Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1925-05-18
ELDRIDCE DROPS
PLANS TO BUILD
ROADT0 VALLEY.
Sale of Minority Stock
in Sausage to M. P. Is
Cause of Change; New
Line in Prospect

Col. w. t. Eldridge of Sugar
land, who recently proposed to
build an independent line of
railroad to connect the Valley
with San Antonio, announced in
Brownsville Sunday night that
he has abandoned the project.
This follows the announce
ment from San Antonio a few
days ago that the Missouri
Pacific has entered contract to
purchase all the stock and bonds
of the San Antonio, Uvalde &
Gulf railroad. il
Several weeks ago the Missouri Pa
cific contracted to buy the stock and
bonds held by Frank Kell of Wichita
Falls and A. R. Ponder of San Antonio,
amounting to So per cent. Colonel Ell
bridge held a minority interest of as
per cent. which he last week agreed to
sell to the Missouri Pacific.
The sales are subject to approval by
the Interstate commerce mmission.
Still Owns Rio Grande
"The Missouri Pacific could have,
gone ahead with it's plans regardless of
my minority holding, but at the same
time they treated me most fairly" Col
onel Eldridge told representative Of
The Herald Sunday night.
"They have an extensive program Of
improvement that will require years to
complete and which would have made
the holding of minority interest un-
profitable.
Colonel Eldridge said that the sale
Of his S. A. U. G. stock to the Mis-
souri, Pacific did not affect his Rio
Grande railway Biownsville-Po Isa-
bel property, nor the Rio Grande Cit!
Railway, between Rio Grande City and
Samfordyce, which he is now building
Il am going ahead with the Rio
Grande City -Samfordyce program" Col
onel Eldridge said.
Wants to Sell Engines
Colonel Eldridge left early today for
Samfordyce to inspect the progress of
construction there, and will return to
his private car at Harlingen tonight.
going on back to Sugarland.
Pointing out that he has invested and
is investing around million dollars in
the Valley, Colonel Eldridge called at
tention to the fact that he has made an
offer to the city commissioners OF
Brownsville and the county commission
ers Of Cameron to fix up and turn over
to- them the two old Rio Grande rail-
road engines, with the suggestion that
they be set up in parks or some other
place for exhibition purposes.
"Other cities have done this" Col
onel Eldridge said. "These old time
railroad engines will be of great in
terest to coming generations. They
should be preserved. In return, | am
asking only that the city and county
remit to US our taxes due. 4
New Line Proposed
From other unofficial quarters it IS
learned that the Missouri Pacific is III
mood to build a line through now
undeveloped territory between the Val
lev and San Antonio, and which would
considerably shorten the present dis
tance, provided the project would re-
ceive the support Of the people of the
Valley mad the people of San Antonio
However. nothing official along this line
was available in Brownsville today.
In view of the decision of Colonel
Eldridge to abandon his project, which
would have required from $7,000,0O0 to
SIC. 100000 to ca/ out, interest in the
Valley is expected to center on the
plans Of the Southern Pacific to build
into the Valley from Falfurrias That
system, operating through the San An
tonic & Aransas Pass, some days ago
applied to the Interstate commerce COM
mission for a certificate ON conve-
nience and public necessity to extend
south from Falfurrias a distance of 80
miles to a point on the Mexican border.
The Brownsville Herald telegraphed
President W. r. Scott of the Southern
Pacific a direct question as to what
point on the Mexican border his road
proposed to touch. hiinging a reply
that he was not yet ready to disclose the
destination. However. there is re-
mort. believed to be well-founded, that
the road proposes to extend south to
the west of Edinburg. and to point on
| the river between Hidalgo and SAM
| fordyce. It's objective is said to be
Tampico.
pInNEEP DIES