Year: 1878

lodhbss OuIiOORsI


The Cotton Semi. 7ropic gave
currency last week to the rumor
that when the weather becomes
too hot for white men to work on
the extension Of the Southern Pa
cific Railroad east, the entire white
force of several hundred men will
be transferred to the CUTOFF be-
tween Cotton and Mojave Station.
This will be. the SENT 7ropio
thinks, about the middle of July
next, and before the expiration Of
the hot term In Arizona this cutoff
will be an established fact.


The time as stated above may be
earlier than contemplated by the
Railroad Company. But it will
certainly be made as soon as the
wnexorable laws of commerce and
competitionn demand it. If the
Developments in Arizona should be
made in the future with the in.
creased ratio of the past year, 1t
will not be long before the carrying
facilities of the Southern Pacific
Railroad will be pretty well taxed.
Then 1t becomes matter of great
i'm portance with the Railroad Com
pany to render the expense OF
running as cheap as possible. The
cutoff will make a saving
in actual distance of from fifty to
seventy-fiv- miles. Then there Is
the difference In grades, which will
perhaps be equivalent to twenty or
thirty miles-making the whole
difference about one hundred miles
in favor of the cutoff. There is
also another inducenentt to shorten
the route from San Francisco to
Arizona. An Eastern road IL push
ing for that Territory. In the
course of two years, if not earlit r,
there will be "big fight" between
San Francisco and Eastern cities
for the trade of that section. Our
Pacific Coast metropolis will need
every advantage she can command
to compete successfully. And,
looking at the matter In "cold
blood" every one, however AYERS 4
to such a movement, must admit
that this cutoff will be business
necessity.


When this aspect of affairs is
presented, IL Is easy to be seen thai


Los Angeles will be left on a s'slde


track" or tout In the cold,n so far
as being on the trunk line is con.
cerned. For time, no doubt, trains


will run around the elbow, through


San Fernando tunnel to Los Ange.


les. But 1t 10 by no means certain


that this route will not be aban.


doned, and our San Francisco con.


nectlon be by the way of Cotton.


The latter seems plausible from the


fact that the tunnel can only be


kept open at a heavy expense. The


continuous repairing and replacing


of 5000 feet Of heavy wood work,


which rapidly decays, can be done


at no small cost. Hence, 1t seems


to us, that 1t will be in the line Of


businessn TO abandon the tunnel


route.


j The question then arises. what Il
Los Angeles going to do about it;


She can't do anything but accept
the situation, and pursue that line
J OF conduct which will most com
pensate for the loss. In the frs
place the loss will not be so grea


as many may think. 1t will be M


benefit to Los Angeles to hav,
, through freights pass through TIL,
city; and the connection will b,
, close enough to Induce the create
portion Of travellers to switch off a
Cotton. Aud then, when the bull
, of business on the road increases t,
a paying quantity, ths rates, boil
. towards Yuma and San Francisco
, will be less than they are now
. hesldes, this county Is happily sit
uated as to Its convenience to waite