Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-18
ROAD TO SAN DIEGO
Line From Yuma May Be Fin
ished Next Year.
J. D. SPRECKELS' PROJECT
Residents Expect Much From Com
pletion of Panama Canal.
SHORTEST ROUTE TO ORIENT
Saving in Time by Shipping to Den
yer From Southern California
Instead of San Francisco.
BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS
Special Correspondence Of The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald.


Special Correspondence OF The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald.
SAN DIEGO, May 10, 1911.
One of the principal reasons for the
existence of San Diego was the need of
harbor as a terminus for the Texas
Pacific railroad, which was to be the
shortest of all the transcontinental lines.
Thomas A Scott. who was a wise and
far-slghted empire builder, recognized
the advantages Of the location, and the
land owners around the bay gave him
several thousand acres for a right of
way terminals. shops, warehouses and
docks. The real estate boomers voted a
cash bonus. and the work of construc-
ton actually began. Several steamers
loaded with materials came around from
New York through the Straits Of Ma
gellan, and the architects completed the
plans for the station. headquarters build
ing and other structures, when Jay
Cooke q Co. failed. and the panic of 1873
compelled Scott to suspend operations
and abandon the enterprise. The road
was never completed beyond Ell Paso,
but now there is new plan In progress
which is Intended to accomplish what
was expected of the Texas Pacific Com
pany.
In the early eighties the Santa Fe
railroad Company. actuated by the same
motive, and convinced by the same argu-
mentS, selected San Diego for the termi-
nus of its line from Chicago, and a SINH
lar series of misfortunes occurred But
in this case a direct line was built San
Diego was actually at one end of it and
Chicago at the other, when the bottom
Tell out or the sky and a flood washed
out 100 miles of track and demonstrated
tnat e'route was not a safe one. For
eighteen months San Diego was cut off
from the rest OF the world. and when
herself on branch line. The headauar-
ters of the Santa Fee were located at
Los Angeles. The shops went to San
Bernardino. and San Diego was practi-
panic Of 1893, which swept away what
little capital was left in the town, and
there was nothing but hope and faith re-
naming until Christmas day, 1905, when
John ID. Spreckels announced in his own
newspaper that he intended to build an
airline railway across the desert from
San Diego to Yuma, on the Colorado
river, thus making the shortest line be-
tween the two oceans.
Railroad to Yuma.
Several years before San Diego county
had been cut in twain by the leg
| islature and the eastern half, including
the Imperial valley, which was described
in one Of these letters the other day, was
created into new county known as I'm
perial There was scarcely an objection
because the Inhabitants of the valley
| showed that they were compelled to tray
| Ell nearly four hundred miles to reach the
county seat, which was only one hundred
| and thirty miles distant in a straight line
They had to go all the way up to Los
| Angeles in northwesterly direction and
then go south almost as far again along
| the Pacific coast to reach San Diego
Mr. Spreckels announced that he would
| build directly across the base of the tri-
angle, along the southern border of San
Diego county through Imperial county. to
Yuma, a distance of two hundred and
twenty miles, and connect there with the
| Southern Pacific for Ell Paso, San An
| tonic and Galveston. His surveyors fol-
lowed the original line selected by
| Thomas A. Scott, which crosses the
| boundary into Mexico at two or three
| points. and connects with the Imperial
branch of the Southern Pacific at the
| town of FL Centric
Mr.. Spreckels has already purchased
one hundred acres for freight and pas
senger terminals, seventy-fve acres for
shops. has laid about twenty miles of
track and promises to complete the road
to Yuma before the end of 1912 If Le
| finishes it by 1915 the people will be
grateful. About forty-five miles of the
| track will lie on Mexican soil. The re-
SlonS trdVerSeo Is nearly all a barren
desert, but has the same soil that has
made the Imperial valley famous, and
when irrigated will produce unparalleled
crops of fruit, cotton and other staples
The people of San Diego place great
faith in probabilities and possibilities
which are not apparent to everybody
else. But at least another railroad will
not hurt them, and to cut off two or three
hundred miles of travel between the east
and the west will be a benefit to every
body.