Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-29

sents a water level grade from the in
ternational boundary southwark
through Sonora and along the coastal
plain in the heart of Sinaloa to Mazat-
Ian. The Yaqui river flows through a
country extraordinarily rich in agri-
culture and mining resources.
Southern Pacific Plans
at is in the plans of the Southern
Pacific to build from a point on its
Los Angeles-El Paso line east of Ben
son, probably Cochise directly south
ward to the boundary and then down
the Yaqui valley. This hew line will
be practically a water grade line from
the main line of the Southern Pacific
to the extreme southerly point of the
state of Sinaloa, a distance of more
than 600 miles, over gradients which
will be so favorable that the cost of
operation will be reduced to the mini
mum.
THE Southern Pacific is already in
terested in one or two short lines in
the Cananea and Nacazari mining dis
tricts of northern Sonora. These lines
will be connected with the new main
trunk line above referred to.
"The plans of the company for cut
ting down it's gradients are of even
is already under way in Arizona up
the ella river valley which will cut
out the heavy grades of the present
line. and when this Gila line is COM
pleted and the new Mexican line is
nnished, with the exception Of the hill
at Beaumont, Cal. eighty-One miles
east of Los Angeles it will be possible
for heavy freight trains to move from
Los Angeles to Mazatlan, Sinaloa, a
IL Cd
verse grade on the line. What this will
mean in traffic can hardly be over
estimated. But even more than this,
it is a direct invitation to Los Angeles
to occupy and benefit by the tremen-
dous trade opportunities of Sonora and
Sinaloa.
S. P. Forcing Construction
"At present the Southern Pacific is
rushing construction of the line from
| Guaymas through southern Sonora to
MazatIan, state of Sinaloa. As first
! surveyed, the line from Guaymas was
| intended to follow the coast rather
| closely, but as the larger plans of the
| company, involving the construction of
the line to the Yaqui valley. were
| adopted the. Guaymas section was
/ swung to the eastward Of the original
| Yauui river crossing. The track is al
| the line eastward from Guaymas, and
| the grade is finished to Yadui river
| crossing. The company has been ham,
| pered in getting a supply Of ties or else
! the track would have been in operation
| the entire distance to the Yanui river.
"At the Yaqui river crossing the
| Guaymas line interseCtf the projected
water grade line down the YaQui river
and into Sinaloa, forming a gigantic T.
! n Io
| sJuthward preliminary lines faVe al
ready been run for several hundred
! J lies, and at present a number Of en-
! gineering parties are actively at work
| making final location throughout the
whole length of Sinaloa.
"The new road win pass for 800 miles
| through the center of the coast plain
of Sinaloa, the region Of which 80 per
cent is land of the choicest character.
and capable of raising not only all kinds
of sub-tropical agricultural products,
but those IF temperate attitudes in ad-
dition.
sinaloa the Great Objective
1.-THE state Of Sinaloa is the objective
point of all these great railway sys-
TENS, as ii poss esses a very large area
of level, fertile and enormously pro-
ductive agricultural lands upon its
coastal plain. This coastal plain and its
foothill regions VIII produce a tremen-
dous tonnage of corn, cane sugar. and
particularly of the hennequin fiber the
market for which is world wide and
cannot be satiated,
"The magnitude Of the mining devel-
opment in the mines of tho eastern
part of Sinaloa is already surprising.
Dozens of mines are now active pro-
ducers and the country in the mining
sections has hardly been scratched. In
gots Of silver the size of sticks of cord
wood are shipped by the CARLOAD from
! Mazatlan upon almost every steamer.
Every ounce of this silver and all of
the copper are laborously freighted on
mules and burros from the mines. from
fifty to 100 miles, T. Mazatlan. These
mines are working under possible diff
Guilty Of transportation, difficulties
which will be completely solved by the
new railroad construction under way.
THE mountains and foothills of SIN
aloa will also produce a heavy tonnage
Of cabinet and other precious woods
: such as ebony, mahogany, rosewood
ceda, and other semi-tropical cabinet
! woods. The higHer mountains are GOV.
, cred with dense pine forests.
} IAN of this railway construction is
fast opening up west Mexico ia trade
= commerce and daUplonuaa,,f