Arizona republican., 1907-09-11

The Southern Pacific's grade through
the box canyon Is on the north side of
the ella river. The contest between
the two companies was not for a 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 ii was for ownership of an i'm
portant feeder line over a route where
| it would not pay to build two COM
peting lines. The decision of the
United States supreme court was in
| favor of the Santa Fe, but by the sale
| of the Phoenix & Eastern to the South
ern Pacific interests, ownership of the
proposed route through the ella canyon
| finally falls. as il should naturally.
from its territorial location and con-
nections. to the Southern Pacific.
| 1t is probable that this line was
turned over by the Santa Fe to the
| Southern Pacific in course of arrange
ments for a new through line through
Southern Arizona for both railroads.
F, For the past three years construction
work has been under way on a Santa
| Fe branch line, the ARIZONA & Califor-
| nit, from Wickenburg, on the Ash
| Fork-Phoenix line. westward to the
Colorado river. This IS at present an
iundeveioped territory, though mining
development is under way. The Ari- I
IONA & California is now finished to
the Colorado river, and its ultimate
destination has been announced as
Bengal. Cal. on the present Santa Fe
main line, SO miles west of the Colo
RADIO river. Bengal is to be the western
end of the new transcontinental cut
off,
On the east. the Santa Fe plans have
not been made public. The map shows
how the ella canyon line could be
Preached over existing Santa Fe lines
and a short stretch of the present
Southern Pacific main line. This is a
roundabout route but is marked out
here in the absence of any official or
Isemi-official information as to where
a more direct connection with the new
cutoff line Is likely to eventually be
built. 4 connection from Socorro. y.
NJ, to the headwaters Of the San Fran
cisco river. thence down that river to
its junction with the ella near Clifton
looks feasible on paper, but this route,
we are informed, is more or less i'm
I practicable from an engineering stand
point and therefore is not ever likely
| to be built. Some such through con-
nection, however. would seem to be a
necessary part of the eventual plans OF
the Santa Fe is IL is to share most eff
ificiently in the new cutoff line through
Arizona.
The connection ON the east as shown
on the map is as follows: \ short
connection will probably be built from
the Belen cutoff to the present Ell
Paso line. which will be followed as far.
south as Rincon. n. NJ, from which al
Santa Fe branch now runs to Deming
on the Southern Pacific From here
the route IS over the Southern Pacific
to Lordsburg, near the New Mexico
Arizona boundary. so miles. From
Lordsburg the route would be the same
I for both Santa Fe and Southern Pa
ciSc
| Leaving the main line at Lordsburg.
it would be either over the Arizona G.
New Mexico road nearly as far as
I Clifton. thence down the ella river TO
Solomon. or by new line built direct
! from Lordsburg TO Solomon. From
Solomon the route is over the ella
Valley, Globe & Northern (part of
To San Carlos, where it would meet the
extension of the Phoenix & Eastern
line through the ella canyon at its
eastern terminus. over the Phoenix &
Eastern the route would run to Phoe-
nix. over the Santa Fe to Wickenburg.
and the Arizona & California TO Ben
gal.
At Florence the Southern Pacific
hum a
meet with its present main line west Of
Tucson by building a short branch line
surveyed some time ago from Florence
to a point on the Maricopa & Phoenix
& Salt River Valley line Of the South
ern Pacific near Maricopa. The more
probable route. however. for Southern
Pacific through traffic is over the
Santa Fe route already described via
Phoenix. Wickenburg and the Arizona
& California to Bengal Bengal is on
that section of the present Santa Fe |
main line between Needles on the Ari-
zonaralifornia boundary and Mojave, |
Cal, which is owned by the Southern
Pacific but leased to the Santa Fe. Att
MOjave the Southern Pacific and Santa
Fe main lines join and run over n joint |
piece of track to bakersfield. BY a re-
arrangement of the lease. the Southern
Pacific could have running rights for
traffic from the new cutoff over the |
Santa Fe line from Bengal to Mojavei
and at Mojave connect with it's present !
line. 50. !
Adoption of these plans will result in |
changing the present transcontinental
routes Of both roads for many hundred
miles. On the Santa Fe, from Rio
Puerco. n. NJ, to Bengal, Cal, is 621 \
miles. Adding the approximate length |
of the connection from the new Belen !
cutoff to the present main line at Rio '