Daily Arizona silver belt., 1907-09-21
NEW ROUTE PROPOSED FOR TWO
 GREAT ARIZONA RAILROAD LINES

The kallrodu udLetle TUT august con
 lain, the following on the new trans .,rr.tntal cutoff for the Santa Fe and ,1e southern Pacific:
 With the taking over last April of tba wHoenix X Eastern, Santa Fe Lrer.n line running from Phoenix,
 Aris east one hundred miles to Win lerr..u. on the Gila river, by the South crn Hacifc, and the election of Epes Randolph. president of various Southern Parif. lines in Arizona, as its presi. 5arr definite step was taken in the development of what will in all proba- biir.es ultimately become a transcon- ,irrr.al cutoff for both the Southern pa.rf and the Atchison, Topeka X Sanra Fc.
 paus by both companies for the de va'a.nent of a new and better trans confidential line through Arizona have been m the making for the last two or thr,a years.
 The Phoenix X Eastern runs from Phoenix. Ariz, southwest to Florence, vhrr. 1t meets the Gila river and then farIaw, up the river eastward to Winkel- man inc present terminus. At San Car ros. .aout thirty.four miles up the Gila river beyond Winkelman, the Gila Val Irv D.obe X Northern line of the South ern Pacific crosses the river. To the north it runs to Globe; to the south it follows up the river as far as Solomon vfr. and then turns south to connect with fhe Southern Pacific main line at Bowie
 The route between Winkelman and San Carlos was for years disputed by tbr southern Pacific and the Santa Fe. As nearly as can be aseertained, the Santa Fe surveyed the first route northeast up the Gila canyon from Wmkeman. This was an invasion of Southern Pacific territory, as such a line rot only cut across the Gila Valley, Globe & Northern. but if extended less than IUD miles further would reach the Clifton mining district, now served only by the Arizona '& New Mexico, which is the line owned by the Ari z5aa Copper company, connecting the mines with the Southern Pacific main line at Lordsburg, N. M. The South ern Pacific at once hurried a survey ing party to the Gila canyon and To- cated almost exactly the same line that the santa Fe had adopted from Kelvin, fifteen and one-half miles west of Win kcIman. east to san Carlos. The South er Pacific map of this route was filed a few hours before the Santa Fe map. The rights under these surveys were then carried into the local courts, where there were decisions and counter de cisions almost without number. Mean while the Santa Fe built and put in op- eration its line from Florence east to Wmkelman. After Santa Fe trains were already running over the track on regular schedules a decision was handed down by one of the local courts awarding seventeen and one-half miles of the right-Of-way from point two miles west of Kelvin east to Dudley ville which is two miles east of Win keIman. to the Southern Pacific. but for bidding either company to use this track for commercial purposes until the case was finally settled On appeal, the su- premc court of Arizona returned the track to the Santa Fe, pending a fur thcr appeal to the United States SUI preme court, on condition that the Santa Fe give a bond to indemnify the Southern Pacific in case the Santa Fe lost the final appeal. In order tol strengthen its demands for the contest ed right-of- the Southern Pacific in the fall of 1904 put considerable force of men at work grading the proposed route east of Dudleyville. In November of that year there were about five hun drod men employed. Before work was stopped, early in 1905, grading was nearly finished from Winkelman through the lower Gila box canyon, that IS, Tor about ten miles up the river. Mean while the Santa Fe awaited the hnai decision of the ease.
 The Southern Pacific s grade through the box canyon is on the north side or tho Gila river. The contest between the two companies was not for route where there was only one possible To- cation. for from an engineering point of view there is little difference in the difficulties of construction on both sides of the river through the canyon, but r was for ownership of an im- porfant feeder line over route where it would not pay to build two competing lines The decision of the United States supreme court was in favor of the Santa Fc, but by the sale of the Phoe' nix N Eastern to the Southern Paeihc interests, ownership of the proposed rout. through the Gila canyon finally falIs as it should naturally, from it's territorial location and connections, to the southern Pacific.
 l' was probable that this line was turned over by the Santa Fe to the Southern Pacific in course of arrange mcnts for a new through line through Southern Arizona for both railroads. For The past three years construction work has been under way on santa