Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-06-30
Rock Island
To Coast
New York Paper De-
scribes Enterprise that
will give New Mexico
More Railway.
New York Globe. J

out a route to the Pacific coast and 1t
the present promise of improved trade
conditions are fulfilled this year, con.
s~truction gangs will be set at work
old Rock Island company had a sur
vey made across the continent seven
teen years ago, and the proposed
transcontinentai line will follow this
route.
The present Rock Island line now
reaches Colorado Springs. tt rs
planned to build a railroad from this
point to San Diego. with yarious
branches, making about I, $50 miles of
new construction.
Skilled employees of the Rock Island
have been collecting Information and
statistics regarding the proposed new
route for manySmonths The Rock
Island syndicate already owns half a
mile Of valuable water front and
franchises at San Diego, together with
nearly 1000 acres of land.
TO Tunnel a Range.
The surveyed route from Colorado
Springs runs east of the Greenhorn
range of mountains, and will tunnel
the Sangre de Cristo range. Thence
it pursues a southwesterly course,
passing near Alamosa, and entering
New Mexico near Durango.
In New Mexico the proposed road
will cross the San Juan valley, passing
through extensive cooking coal beds.
Crossing the Atlantic & Pacific at
Thoreau, the new line will connect
with the American Lumber company's
railroad, which owns Cottonwood Can.
yon.
For 200 miles the Rock Island eX-
tension will run westerly through Ari.
IONA, to Prescott. over a plateau which
is covered with a dense forest Of pine
timber belonging to the United States
goyernment. There Is also a practi-
cally inexhaustibIe supply Of heavy
pine timber in western New Mexico
which this new line would enable the
Rock Island people to put on the mar.
ket with at least 800 miles shorter
haul than any other line. @
An interesting feature of this new
Rock Island transcontinental line is
the great advantage which would be
obtained by such a connection with
the Phelps, Dodge roads in Arizona,
New Mexico and Mexico, The Rock
Island road would have almost a mo-
nopoiy Of the coke and coal traffic
from northern New Mexico and south
ern Colorado to the copper mines in
the vicinity of Clifton, Bisbee, and the
Cananeas.
Recent wall street rumors have con
nected Rock Island interests with the
plans for the expansion and develop
ment Of the Jere Marquette railroad
The syndicate which has just obtained
control of the Cincinnati, Hamilton
and Dayton and the new short line be
tween Chicago and Cincinnati is more
extensive and influential than Wal
street at first supposed.
Members Of Syndicate.
The names Of the principal mem
beers of this syndicate, as now made
public; are as follows:
Frederic IL. Prince Of Boston, pres
ident, Of III Pere Marquette railrqsl
Thongs Ryn vice-president 9
the ~ company and di
rector INV Marquette Seaboart
Air III 4Bs1pf the Hooking Valley
HenryBysAy Pierce, director Of the sar
Franl dsco and Seaboard Air Line.
Engehe Zimmerman, vice presidenI
Of thek Cincinnatl, Hamilton & Dayton
Newmln Erb. vice president Of tn
pere Marquette: George H. Normal
and 1Fhofias H. West, director Of tn
PIE Marquette. and 7. ". Young al
ri. tor Of the Frisco system,
aurprise has been occasioned by tn
d disclosure Of the fact that the 'Frisc'
ana seahpard Air Line interests ar
taxing al cpd in the formation Of TIL
ned PERM Sguuette system. lnas
al. lkcck Island people owl
De st. Louis q sab Francisco, an
also large share of the seaboard al
yans( II 10 thought possible that tn
orgaAl tatiqr Of this new middle.wes
trunk iuyus Y which Pere Marquett'
is the ; gul Ae. may be part Of tn
extensfCe .scheme Of railroad consoll
ad( '!II!!'!! A.; IL |, !; =; ; ; ;;; !; !;
1 4NM ed thousand
NVA OF cases 9