Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-07-09
MAY BUILD
TO LAS VEGAS
Denver Paper Declares
Santa Fe Will Cons
truct Short Line From
Trinidad To Albuquer-
que

Along with the announcement that
George Gould had completed arrange.
ments for the construction Of a line
Of railroad from Salt Lake to the Pa
cific coast comes the news today that
the Santa Fe has determined on an
immense project, which, when carried
out, will enable it to cut down its
mileage, improve the service and give
it a tremendous advantage yer the
Southern Pacific in freight and pas.
senger competition. 1t may be able
to ~monopolize the fruit business OF
the coast. according to the Denver
Times.
The fruit raisers Of CALIFORNIA have
promised to give the railroad that en-;
tiers first into the field and offers bet
ter facilities for the handling OF their
products in the eastern markets than
the Southern Pacific, business to the
amount of $40, OO0, 900 annually. AT
#I=IZA -&-
least foul of the great systems are
now striving for that prize.
The first Of these is the Moffat line.
which will have a through connection
at Salt Lake, with Senator Clark's
road now building to San Pedro.
The second is the Rock Islands
proposed extension through Colorado
from Colorado Springs to Durango,
thence through New Mexico and Ari.
zona to Los Angeles. Surveys for the
route have already been made, and it
will be but a short time, officials OF
the road say, before there will be
something doing in the way of let
ting contracts.
The next system through to the
coast will be the Gould lines. The
Rio Grande will have an outlet to the
a over the new road that Mr..
Gould will build from Salt Lake City.
The route is through southern Utah,
and Nevada, and cuts down the dis
lance as compared to the Southern
Pacific just 100 miles.
Big Cutoff.
The fourth railroad that will go af-
ter the California's business is the
Santa Fe. The scheme of cutting of
about 1875 miles on the main line in
New Mexico has been under consid-
Grafton for som years, but 1t has
now been definitely worked out, anu
is soon to come to a head. BY the
new route the long steady pun over
Ration pass will be avoided. Instead,
the Santa Fe will drop Ration from
the main line and will cross the diy>AA
at a much lower altitude in the state
of Colorado. Then the road will be
almost direct air line to Las Vegas.
Seventy miles will be cut from the
distance from Las Vegas to Albuquer-
que by running the line via Santa Fe,
which is now eighteen miles off the
main highway to the coast. The San.
Ia Fe system will then be in a posi-
tion to rush perishable freight east in
from fifteen to twenty.four hours
shorter time than It's present schedule.
and from ten to twelve hours shorter
than by the Southern Pacific-Rio
Grande route.
The cutoff from Trinidad to Albu-
querque will involve an outlay Of from
$4,000. 900 to $40. 1000, 900. but the ex.
penditure will well be worth the can.
die.
News received In Denver Today
from high Santa Fe sources state that
there Is no doubt that the management
contemplates the early building Of
the project outlined. Gould's straight
line to the coast Is confirmed in a dis.
patch from New York, which says that
the trust deeds and mortgages for the
right Of way have been filed for rec
ord.
One Of the Gould directors Is quot.
al as follows on the interesting rail-
roa situation:
The new road will be built BY the
Western Pacific railway. and Is de.
signed to give the Gould system the
shortest possible outlet to the Pacific