Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1903-04-16
Special to the New Mexican.

Special to the New Mexican.
Torrance, April IA trip over tn
Santa Fe Central Railway at this tim
one with the fact that 1t has been stu
pendous energy and an abiding perse
verance to attempt the building of thi
116 miles of railway and it's 80 miles 0
branches, not to speak of the contem
plated extensions to Roswell and to Du
range. Now, that the rails are beinl
laid, everyone sees that it is goot
proposition, but it was not thus whel
the road was conceived. 1t took th
presentation of facts and figures to mel
with capital who are accustomed tt
weigh every investment carefully. Whel
finally the capital was secured, it tool
an immense amount of work and com
petent supervision not to speak Of care
full planning and resourceful general.
ship, to build the road in the most sub.
stantial manner at the least possible
cost.
Fortunately, in w. s. Hopewell, the
manager of the company, such a man
commercial enterprises in Central Am
erica, ON the Isthmus Of Panama, in Pc
ru and Chilli in the years 1S71-73 as well
as his work in the pioneer days of Den
yer and other parts of Colorado came
in good stead. Then he is also a born
strategist, resourceful commander, an
optimist endowed with a brilliant mind
and physical constitution of iron. He
overcame obstacles that would have
crushed other men; he kept on when
others We're about to give up and he
triumphed when others We're defeated.
He created basis of supplies for his
construction forces; he had wagon
roads built to haul the material needed
to the field of operation; heavy bridge
timbers were brought to places so and
go miles from the nearest railroad point,
construction gangs were organized, in
fact everything had to be begun at the
very beginning. Objections and the OBJ
struction tactics Of other railroad COM
panies had to be overcome and a thou
sand and one details had to be carefully
attended to. Mistakes had to be rigidly
guarded against for single mistake
might have wrecked the entire enter
prise, Cash had to be available, for
steel and other material had to be paid
for with cash. Freight and wages had
to be paid the same way and every
cents worth of the $1,000 worth Of ma
terial now lying in their Torrance yards.
has been paid for.
A BURDEN LIFTED.
Now that the grade Is completed, the
preliminary work all out of the way,
the success of the road assured, hea-
w burden has been lifted from Manager
Hopewell's shoulders, but he still car
ries more than any ordinary man could
carry. There are many important mat
ters to look after, kinks to be straight
ened out and difficulties to be over
come. The country through which the
Santa Fe Central Railway passes, in
cluding the Hagan coal fields, must be
developed and next to building new
railway system, its management when
completed, is a task that only extraor-
binary men can accomplish successfully.
Central New Mexico owes Manager
Hopewell a greater debt than 1T knows
or ever can repay, and next to Mr..
Hopewell to Chief Engineer A. g.
Kennedy and, Of course, to the men
who secured and furnished the sinews
for carrying on the road.
EsTANCIA TO TORRANCE.
The trip from Estancia to Torrance
by road, is not quite as agreeable as
that from Hagan to Estancia, especial
ly on windy day, yet 1T is full of In
terest and on pleasant spring day, it
is certainly treat. On the road from
Estancia to Willard, a very large
spring. the OToole spring, has been
bought by the company on account OF
the excellent quality Of the water. The
road from Estancia to Willard Is a tam
gent and passes over the southern end
of the Estancia plains which at this
noint become more sandy and less prom
Using as an agricultural proposition al
though still a fine sheep country. The
road between the two above points fol-
lows the blue Manzanos with their
wealth of timber. On the east lie the
Pedernal and Los Anamas hills. At
willard, James Catanach of Santa Fe'
has sunk well for the Railway Com
pany and yesterday at a depth OF "
feet, struck an excellent quality OF wa
ter. All the way from Estancia to Will
lard and up to beyond Progreso, pros
nerous ranches with windmills and good
wells are located on both sides OF the
railroad.
LIKE THE SEA.
At willard the Jumanes mesa pegihs
to shove precipitous headlands Into the
plain like capes into the ocean. From
distance the windmills that seem to be
at the bottom Of the headlands look