San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-08-17
A DREAM COMING TRUE

II reasons were lacking for the re-
Mobilization OF the Orient railroad III
Texas, they would be furnished in good
measure by recently announced plans
for extension OF that line across tic
continent, to join this state with the
Pacific by the shortest route. These
plans embrace an agreemnt on the part
of the Mexican government to extend
the road in chihuahua northward from
Falomir to a point within thirty miles
of Preside, Texas.
According to w. 7. Kcmper, receiver
for the kansas-Oklahoma division Of
the Orient and president of the Texas
system, President Oregon said that this
project would be financed in reparation
of the damage done to the railroad
property in Mexico during the various
revolutions there. With the line brought
so close to Preside, what has been re-
garded as the greatest obstacle to one
of the most romantic conceptions in
North American railroad history will
have been removed
The present terminus of the Orient,
on this side of the international boun-
dairy, is Alpine. With the gap between
Alpine and chihuahua shortened to less
than 100 miles, the prospect of joining
the two countries, and of bringing the
Pacific coast 300 miles nearer to Texas,
Oklahoma and Kansas. would be has
tened toward fulfillment.
What this would mean to the. South
west in terms OF international COM
merce is not difficult to visualize. There
is vast area of rich agricultural coun-
try between the point where the Orient
enters Texas from Oklahoma and the
point where it would cross into Mexico,
and it is growing rapidly in produc-
tivity.
Extension of the road northward from
Chihuahua to point on this side OF
the Copcho river would most likely have
all immediate effect favorable to the
completion of the larger project, in that
it would provide additional revenue for
the Orient-exactly what this line needs
to enable it TO reach stable basis. As
pictured by Mr.. Kemper, the result
would be direct movement of agri-
cultural commodities from the Concho
valley to chihuahua City and thence to
Mexico City.
When the Orient project, in its en-
tirety, was conceived, some people re-
garded it as a fanciful dream. 1t is
still dream, but it is no longer re-
garded as so fanciful as to be of no
practical interest to men of affairs-men
OF money. If it be assumed that the
Mexican government will carry out the
agreement recently reported by Mr..
Kemper, then one can easily see how
the dream could come true within Just
a few years.
In the original dream" plan, Topolo-
bampo, on the Pacific coast, was the
Orient's westernmost goal. The rails
now run eastward from Topolobampo
to Fuerte, just west of the Sierra Mad
ras Mountains. And the chihuahua di-
vision of the road runs westward to
Sanchez. Hence, between Sanchez and
Fuerte, distance of 209 miles, the
Orient would have to be extended to
make the line continuous between the
Pacific Ocean port and the great agri-
cultural regions in the United States
which this road is striving to serve.
Far more stupendous tasks have ben
performed; tasks whose completion
promised proportionately less than the
rewards reasonably to be expected in
this case. In this light one may better
why the rehabilitation Of the
Orient railroad in this country is re-
garded as matter of prime importance.