Semi-weekly herald., 1913-07-21


stipulations with various Indian tribes,
and for other purposes for the fiscal
year ending June 30, 1914. For the
construction of bridge across theI
San Juan river at Shiprock, N. NJ,
on the Navajo Indian reservation, to
be Immediately available, S16,500,
which said sum shall be reimbursed
to the United States by the Navajo
Indians, and shall remain charge
and lien upon the lands, property, and
funds belonging to said Navajo In
dians until paid in full. Approved
June 30, 1918.
AS the money for the bridge is now
available, contracts will soon be let
for its construction. 1t is the inten-
tion to build the bridge this fall while
the water in the river is low. With
the bridge completed this winter the
road should be in operation next
spring, and the mail should be coming
over from Gallup instead of over the
range with its one and two nights
stops and its snail-lie pace while en-
route.
Several years ago the Pennington
board of trade took the matter of
changing the mail route up with W.
II. Blackwell, chief clerk of the rail-
way mail service, with headquarters
at Denver, Colo. An investigation
was made and it was found that we
can save from twelve to sixty hours on
so per cent of the mail that comes
| here. Mail from the national capital
at Washington will be received twelve
hours sooner, as will much other east
ern mail. State mail will be received
from thirty to forty-eight hours
earlier and all mail coming from west
of Gallup will arrive sixty hours
| quicker, as the mail must lay over in
Santa Fe one night, and one night in
Antonito and Durango.
The auto mail service between Ros-
well and Vaughan, N. NJ, shortens
the mail but nine hours at the most,
yet the post office department deemed
| this a sufficient saving to warrant a
change from rail to auto service.
There is little doubt but that we
also can secure change in our mail
delivery. While at the present it takes
nearly four days to reach Gallup by
the railroad, with good auto road
maintained across the reservation, the
trip could be made in about from
ten to twelve hours.
This means that Pennington and
Aztec, both in the state of New Mex
leo, will receive mail from Albuquer-
que and Santa Fe within a day, while
now it takes three days. This would
| also put us within days ride from
the state capital, while at the pres
ent time it takes a week to make
the round trip. This makes it diff
cult for state officials to visit this
county, as they can seldom spare the
time 1t requires nor do they feel at
liberty in spending the amount nee
essary to make the visit.
With the auto road in operation
tins, the northwestern part of the
state of New Mexico, which is beyond
any doubt one of the most fertile and
richest in undeveloped resources parts
OF the state, will be put in active touch
with the business activity of its own
| state. AS we are at present situated
| we are practically province of Colo
fado, and it has only been but few
years since some of our citizens were
advocating the proposition of annex.
ing our county to Colorado.
This proposed route has many pos.
sipllltles. When the state highway
now being built from Denver to Du.
range, is completed, and the Gallup.
Pennington road is put in shape. II
will afford roadway by which tc
enter Arizona and California. What
such road, giving passage practical
ly from Denver to the Pacific coast
means to us can readily be appreci
ated.
Not only is this road as proposed Of
value for its mail and passenger car
rage. Equally important is the fea,
ture of the quick transportation Of
freight. With present facilities We
are badly handicapped, when we wisf
to compete in the Arizona market.
with the producecsr of California, a.
they can get their produce onto the
market within two days, while We
must wait from four to five DAYS tc
reach the markets, and we are onl,
Just about the same distance away al
that. :"
The mail route would take up three
and possibly four star routes. 1t would
include the route from Gallup to To.
hatchi, the one from Tohatchi to Gro.
Zier, and the route from Farminptor
TO Shlprock. A star route to Bluff is
one of the possibilities of the road
This road will be benefit to the
entire San Juan basin and all those
whom it affects should get busy ant
build up their roads that connect wifi
the Gallup road.
Friday of last week Superintendent,
Shelton of the Shiprock Indian agency
who is in favor of the road as it viii
greatly benefit the agency and school
invited Secretary Orval Ricketts, Of
the Pennington board of trade to ac.
company him in his auto to make ar
inspection tour, of the road between
Pennington and Shiprock, with view
to seeing what action could be brought
to bear on the matter of establishing
the road, as the bridge was assured
The road was found to be in need
of considerable repair, owing partly
to the dry weather which has made
the. repair of roads difficult matter
and partly to the lack of proper CON
struction and care. 1t is very difficult
to make good time on the road from
Pennington to the Hogback in its
present condition, while the road on
the reservation, which commences nj
the Hogback, can be Travelled over al
a speed of from twenty to TWENTY-FIVE
miles an hour.