Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-29
ALL RAILROADS
LEAD TO SINALOA
CAPITAL ACTIVE IN DEVELOP
ING MEXICO
Review Of the Situation Across the
Border In the Rich Mining Dis
trlcts-southern Pacific
ls a Hustler

occidental coast Of Mexico decidedly
interesting. Railway construction
throughout Mexico is active. and it is
almost entirely in the hands of Ameri-
can capitalists. who are financing and
perfecting the railway systems of the
republic.
1.-THE first railroad in Mexico was
built by English capital. The line ex-
tended from the City of Mexico to the
port of Vera Cruz, following the al
most identical route of Conquistador
Cortez.
"This pioneer railway of Mexico was
financial success from the start, and
it pointed the way to profitable con-
struction throughout the republic
"The next line of railway was the
Mexican Central, daring enterprise in
its day, built by American financial
men, from Ell Paso, Tex, through Chi
huahua, zacatecas, Aguas Calientes,
distance of over twelve hundred miles
to the capital.
Following these pioneer lines rail-
way construction, wisely fostered by
the Mexican government. and profitable
on its own account, has proceeded rap
idly and with increasing momentum up
to the present time. This great activ-
ity in railroad building has added
thousands of miles of new track within
the past two or three years.
"The great central plateau of Mexico
has been the scene of the principal con-
structon work, while up to the present
a comparatively small amount of track
has been laid upon the west coast of
the republic.
"A number of the railroads of the
plateau are built to within sixty or
100 miles of the Gulf of California and
of the Pacific ocean on the west, but
with the exception Of the Tehuantepec
railway, which is a four-track system,
built by an English syndicate under
contract with the Mexican government,
and intended to offer effective compe
tition to the Panama canal, there has
been no direct linking of the interior
system with Pacific ports.
"The Mexican government has been
naturally anxious to see the railways
of the state reach the western tide
water, and several projects are now
under consideration which within the
next two years will connect the mining
and agricultural regions of the interior
with water transportation upon its
western coast.
"At the present time a short line of
railway runs from Manzanillo to
Cofina, the capital Of the state of that
name. The Mexican Central railway
has spur line built from Guadala jara
to Tuxpan, from which point it is only
forty miles to Colima, with its port of
Manzanillo. This short section of the
road IS being built through the western
SieTras of Mexico an extremely rugged
country. The construction of this is of
such difficult nature that it will prob
ably cost $15000O a mile, as there is
much tunneling and heavy work. 1t
is. however, announced that the COM
pletion of the line will be effected with
in the time mentioned.
In Sinai I and Sonora
"The larger and more ambitious pro-
jects in railway building, however, are
those either projected or now actively
under way in the territory of Tepic
and states of Sinaloa and Sonora. From
San Bias, the port of Tepic, which is
the capital of the territory of Tepic
reaching southwark for hundreds of
miles to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec,
with few exceptions, the mountains of
the Sierras approach closely to the sea,
leaving but small intervals of arabic
land. A different condition of things,
however, obtains north of San Bias.
Commencing at about latitude 221s at
the southern point of the state of Sina-
loa. the mountains commence to retreat
from the sea, leaving an extensive coast
plain, level, rich and productive This
coast plain at the southern end is about
twenty miles wide; proceeding north
ward in Sinaloa il constantly Widens
until it is forty-five or fifty miles wide
along the river Fuerte, close to the
northern boundary. This plain is near
ly all land of the most fertile character.
and although but in its infancy as a
productive country, large quantities of
sugar cane, Indian corn, alfalfa, hem
nequin and other semi-troplcal agricul-
tural products are produced.
The largest of these projects is the
new line now under construction by
the Southern Pacific railway system
froE1 Guaymas to Culiacan, the capital
Of the territory Of Topic, and Guada-
lajara, at which point it connects with
the Mexican Central system already
constructed from Guadalajara to the
City of Mexico.
"The construction of this line of rail-
way, which will be about 800 miles
long, will give the Southern Pacific
ldllWdS a CodSJ llle over 900 miles
in length, reaching from Portland
Ore, at latitude 46, to the CITY of
Guadalajara, in latitude 22 Hun
dreds of miles of this line will be
either actually along the sea or verv
near it, making it the greatest scenic
line in the world. When this railroad
is completed to Guadalajara this will
become one Of the popular tourist
routes of the continent.
THE schemes of the Southern Pacific
railway throughout Sonora and Sina-
loa are far reaching and of the 1It :
most importance not only to the com
mercial future of Mexico, but TO cali
fornia and the other states of the
Pacific coast.
Will Build on Water Grade
New construction is planned to no
on practically water grade througb-
out these two states. At present fbe
Southern Pacific system is opera tins
under long lease. which SUBSTANTIALLY
amounts TO ownership. the Ferro CarriI
de Sonora Pacifico (the Sonora q.
Pacific railway from Nogales through
Hermosillo. the capital of sonora M
Guaymas on the Gulf of California
This line, while fairly direct I'm alien.
ment, has many adverse grades and
on that account is expensive TO oner-
ate. It's business is increasing 50
rapidly that the company finds II eco