El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1920-07-26

THE San Diego & Arizona railway, completed Deem
Der / 1913 IS proving popular during peace among
travellers as it proved necessary during the when it
the only railroad deemed important enough TO con-
struct until times again normal This road gives
direct and immediate connection between the western
lines Of the Southern Pacific and e. Paso Southwestern
lines and Diego and links up the border also adds
the list Of scenic attractions tourists want TO see and
brings 81 Paso $50 miles to Pacific tide water The
road is said TO be doing well in traffic and income. It
cost sIsO00o0O and Of It viii take time to
make the road pay fair return on the investment But
with western travel the increase It VIII come IN tme
its greatest source IN the distant future
VIII be transoOntinental freight traffic.
One great railway line remains to be built before the
southwestern traffic system be said to be complete
That the short line from FL Paso to St Louis by way
of the Pecos valley, the panhandle Of Texas southern
Oklahoma and the Ozark foothills. An extension Of the
Frisco lines westward would be the logical means Of &C
compEshing this great enterprise
Such line can be constructed that viii have the low
est grades of any transconnenta line and that VII cut
ESQ miles off the shortest existing line
Taken IN connection with the San Diego railway, this
proposed short line would cut 400 miles from the railway
distance between St. Louis and Pacific tdewater as It
stood year ago.
Since this would mean cutting Il OF "A hours off the
average passenger train time, and than day of
the average freight train time, it be what ire
mendous saving that would be all the immense volume
traffic that passes the country The savings In
costs would commensurate with the savings IN time
day when railroads disposed to spend many nil
lions 70 shorten road few miles OF cut few bad
grades and curves the possibilities Of sraghtaway run
like this with low grades and few obvious
J
traverse that since the earliest times Of American
pioneer settlement and exploration IN the west has been
regarded by experts the ideal rsnsconnenta highway
Away back in the '4Os and Sos United States army
gneers assigned the task Of finding the best route for
rncontinenta highway recommended this proposed short
line as the best for mail road railway This rec
ommendation was repeatedly made by army engineers
after they had explored II different routes across the
Rocky mountains
Practically al the different practical routes have
used for railways and roads with the exception Of
this one which singled in the early days and often
since as the best Of all
So many considerations entered Into the locating Of the
ranscoutnental railways that it is hard to say IN any
one case Just what brought about the final decision But
It question Of ancient traffic lines, IN
It matter of water supply, in some matter
Of Indians, IN question Of timber, ques
ton Of politics, lands subsidies, IN matter Of
national policy military necessity, and so
The proposed short line would set the tTanscontneuta
freight rates for the entire country. It would FIX the
rates for the Santa Fe FL Paso Southwestern Texas
Pacific and Southern Pacific lines It would affect every
rate from to ocean, and the awater rates
by the Panama canal It would set the pace and control
the situation.
The natural development Of this plan would been
Southern Pacific connection with the Mississippi valley
and Ohio valley lines direct through ST. Louis If E. 4
Hartman had lived it is probable he would have taken
up this plan and developed it. IN the spirit he
backed the remarkable project TO build bee line flat
grade trunk line from Pittsburgh to New York to parallel
the Pennsylvania and other lines and control the entire