Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1907-03-17
LINES TO THE GULF
Being Shortened by Gould. -lron mounteIn Building Cut Off ia Arkansas and Louisiana to Reduce Mileage to New Orleans.

Stuyvesant Fish, as member ot the Missouri Pacifics Executive Committee, is expected, in view of the latest enterprises of George J. Gould, to fit well into the plans for traffic competition, says the St. Lou is Republic.
 With the Illinois Central, draw ing large part of it's long-haul traffic through Chicago and Free port, at the extreme North, and the Gould lines bringing freight to New Orleans and Galveston from St. Louis, Chicago, Memphis, Kan sas City, Omaha and Denver, Fish's relations with the Missouri Pacific promise keen rivalry for Hartman.
 Gould has been working quietly during the last few years. The construction of the Western Pacific and the plans for connecting the Wabash and the Western Maryland have focused attention on the trans continental proJect. Meanwhile Gould has shortened the distance on his lines from St. Louis, and Mem phis to New Orleans and from Kan sas City, Denver and Omaha to New Orleans
 At present construction is pro- gressing on an extension, only about sixty miles in length, between Flu dora, Ark, and Gilbert, La, to re- duce the distance from St. Louis to New Orleans about seven miles. This cutoff is more than half com pleted By building connections be- tween the Iron Mountain and the St. Louis Southwestern and making cut-offs in Arkansas, the Gould lines have formed grade route from St. Louis to Memphis and New Orleaas, paralleling the Mississippi River for the whole distance. White River Branch.
 Less than two years ago, the White River branch of the Iron Mountain, from Carthage, Mo-, to Newport, Ark, was finished and put in commission This road, which runs at low grade through the Ozark mountains, provides a short route from Kansas City, Omaha. Denver and points in Missouri, Kan sas, Nebraska and Colorado to New Orleans. Another cutoff which is proposed, will run from Fort Smith, Ark, 10 Whalen, Ark, and will shorten the distance from Oklaho- ma. Denver and the West to New Orleans.
 Connections at St. Louis, Thebes, Memphis, Columbus, Ky; Helena, Ark, and Arkansas City, Ark, en- able the system to exchange freight between points in the West and Northwest and points in the South east.
 A study of the operations con ducted in recent years will show that Gould is In position to draw traffic from Western districts with out depending on the important cen- ters out there The branch lines in Kansas, Nebraska and Denver concentrate on the main short route to New Orleans and the Mississippi River cities, such as St. Louis and l Memphis.
 Gould Transcontfxental.
 Gould has not only been work ing out transcontinental system, What are perhaps his timeliest achievements are the short line From St. Louis to New Orleans and the short line from the West to New Orleans. Lines from St. Louis 10 Galveston and the Southwest and rom St. Louis to the City of Mex co are important real1zations in the aould scheme. i
 The opinion in St. Louis is that ish's association with Gould will rengthen the Gould lines. espec-
 lily in view of the manifest strate- as just explained. MT. Fish III probably bring prestige to the puId water-grade line, paralleling |e Mississippi River on the west
 le, as the Illinois Central does on