Los Angeles herald., 1906-10-07
STATE OF NEVADA
IS STORM CENTER
RIVAL RAILROADS FIGHTING
FOR ADVANTAGE
Los Angeles Bankers and Business
Men Greatly Interested in lm-
portant Movement-value
Of Immense Traffic

continental railway reaching from the
Gulf Of Mexico TO Seattle seems TO be
among the early probabilities. This
greatly desired consummation win have
a tendency to revolutionize the trans
portation problem Of the west How
rapidly the conditions creating this
change have developed I'm the last six
months is known to comparatively few
outside of the railroad circles most |
closely in touch with the situation.
Quite a sensation in local railroad and |
transportation circles has been created |
by a series of addresses by Ben McLen-
don before commercial bodies and in
the local stock exchange upon the sub
iect of railway Developments in Nevada.
Even the most casual observer has
noted the fact that Ne--ada has been
the storm center of railroad activity
during the past year. but few have |
noticed the fact that while trunk lines
have been shooting out stems as osten- |
sible feeders to their main lines that
great method has been exercised I'm the
projection of these varied extensions.
Los Angeles to Chicago
The Salt Lake road from Los Angeles
to Salt Lake City which was just COM
pleted a year or more ago, shortened
the distance between Los Angeles and
Chicago to such an extent that II upset
all calculations made by competitors.
The Southern Pacific. ever alert toI
every move on the checlSerboard, COM
menced Immediately to project q spur
line from the main line of the Central
Pacific toward Ionopah. Either as a
counter movement to check this aggres-
sion, or in carrying out a well under
stood secret comfy with the Southern
Pacific, the Salt Lake reached out from
Las Vegas to meet this movement on
the halfway ground by extending also
to Tonopah.
Recent surveys from the Salt Lake
line to Searchlight furnish additional
evidence that this steady advance of
these two great combined railways to-
ward the south means more than a
mere effort to capture and control par
ticulSr local territory
study of the accompanying map
will reveal the fact that the Southern
Pacific lines leaving New Orleans and
Galveston and reaching toward the
Pacific coast follow closely along the
line of the northern border of the re-
public of Mexico until they reach Los
Angeles; here they make a sudden
detour to the northwest to San Fran
cisco. Beginning at line paralleling
the northern border of the state of
Nevada and running as far south as
Southern California to the Santa Fe
line, which parallels that of the South
ern Pacific there is no transcontinental
line running east and west. This fact
has left one of the greatest mineral
producing sections of the world remote
from all of the conveniences of civiliza-
tion, and has absolutely prevented any
development of consequence until recent
months when the Salt Lake and the
Southern Pacific constructed their lines
from Carson City to Las Vegas. re-
ferred to before.
Study the Map
other references to the map will show
that a line of forty-eight miles in length
from Searchlight to Las Vegas and
seventy-five miles from Searchltght TO
Prescott will give the finishing touches
to complete system of short lines
reaching from lew Orleans to Seattle
in something like 400 miles of shorter
distance than any of the established
trunk lines. The construction of 125
miles of railway to accomplish such
marvellous results is mere bagatelle.
That the concerted movements of the
Southern Pacific and Salt Lake In
friendly conjunction have been looking
forward to the accomplishment of this
end is hardly to be doubted, when it is
remembered what vast possibilities are
within the grasp of these two great
corporations.
In figuring on this situation it must
be remembered that the recent railway
law enacted by congress will break up
many of the comities and traffic ar
rangements heretofore existing between
these lines. The national law prescribes
the adjustment of rates which gives
every possible advantage to the shortest
line between any two given points. The
saving of 400 miles in railway trans
portation will be an advantage that
no transcontinental line will be able to
overcome. 1t will be remembered that
we are Just opening up new traffic
with 600, 100000 people in the orient, and
the great bulk of our export and inn
port trade must go through Pacific
ports. Japan, Manchuria and China
have been ng the largest consumers
of the cotton produce OF the south and
the grain of the middle west. Millions
of bales Of cotton have found their exit
through the port of Seattle after hav-
ing been carried far to the north and
then TO the Pacific coast over the Hill
lines to Seattle.
The establishment of an air line from
sine great cotton ports Of the south TO
Seattle will divert almost the entire
cotton shipments that the Hill steam
ship lines carry to the orient. What
this shortening of the distance between
gulf ports and those of the Northern
Pacific means in all other classes Of
shipments staggers the Imagination.
What most appeals to the business
men of Los Angs les is what effect this
will have on local conditions. In order
to protect what has naturally fallen to
our business community, Los Angeles
must awaken to the fact that this Won
derfully rich new territory just OPEN
ing. while naturally belonging to her
is being closely and jealously sought
after by San Francisco and Seattle
Searchlight which has so suddenly
sprung into existence promises to be
the storm center of railroad activity,
and a competitive point of no mean pro-
portions, possessing as IL does the
richest mineral deposits of the western
world.
Certainty Of Profits
So sensitive to the conditions de-
scribed are our business men that It is
reliably stated that some Of the bankers
and local flnanciers Of Los Angeles will
consider the immediate survey OF this
gap from Las Vegas through Search-
light to Prescott for the early con-
..l-.....tfn., ~ =. broad oauoa oIectrio