The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-05-23
RAILROAD news.
A Big Railway System With
Mileage of Is, 900 Miles
Will Be Completed With Con.
struction of Western Pacific.
TO BE OPENED IN 1909.
Nearly One-Half Of the Road to
BE Built This Summer.
Other Items of Interest in
Railway Circles.

E. T. Jeffrey, president of the West
ern Pacific road, has furnished the
syndicate that underworld the $780,
10000 issue of bonds of that road
with statement concerning the pro-
gress of the construction work, in
which he sets forth that the line now
building from Salt Lake City to San
Francisco is virtually an extension
of the Denver & Rio Grande system,
and. when completed. will furnish a
Pacific coast outlet for it and other
lines having an aggregate mileage
of $4,000 miles, about four-ffths of
which will contribute traffic to it and
receive traffic from it at its Salt Lake
terminus.
Satisfactory traffic contracts, the
statement sets forth, have already
been made between the Western Pa
cific, the Rio Grande Western, the
Denver & Rio Grande and the Mis-
souri, Pacific which contracts are
pledged under the first mortgage of
the Western Pacific company, insur-
ing a large passenger and freight traf-
fic to the Western Pacific when it is
put in operation.
The Western Pacific skirts the
southern shore of the Great Salt lake,
and will share in the traffic of extern
sive smelling and refining works now
under construction in that vicinity 1t
crosses, with moderate grades, the
state of Nevada. and in time, after
t0e I1dlH line Is Ine T1Cn
and rapidly developing mineral re-
sources Of the state will be reached
by the necessary laterals and feed
ers. 1t traverses the state of Cali
fornia contiguous. in places, to i'm
portant mineral and timber resources.
and part of 1t runs through an ex-
ceedingly rich and almost I'M
developed territory.
The population. wealth and BUSH
ness of California have increased
since 1898 in degree hardly credible,
and there seems to be no room for
doubt that the Western Pacific rail-
way will be self-supporting from the
day it is fully opened for business
President Jeffery explains that it is
the intention of the company to es-
tablish at San Francisco and Oak
land dock and warehouse facilities
ample to accommodate a large ocean
commerce The company already has
obtained terminal facilities in San
Francisco and Oakland which will be
equal to those of any railway enter
ing these cities. and it has secured
highly satisfactory facilities at both
Sacramento and stockton
The company already has expended
more than s30.000,000 in cash on its
lines ard terminals and the right Of
way and the necessary terminal lands
have. with unimportant exceptions
been secured. Grading has been COM
pleted on 500 miles. and on about
900 miles thereof rails have been laid
The original plans called for sixty
six tunnels, with a total length of
62.614 feet against the present re-
quirement of forty-four tunnels. with
a total length of 1892 feet About
so per cent of this tunnel work has
been completed 1t is expected that
during the coming summer to omen
$50 miles of the road for traffic, and
all will be opened early in 1909.
COLO. SOUTHERN'S PROSPECTS.
President TrumbuiI Sees Bright Out
look in Western Conditions
New York NAV 23.-Frank Trum-