Bisbee daily review., 1904-08-02
The StiJIWeII Road
 In Old Mexico
TRIBUTARY TO THE LINE
On its Completion Hangs Great Deal That Is Vital to Extensive Mining
 Interest in Northern Sonora and
Other states.

Other states.
 Whether railroads make mining pos sible or the mining industry makes railroads possible, it cannot be dis disputed that benefits accruing to min ing enterprises through the creation and expansion of railroads are very large These benefits come princi- pally in the simplfcation of the trans portation problem, the reduction or freight rates on ore, on machinery and on mine supplies of every de- scription; the nearer apINoach of lum- Der and fuel supply; the betterment of the problem of general handling and irnumerable conveniences of little i'm portance in themselves. but signifying much in the aggregate.
 Of modern railroad enterprises to which a rich mining country is triou- tary-where the mining industry is or paramount importance and ordinary commercial enterprises are incidental there is no better example than that of the Kansas City, Mexico Orient Railroad. popularly known as the Stil- well Railroad, wich cuts off 800 miles Of distance between Kansas City points and the Coast, over any route now existing.
 The route takes in Wichita, Kansas passes through Oklahoma Territory 10 Sweetwater. Fort Stockton and san Angelo. Texas, crosses the Rio Grande at Presidio del Norte. thence to Chin uahua. and across the Sierra Madre to Fl FIrte and Topolobampo on the Gulf of California. I am informed that in adopting a grade of per cent the survey has been able to greatly simplify the construction wo<k. By this means there has been effected a reduction of difficult curves and much tunneling has been avoided. To- polobampo bay lies about midway be- tween Guaymas and Mazatlan; it is a deep water harbor having an area of 70 square miles ank almost com pletely land locked. The tortuous channel that is followed in crossing the bar in approach to and egress from the bay will be improved upon even tually: the sides of the channel con sist of a hard-packed dredgable sand. which natural obstruction once cleared by the securing action of the tide. Topolobampo is advantageously situat- ed as a deepwater port. and it is claim ed to be superior to almost any other port on the Southern Pacific coast line.
 Though the mining industry is and , always will be of first importance in the region tributary tc the railroad, there are other industries, such as su- gar and cereals. which will be benefited i by it. There are great coal interests to the northward of the Pacific out | let, in the Santa Clara field. of anthra- l cite and natural coke which are put l within easy reach, and some day will | be connected by further railroad devel- | opment. In the Yaqui river country ! there is a little-known mineral belt, 1 the development O which has been re- tarded by Indian disturbances. In | the event of railroad there is guar antee of public tranquility and pro- | lection.
 While many railroads are projected | in Northern Mexico. there are few 1 which, like the Phelps-Dodge lines | and the Kansas City, Mexico & Orient, | are actually building. The latter is | building to bring togeter te great in | ter-oceanic and inter-continental lines | It claims to be doing this better than ] any other route known or projected | and on it's completion hangs a great l deal that is vital to extensive mining l interests in Northern Mexico to the | states of Chihuahua, Sonora, Sinaloa !! and Durango.
 Between the city Of Chihuahua and | the Fuerte valley the Kansas City, | Mexico & Orient line will traverse a country rich in mineral, hiterto &C., cessible with difficulty and much re- tarded in its development for lack of transportation facilities. Fellow en- gneers who have been over some of the Sierra Madre trails know what this means Among the larger mines of the region to be benefited are the mines of Batopilas and Palmerejo, Lluvia de Orc and those about Guer- rero. There are also many small min ing interests which will be more in directly served by the advent of a rail read in that part of Mexico Central and Eastern Mexico are devoid of even scant timber for long stretches of mesa or table. so that timber be- comes a valuable asset when it can be brought within easy reach of such territory. It is certan that some of the finest timber land will be made available, as this railroad passes through a long-leaf pine forest of something like 150 miles, beginning about 140 miles southwest of Chih- uahua.
 The total length of the main line when completed will be according to survey 1929 miles. Of this 1,52s miles has been permanently located, and 600 miles is now graded; 200 miles is completed and track laid, not including the Chihuahua & Pacific road of 150 miles which, it is expected. ,Uil form mart of the main he