The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-05-23
RAILROAD NEWS.
How Orient Is Pushing Its Way
to the Pacific Ocean.
viii Be Shortest Line Missouri
River to Coast.
TOWNS SPRING UP.
Road Touches and Advances
Prosperous Country.
Other Items of General Interest
i'm Railroad World.

Washington. May pa new trans
continental railway is being quietlp
bullt between Kansas City and Topolo-
bampo. Mexico, about which we see
very little in the newspapers. says Will
liam c. Curtis. 1t is already three
fourths completed and two thirds of
the distance is in operation. II will be
the shortest line between the Missouri
river and the Pacific ocean-51S miles
shorter than the Union Pacific and 700
miles shorter than the Burlington or
Rock Island routes, which are the
shortest lines at present. The new
Kansas City, Mexico & Orient rail-
road, as it is called, starting from Kan
sas City, passes through the southeast
ern corner of Kansas, touching EN-
poria, Wichita and Anthony, divides
Oklahoma almost in half, bisects the
Rio Grande at Preside del Norte, and
then runs via Chihuahua to the port OF
Topolobampo, which is near the mouth
of the Gulf of California, a short dis
lance above Mazatlan.
Topolobampo has the most adVan-
tageous and convenient harbor on the
Pacific coast of Mexico, and indeed it
is the only one that is well protected.
All the other harbors are open to the
western gales, and sometimes steamers
tie 1lOl eiDIG TO u1SCudIS0 OT receive
cargoeS on account of the weather. AT
Topolobampo vessels can lie up against
dock, entirely protected on all sides.
Some years ago an American company
started a socialist colony at that point,
but it expired after a brief existence
with disastrous results to those who
participated in the movement.
The Orient, as it Familiarity known,
runs through an entirely new country
for distance of 1850 miles, and in
stead of paralleling established roads,
it will cross several important lines,
with which its management can doubt
less make traffic arrangements of mu-
tual value. At Emporia it crosses the
Missouri Pacific; at Wichita and at
Anthony 1t crosses the Santa Fe; the
Fort Worth & Denver at Chilicothe;
the Texas & Pacific at SWeetwater; a
branch of the Santa Fe at San Angelo,
and the Southern Pacific at Pisano
Summit. In Mexico it crosses the Mex
lean Central at Chihuahua; at San
Bias the new Hartman road which
runs south from Arizona, parallel with
the Pacific, and the Chihuahua & Pa
cific at Minlaca.
More than thirty new towns with
populations of I. 600 to- 800 have sprung
up along the tracks in Oklahoma. All
Of them are agricultural settlements,
and the population are practical farm
ers. In Texas as many more new towns
have started up on the virgin soil.
Where few years ago was open prai-
RE of doubtful agricultural possibili-
ties, with here and there ranch house
and herd of cattle, are now fields of
wheat, corn and cotton, Enclosed by
fences, with farm houses barns and
shade trees on every quarter section.
No part of the country has ever been
settled so rapidly or by a better class
of homesteaders than have taken up
farms along the line of the Orient road
in OLSiahnf71a ThpU hrOl1oI1f
with them. Very little human drift
wood lodged along the right of way.
This fact will be demonstrated when
the census enumerators report upon the
development of a section of about S0e,-
600 acres between Wichita, Kan. and
Sweetwater, Tex, which is already I'M
der plough and is supporting 80 enter
prising towns.