Arizona republican., 1917-02-03
AY-HERCULES
 HEAR|NG ENDS BEFORE BOARD
Both Sides Given Chance to
 Submit Briefs, Delaying Final Findings for Over Month at Very Earliest

After hearing three witnesses. yes- terday morning tell what they thought of building the proposed branch line connecting the Ray and Gila Valley railway line, with the mine and pro- posed mill of the Arizona Hercules Copper company, the corporation com mission announced that it was ready to have the case submitted. The at torneys for the opposing sides, an nounced that they would like to file briefs. the commission assenting to the request. ordering that the Arizona Hercules is to have ten days after the transcript of the evidence is finished In which to file it's brief, and that the Ray and Gila Valley is to have twenty days following the filling of the first nrief, in which to file an answer
 Il. F. AneWalt, general freight agent of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe. was the fiEst witness on the stand yes- terday morning. He qualified as a rallroda expert, and testified as to the practicability of building the line, and as 10 the rates proposed to be charged. w. A. Drake. general manager of the same road, was also placed on the stand as qualified expert
 C. k. Adams general manager of the Arizona Hercules. was called back to
 
 mainly to clear up the record.
 The case from tstart to finish was one of the most hotly contested of any case ever before the corporation com mission The Arizona Hercules Copper company, comparatively new mining company. he added and controlled by F. (. Armstrong of New York city, is asking the commission to order the Ray and Gila Valley railroad company. to build two branch lines to it's prop erty, each line being about q mile long.
 The railroad company is fighting the case, claiming that the body of ore de- veioped by the Arizona Hercules is not large enough to provide q sufficient Nolume of business for d period long enough to enable it to realize on it's investment. The mining company re- plled to this, stating that it was in a position, and ready to advance money to build the line, asking the railroad 10 pay back the monoy -n the form of rebates.
 The railroad objected to this. claim- Ing that the paying back of the money saVoured too much of relating. and that the interstate commerce commis- sion frowned on the practice in no un- decided manner.
 Both sides produced witnesses in SNiitptit Oi iiciE theory DuliQlng the road. The Arizona Hercules had even gone so far as to ask for bids on the line, putting the contracting engineer on the stand to testify to the actual cost of building it.
 During the course of the trial, l.. s. Chalmers, attorney for the Ray and Gila Valley. asked permission of the commission to read several letters into the record, which it was claimed by the other side had been obtained through the accidental leaving of the letters with several contracts which were submitted 10 the railroad com pany. After a heated debate between counsel for the opposing sides, the commission adjourned. and read over the letters, finally deciding that there was nothing objectionable in them and that they should enter the record.
 The deciison of the commission will not be forthcoming for some time. as nothing will be done in the case until both sides have submitted their briefs.