Omaha daily bee., 1905-06-05
ROAD NOT WORRYING
Vice President Dickinson BaS No Opinion
to Give on Rate Hearing,
ROAD GIVING ATTENTION TO BUILDING
Mr.. Dickinson Says his Road Does
Not Fear, but VIII welcome Com
petition of the Panama
water Route.

Mr.. Ed Dickinson, vice president aud gem
eral manager Of the Kansas City. Mexico
& Orient railroad. is in the city to attend
the marriage Of his daughter, Mrs. Jessie
Diskinson-Lyman TO First Lieutenant Will
liam Karnes, Sixth United States cavalry,
which will take place Wednesday next
Mr. Dickinson has just arrived from New
York, and will return east Wednesday
evening. Asked in reference to the railway
rate question recently before the senate
committee on interstate commerce, Mr.
Dickinson said
IL am not sufficiently informed to ex-
press an opinion on that matter, as our
road being a new enterprise, the question
has very little to do with us. In fact, there
has been no occasion for US to take the
matter into consideration in any of its
phases, as we find our time pretty well oc-
cupied in the building of the Orient road
We now have about 500 miles of the line
completed and in operation, 275 miles in
Mexico, and about 200 miles in Kansas and
Oklahoma. We are laying track in Mexico,
east of the city of Chihuahua and from FL
Fuerta eastward. The Pacific terminal of
the road is at ropolobampo, and we have
eighty miles of the road in operation west
ward from that point We expect TO have
1000 miles Of the road completed by the end
of the year, and the line completed by the
end OF 1907.
The effect Of the completion OF the road
will be to open UP the west coast OF Mexico
for an extensive import and export trade.
The road is also under construction west
of Minaca, Chihuahua, and is practically
built from Topolobampo to the Sierra
Madre mountains, leaving a gap Of about
mi Xptt n ha pqfr hot
range, about twenty-five miles of very
heavy work. American contractors have
the work, who employ largely native labor.
Welcomes Canal Competition.
''Topolobampo is destined to become one
of the great Pacific coast coaling stations,
not only before the completion of the
Panama canal but after it's completion
The completion of the canal will not affect
our line in diverting traffic. We rather
court the early completion of the canal.
The Orient road will run through the CEN
ter of the great state OF Chihuahua, which
is state of vast mineral resources, which
are not wholly developed as yet, although
the mines have been in operation there for
three or four hundred years. The mines
are not deep, and already over $900,000.OOO
have been taken from these mines. John
Hayes Hammond. who is one of the fore
most authorities on the mineral resources
OF the world, told me that the state of
Chihuahua was probably the most highly
mineralized region of the world. The road
also passes through belt of 200 miles of
timber OF great value, being the long and
short leaf yellow pine variety.
I'VE think the road has the best outlook
for local tonnage of any road in the west.
We will build a line from San Angelo to
connect with the Mexican Central road
thus giving us access to Mexico City. This
connection will be made at Eagle pass Our
relations with the Mexican government are
very cordial, that government having given
us q subsidy Of $S,5OO,0Oo in gold We are
operating In Mexico a Kansas charter
which has been legalized by the republic
of Mexico. Since then the Mexican con-
gress has passed a law prohibiting the
granting of further subsidies. Our road is
the only intercontinental line in Mexico,
as all other lines stop at the United States
line and are from there operated under
Mexican charters. The road is being built
in the best manner of railroad construc-
ton, steel rails, steel bridges, stone abut-
ments and with thorough modern equip
ment.
President Diaz is one of the greatest of
modern statesmen, and is now entering
upon his new term as president OF the re-
public for another six years. The feeling
of Mexico toward America is growing more
cordial every year. Mexico, too, will well
come the building OF the Panama canal
realizing that she will be greatly bene-
fitted by it. American capital is pouring
into the country, and the American spirit
OF enterprise is welcomed there. In brief,
Mexico is great country. and is destined
TO become even greater.
II came here merely to attend the we'd
ding OF Mrs. Lyman and shall go east
Wednesday evening or Thursday morning."