Durango semi-weekly herald. (Durango, Colo.) 1899-1907, 1903-09-03
NEW THREE-STATE ROAD
TAPS VAST COAL FlELDe

Tue uuhuciuB Vi the uTSt ulfl6lOD
Of the Arizona, New Mexico Colo
RADIO railroad, which is to connect this
state with the northern border OF
Mexico, has been completed and the
work of locating the line has begun
F. W. Kline, president of the com.
pany, has just returned from a trip
east, where satisfactory arrangements
were made for beginning the work.
The company has secured possess
ion OF vast coal field in Socorro and
Valencia counties, New Mexico. and
the primary object OF the new rail
road is to open a route for the delivery
y of this coal to the big smelling works
and mining plants in the northern part
OF Mexico. the southern part OF Ari.
iona and on the Pacific coast. AT
the same time the line will give the
Southern Pacific railroad its long de.
sired entrance into Denver and cut
on about 200 miles between Colorado
and Southern California via the south.
ern route.
The road will connect with the
Southern Pacific in Cochise county.
Arizona, and will then be extended
to Benson to form a connection with
the Sonora railroad. which will open
a route from Denver to the port OF
Guaymas on the Pacific coast of Mex
leo.
The road will reach the territory in
Mexico where John ID. Rockefeller Is
prosecuting the Investigations OF the
iron and steel business with the OBJ
ject of developing it and using tn,
Colorado Fuel and Iron company
plant as an operating basis. While
the Arizona. New Mexico & Colorado
railroad will give direct route from
these fields to the plants of the com.
pany in Pueblo, via Durango, Colo
the officials state that Rockefeller and
Gould are now backing the company
and 1t Is TO remain independent.
Two companies have been formed
to carry out the plans. The first one
the Arizona and New Mexico Fuel and
Iron company, is to take over the iron
ore properties and follow the construc.
ton of the railroad by the building
of steel plant The capital STOCK
OF this company is placed at $4,000.
900, divided into $4,000 shares of 500
each. The board OF directors consists
of Thomas ID. Baird Walter n
Houser, Frank w. Kline, George N
Trembling. James s. Aubrey. George
truth, Nellie p. Kline. Charles b
Martin and Charles Thomas MIR
Baird is president. The liability oil
the company is limited to $685. 1874
SOlomonville, in the county OF Ora
ham, Arizona, will be the principal
place Of business.
The Arizona, New Mexico 4 Colo
RADIO Railroad company, the forma
ton OF which was first announced
exclusively in The Times, il incorpor
ated with $5,0Oo.Oo0 capital, divided
into $4,000 shares of 500 each, o.
which $35O0O0 in cash has been paic
in. The incorporation papers provide
for the buying OF rights OF way con
structing, equippins and operating
railroad complete. The incOrporators
are Frank w. Kline. James S. Aut
rey, George truth, George NJ Tomb
ling, Thomas ID. Baird, Cecil l.. Han
ma and Walter n. Houser, all of the
state OF Colorado. and Charles Thomas
and Charles b. Martin OF Arizona The
route as outlined in the Incorporation
papers from the point of commence
ment on the Southern Pacific, passes
through the counties of Cochse anc
Graham in the territory of Arizona
the counties Of Grant, Socorro. Val
encia, Bernallillo, San Juan and RiC
Ariba in New Mexico, and the coun-
ties of Conejos and La Plata in Col.
orado to Durango on the Denver
Rio Grande. The entrance into Du.
range will be followed largely along
the valley OF the San Juan river
Extensive Coal Beds.
The discovery OF the coal beds in
New Mexico was the cause of the for.
nation OF the railroad company. One
OF the greatest difficulties presented
to mining in the northwestern par
Of New Mexico and southern Arizona
has been the high cost OF coal and
the long distance 1t has been necessary
to haul the fuel. At present all OF
this coal has TO go by way Of Ell Paso.
Texas, and 1t makes the fuel 30 ex-
pensive that in some instances pinon
wood is brought down from the noun.
tains on burros and used for fuel In
preference to coal. The price OF
steam coal in Solomonville is now
SIG per ton and 1t Is scarce at that
figure. The Greene Consolidated
company, which operates the big cop.
per mines in that section. which re
Gently passed into the control OF Rock
efeller the smelters. mills and plants
of all kinds have to face this prob,
lem. The Southern Pacific and the
Santa Fe have both sought a route
which would relieve this difficulty
but up to this time 1t could not be
located.
The Colorado Fuel and Iron con,
pany and the Southern Pacific sent
men into this territory looking for
coal. They found lava on the sur
face and the reports were turned In
that no coal could possibly be OBJ
tanned there as the lava would have
burned ii up. Last April Ross John.
son and Walter n. Houser. two ex-
perts from Wasenburg. Colo, were
sent into Socorro and Valencia coun
ties to investigate reports of coal hav
ing heen discovered there Invpsti-