when they are all received it is quite
possible that the figures for 1890 will be
eclpsed. As the record stands today
it shows total of 5,549 miles of track
laid on $40 lines in A States and Terri
tories from January to December 81,
1902, exclusive of second track and sid
ings and without taking into consdera-
tion many private lines and logging
roads which have been built for tenn
porary use.
The year closed with tracklaying In
progress, or just about to begin, on
many extensions which managers con
tidently expected to have completed by
this time, and the first few months of
the year therefore will show large addi-
tions to the railway mileage of the
country.
The southwest continues to be the
scene of greatest activity, and in the five
states and territories of Arkansas, Tex
as, Oklahoma, Indian Territory and New
Mexico, 2,21S miles have been added in
the last twelve months. Indian Terri
tory stands at the head Of the list with
SAL miles; Oklahoma is second, with 532
miles; Texas third, with 4S0 miles; New
Mexico fourth with 35S miles, and Ar
kansas fifth, with 30S miles.
1t is interesting to note that with the
exception of 0 miles completed in Okla
-homa hy. the Kansas. City, Mexico &
Orient, all of the new mileage In that
territory has been built by or in the in
terest OF the Chicago, RockIsland & Pa
citic, the st. Louis & San Francisco, and
the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe. The
same companies, with the addition of
the Missouri, Kansas & Texas, have
likewise built the greater portion of the
new mileage in Indian Territory.
although the Ozark & Cherokee Central
and the Fort Smith & Western have
built 1sO miles ia the territory. A con-
siderable portion of the mileage credited
to the Rock Island, however, was COM
pleted by the Choctaw, Oklahoma & Gulf
previous to its absorption. The various
companies above named are literally
grid-ironng this country with new lines,
and further extensions already under
way or planned by them exceed their
new mileage for 1902.
The States west of the Mississippi
River have built $500 miles, which is
more than two-thirds of the grand total
and the States south of the Ohio and
east of the Mississippi have added s4s
miles, leaving only little over 900
mi les to be credited to all of the States
north of the Ohio and east of the Mis-
sissippi.
The only States reporting no new
mileage are: New Jersey, Rhode Island,
Delaware, Idaho and Wyoming, al
though Maryland, Vermont and Massa-
chusetts show only miles each. The
addition of 8 miles in Nevada is due to
the revision of the Southern Pacific line
between Brown and Wadsworth, the
old line being abandoned and the new
line of easier grades and curves, which
is s.ls miles longer, taking its place.
The greater part OF the work of the
past year has been carried on by the
large systems, which continue to build
branch lines into new and undeveloped
territory, and there has been little
parallel building one notable exception
being the Chicago Great Western, which
has completed 661a miles of its 130-mile
extension from Fort Dodge, Ia, to
Omaha. The Chicago Rock Island &
Pacific system, including the Choctaw
Oklahoma & Gulf and other acquired
lines, has expanded most by construc-
tion and has added 626 miles in Okla
homa, Indian Territory, New Mexico,
Texas, Missouri and Arkansas. The St.
Louis g. San Francisco and allied lines
have built 600 miles in Missouri, Ar
kansas, Texas, Indian Territory and
and the Santa Fe system has
completed is5 miles in Arizona, New
Mexico, Texas, Indian Territory and
Oklahoma.
Important new lines which do not
seem to be identified with any OF the
great systems have laid track as follows:
FL Paso & Southwestern, 161 miles In
New Mexico, Arizona and Texas; Ozark
g. Cherokee Central, 1872 miles In Arkan-
sas and Indian Territory; Fort Smith &
Western, Sc miles in Indian Territory;
st. Louis Valley, 100 miles in Illinois;
Jowa g. st T,onfs 60 miles In Iowa and