The new era., 1909-05-13
A NEW PRIVATELY OWNED
TWELvE-MILE LINE IN DELTA
COUNTY.
CONNECT W|THD. & &R.G.
RICH FRUIT AND ALALFA LAND
AND FINE, FREE CATTLE
RANGES.

Denver.-Enough OF the necessary
fur DIS to insure the building OF the
proposed privately owned railroad
from Saxton, on the Denver & Rio
Grande, through the fruit and agricul-
tUTal land in the Surface creek valley
of Delta county, among the very rich
est in the world, have been raised to
warrant the beginning of work, and
the road will be built in time to handle
the crops of 1909, says The Republi-
can Tuesday morning.
The total estimated cost of the new
railroad, which will be twelve miles
long, and has been in the financing
stage for several months, is $135,O00.
OF this amount, an even 100000
raised in Denver and the East, is in
Land, and is available for immediate
work.
the Fruit Belt railway, the company
having been incorporated one month
ago, with Joe Hogrefe, banker at
Cedar Edge. along the proposed route.
as president; E. T. Hubbard, prom
inent land owrer and farmer of Delta,
as vice president, and s. T. Baird Of
Delta, secretary-treasurer. Messrs.
Hubbard and Baird were in Denver
yesterday and announced that their
project has reached the stage where
whore 1t is certainty.
The point where the Fruit Belt rail-
road will connect with the Denver &
Rio Grande at Saxton, is 3S1 miles
west Of Denver, on the North Fork
branch, running from Delta to Somer-
set. The fruit has not been harmed
particle by frost in the Surface creek
district, this year. according to Hub
bard and Is good for an even thousand
cars of freight this fall, for the most
past peaches and apples. The average
value per car will be from $500 to $3.50,
making the crop worth about $3.50, 900.
Also there are $500 acres of finest al
falfa on Surface creek, and the free
ranges for cattle feeding are account
ed among the finest in the world.
The feasibility of the new road is in
dicated by the fact that no grade will
be over IN per cent. The altitude
ranges from 4,SOO feet, where Surface,
or Tongue. creek empties into the Gun
Mesa, affording every variety of eli
matte change. The average altitude
Of the choice fruit land is $500 feet.
For scenic advantages the section is
claimant to the disputed title, "The
Switzerland of America" There are
twenty-seven large lakes and innumer-
able smaller ones ON the Grand Mesa,
and the fishing is described as "the
best any place."
Vice President Hubbard of the new
read has been in charge of the fruit
exhibits at the Pueblo and Denver
fairs for the past several years, and
has walked away with first prizes on
several occasions. He is sanguine in
the belief that for fruit, cattle, pota-
toes and sugar beets the Surface creek
district is without peer on earth. The
coal resources are vast, so far the do
nestle fields being the only ones de-
veloped. The building of the railroad
will make accessible the steam coal
teGs, which will no doubt furnish large
traffic in time.
The popularity of the railroad is at
tested by the fact that rights of way
for the entire distance, with two ex-
ceptions, were given by the farmers
along the route. 1t is the expectation
that enough tonnage will be developed
to tax not only the new line but the
connecting division of the Denver &
Rio Grande as well.