Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1917-11-21
Harry W, Kelly Of Las Vegas,
J, B, Herndon, R, {, Putney
and Others Praise Proposed
' Project,
WOULD MEAN GREAT
THINGS FOR NEW MEXICO
Meetings Arranged to Outline
Plan to Meet Conditions as
Far as Possible for People of
! This City.

That the proposed rail extension
from the San Juan basin to the main
line of the Santa Fe should be divert
ed to Albuquerque and not built to
Gallup as is now being considered by
the promoters, is the sentiment that
is fast crystallizing in Albuquerque.
Following the publication in the
Morning Journal of yesterday of the
news that Gallup is strong contender
for the extension, the men of affairs
in albuquerque began to get busy. As
result of the awakening it is likely
that there will be a meeting of lead
ing business men of the town to be
held at O'Clock this afternoon in the
chamber Of Commerce building, and
that this meeting will be followed by
a mass meeting of citizens in the same
place Friday afternoon at o'clock
the second meeting having been call
ed yesterday by President Max Nord-
haus of the Chamber of Commerce.
Just what steps are to be taken to
place Albuquerque in position to
enter into active competition for the
line will doubtless develop within the
next forty-eight hours. One thing is
certain, and that is that the big busi-
ness men of Albuquerque, fully alive
to the Importance of the project, do
not propose to sit idly by and let it
get away from them.
III. w. Kelly Enthusiastic.
One of the most enthusiastic boost
ers for the proposed road is Harry w.
Kelly of Las Vegas. Mr.. Kelly is head
of the Gross, Kelly G. Co, which op-
crates a chain of stores in the south
west, with branch houses at Trinidad,
Las Vegas, Santa Fe, Rowe and AL
buquerque. He has been over the
San Juan basin number of times and
has personal knowledge of the prob
able tonnage that railroad would
receive, of the agricultural develop
ment that would undoubtedly follow
the construction of a road. of the
mines that would be opened up, of
the millions of feet of timber that
would be sawed, and of the general
prosperity that would result from the
project.
Albuquerque has been asleep to
the possibilities of the San Juan
country" was Mr.. Kely's frank
statement, when asked for an express
sion of opinion as to the attitude that
Albuquerque should take toward hav-
ing the extension built into this city,
in preference to Gallup or any other
point. II have been over the pro-
posed line on number of occasions
and no argument is needed to con-
vince me of the immense develop
ment that would take place almost
Immediately following the building of
a road. Albuquerque is the logical
terminal road, because a greater
tonnage could be secured by building
into this city than to any other point
on the Santa Fe. Spurs could be
built to the Jemez Springs, to the
Baca location, vast timber tract, and
to other nearby points, where coal.
copper and other minerals can be de-
veloped in abundance"
Colonel HopewelI Also.
w. S. Hopewell, one of the pro-
moters of the Albuquerque Eastern
and New Mexico Central, caused sew
eral surveys to be made of a proposed
line from Pennington to Albuquerque
some years ago and has persona,
knowledge of the natural resources
of the country to be traversed by n
railway. Mr.. Hopewell said that for
eighty miles in one stretch the rail-
road would travel over coal beds,
a,
through a country which contains
100000 acres of available agricul-
tural lands Of the finest kind
Build the railroad by all means
and watch Albuquerque grow" said
Colonel Hopewell.
Familiar since boyhood with the
country to be traversed by the pro-
posed line, r. e. Putney, wholesale
grocer declared that the construction
of the road would be one of the great
est things that ever happened for AL
buqueruue and for New Mexico. With
his usual aggressiveness Mr.. Putney is
strong for bringing the road to Albu-
querque and believes that the busi-
ness men should take the initiative in
finding out what is necessary to be
done to obtain assurance that it will
he built to this city in preference to
any other point now being considered
Only last September J. B. Herndon,
president Of the State National bank,
made trip into the San Juan basin,
accompanied by several FL Paso cap
italists, who are interested in mining
in that section.
HerndOn Sees Possibilities.
II did not have sufficient time to
make a thorough investigation in the
natural resources of the San Juan
country said Mr.. Herndon yester.
day, "but saw enough of the timber,
coal, sulphur, minerals, agriculture