Los Angeles herald., 1906-04-11
NEW RAILROAD
IS PROJECTED
CLARK SEEKS EXTENSION TO
SAN DIEGO
May Be a Scheme on the Part Of
Hartman to Keep the Santa
Fe Out of San
Pedro
Special to The Herald.

Special to The Herald
SAN DIEGO. April 10.-Letters re-
ceived here today from Senator, w. A.
Clark in reply to correspondence which
has passed between him and members
of the chamber of commerce railroad
committee indicate that he is seriously
considering the proposition of building
to San Diego harbor. The text of the
letters has not been made public. but
in brief it is a request for data regard
ing the city and asks If the people OF
San Diego will provide him with rights
of way and terminal facilities, and also
what prospect there would be for plac-
ing bonds here for building a portion
of the line.
The inquiries are in keeping with the
ideas of the chamber of commerce
committee that bonds could be sold
but that a subsidy could not readily be
raised. A meeting of the railroad COM
mittee was held with II. S. Crane. tc
whom the letter from the senator was
addressed, and a reply was forwarded
to the effect that the rights of way
and facilities were certain and that the
assurance that Senator Clark was be-
hind the road would certainly place all
the bonds here that the senator would
be willing to sell.
There was no mention of subsidy in
the letter nor of the route to be taken
in getting into the city, but in previous
correspondence the idea of building
from Riverside and eastward to Yuma
or the Imperial country at least, has
been under consideration.
The above dispatch confirms the re-
port that has been made exclusively II
The Herald that there will be a break
in the long standing agreement between
the Southern Pacific and the Santa Fe
E. II. Hartman owns half of the
stock of the Salt Lake road or controls
it. With the Salt Lake entering Sar
Diego, the Southern Pacific could very
easily get into that port and become
strong competitor of the Santa Fe.
The Santa Fe has become tired of its
agreement with the Southern Pacific
to keep out of San Pedro and Santa
Barbara if the latter would not entel
San Diego.
The Santa Fe has been conducting
quiet search for right of way from Los
Angeles to San Pedro and now has II
in it's possession. All that remains FOL
it to do now is to secure San Pedro
franchise.
1t can easily be seen why the Santa
Fe should be desirous to break this
agreement. When this contract was
made the revenues derived from the
places named by each of the roads
were about equal. Since then both the
San Pedro and Santa Barbara business
has increased manifold over the Sar
Diego business, and the Santa Fe ha'
had the worst of the deal financially
There has as yet been no public dem
onstration on the part of the Santa FL
to break it's agreement, and by seeking
to enter San Diego by way or the Sai
Lake road probably means that Harri
man is taking the initiative and yet !:
not forcing the issue between the two
systems.
If the Salt Lake road is built to Sar
Diego it is most likely that it will b'
extended from Los Angeles, because
that would be the most accessible
route.
The extension of the road woult
mean further development for Sar
Diego because the Salt Lake line o.
oriental steamers would then touch a
that port.