El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-04-04

~ month that will probably figure
very largely in the matter of
making the BOrderland automobile
route a permanent success.
The Borderland Route association,
formed at Phoenix last November, viii
have a meeting on the 18th of this
month in the interest of boosting the
route and linking the states of New
Mexico and Arizona together in the
work for the route. The meeting viii
take place first at ROdeO, n. NJ, on
the line between the two states and
will conclude in Douglas, where the
chamber OF commerce is back of the
proposition.
Governor G. W. P. Hunt, of Arizona,
and Gov w. c. Mcdonald, of New Mex
leo, will both be present. Governor
Hunt and the Douglas citizens viii run
out in automobiles from Douglas to
ROdeo on the morning of April 10 and
meet governor Mcdonald and party
when they arrive there in the after
noon at AS on Z. 2. & s. W. train No.
from FL PasO. Then entire party viii
return TO Douglas in automobiles. At
ter dinner at hotel Gadsden, there will
be a business meeting in the lobby OF
the hotel Governor HINT will well
come the New Mexicans and governor
Mcdonald win respond.
The principal address will be made
by c. H. Lester, of WatertOWn, ). D.,
known throughout the west as the
daddy of the BOrderland Route" Mr..
Lester, who is now temporarily resid-
ing on a ranch which he owns near
Deming, has been over the BOrderland
more times than any other man, and is
now pioneering the movement to sign
the entire route from Chicago to Los
Angeles with uniform signs. Other
good roads advocates and BOrderland
boosters will follow with talks and an
attempt will be made TO have the two
understanding
garding the work the two states viii
dc to put the road in shape and keep IL
in condition.
Mr.. Lester has been authorized to
invite FL PasO to be represented at the
meeting, also California. He will prob
ably be delegated to represent FL PasO.
Mr.. Lester believes the BordeTland
route viii be in fine shape for auto
mobilists by the time of the San Fran
cisco exposition in 1915. He has re-
Gently returned from California over
the route and says he does not call
any of it bad, although much Of it can
profit by Improvement. By 1915 he
believes that Arizona, New Mexico and
California will have done so much
work upon the road that it viii be
splendid all the way. The worst part
OF the route is from Phoenix and Yuma
to FL Centre There is much of the
road IL Arizona between Phoenix and
yuma that is good and some good road
from Yuma to Ell Centre, but the Nam
moth wash and some other bad
stretches make the latter section rath-
er a terror.
The road needs signing along the
entire length. The Los Angeles peO-
pie are willing to assist in the work
and Mr.. Lester talked with the peo-
pie of Yuma and Florence on the way
back and they said they were anxious
to have the road signed as soon as a
uniform sign is adopted. He did not
hnnwr
ring this week with the Ell Paso Auto
mobile club and has ascertained that
the local club as well as the Arizona
people with whom he talked will be
satisfied with the sign suggested by
the Southern California Automobile
club. The sign is to be a board about
two feet high by eight inches wide
with the center third painted white and
the bottom and top thirds painted
black, letter B in the center of the
white Indicating dangerous turn
wash or railroad crossing, the top and
bottom thirds would be painted red.
yuma county and Plnal county peo-
pie oItered to put up the signs fmme-
dlately after their adoption If FL Paso
adopts the sign, Mr.. Lester saws it will
be safe to call it the official sign of
the Borderland and that California will
as once get to work putting I'D the
signs. Then FL PasO viii have to get
Las Cruces, Roswell and AlamogoTdo
to join and sign the road east of here.
Mr.. Lester thinks it should be signed
into Chicago, although the Borderland
survey only extends officially to
Hutchinson, Kans.
Arizona is probably at work by now on
a bridge across the ella river at. Ante
lope Pass, Mr.. Lester says and this
when completed, viii shorten the. dis
lance between Phoenix and Yuma
about 40 miles and give a better road.
At present the road runs from Palo-
mas, Arlz, in a semicircle nOrthward
through the Castle Dome mountains bv
way Of Castle Dome and comes back
into the ella valley at Dome on the
Southern Pacific Just east Of Yuma.
With bridge across the river at An
telOpe PaSS-OppOsite WeIton on the
S. P--the road would continue straight
down the ella river from Palomas, then
across to the south side of the river
at Antelope and continue along the
valley into Yuma. Much mountain
road would be avoided and the distance
would be cut down 40 miles When /
Mr.. Lester was in Phoenix, he had a
conference with state engineer Lamar /
Cobb, and Mr.. Cobb told him that as
soon as the work on the state highway
was finished between Bisbee and
tombstone, he would begin the con-
structlon of bridge at Antelope Pass
over the ella and would put about so
men to work on the new road between
the bridge and Palomas Work is in
progress on the bridge over the Color
auo river at Yuma, which the states OF
Arizona and California and the govern
Hlent OF the United States are building
Jolntly at a cost of $4,000. The new
concrete bridge over the San Pedro at
t arr banks is now completed.
Jens Hansen, Charles c. Pearce and
Elbert Coulter came in from California
over the Borderland this week and re-