Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1925-10-02
Rail Officials En- Route to
Valley fOYI. c. Hearing
Special Cars, Pullmans
To Fill Local Rail
Yards Monday

Special trains bearing railroad men
private cars with more railroad men, or
binary, everyday Pullmans with still
more railroad men are expected to begin
arriving in Brownsville Sunday morning
for the opening of the Interstate Com-
merce Commissions hearing on the ap-
plication of the Southern Pacific to ex-
tend its San Antonio & Aransas Pass
property from Falfurrias to point on
the Mexican border at or near Hidalgo,
and from Edinburg. Hidalgo county, to
Harlingen, Cameron county.
The local yards of the Gulf Coast
Lines expect to be called upon to handle
more private cars next week than at any
time since the days of Colonel Ben
jamin F. Yoakum and the Frisco sys-
TENS ownership of the Brownsville road.
In addition to the government Off
cials, railroad officials and lawyers and
others expected to attend, indications
were today that large numbers of COM
munities in South Texas will have dele
cations here for the opening of the
hearing.
McAllen is reported preparing to "call
it holiday" Monday, close all stores
and hike for Brownsville. Edinburg
Weslaco and Donna will have large dele
cations here, as will other towns of the
Valley. In addition to the Valley towns,
numerous towns along the Sap, north
and northwest of Falfurrias will send
delegations. Among these will be de.
legations from Fremont, Falfurrias, Bee
Vile, Yoakum, Skidmore and large
number of communities in that section
of the state.
Commissioner to Preside
Among the larger cities which will
have representatives, including news
papermen, will be San Antonio, Hous-
ton and Dallas. Dallas especially is evil
dencing considerable interest in the
hearing because of the claim that the
building of the extension will place Dal-
las nearer the Valley by 200 miles. The
present distance by rail from Browns
vile to Dallas, via Houston is about 662
miles, over the Gulf Coast Lines and
the Houston & Texas Central.
Commissioner Woodlock, a member of
the Interstate Commerce Commission,
will preside at the hearing, and it is
expected also that Examiner Mahaffie of
the commission will accompany him. This
will be the first time since the passage
of the new transportation act, in 1870
that a member of the Interstate Com
merce Commission has wished to Texas
to preside in railroad hearing. In all
previous cases examiners have been
sent to conduct the hearings.
Persons who come to attend the hear
ing in the expectation that it's going
to be a sort of circus dav" are destined
to be disappointed, according to men
familiar with railroad hearings.
To Overrun Court Room
"They usually come in the opening
day all set for big time," he said
"But when that dry, uninteresting testi
mony revolving around tonnage, anc
mileage, and trackage and cars enc
schedules begins to roll out of the
mouths of witnesses, tlE thing begins
to pail on those who are just listening
and soon they begin drifting away. The
| fellows who are really interested in sta
tistics and growth, etc., will be the only
ones found on the job after the secont
| or third day. But, of course, the law
yers, the officials and the newspaper
men will continue among those present.
| The federal courtroom, where the
hearing will be held, will not begin tt
accommodate the crowds that are ex
pected to seek admission to the hearing
The courtroom will seat from 125 to Isl
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