Year: 1875

The HERALD now regards the Los
Angeles and Independence Railroad
almost in the light of an accomplished
enterprise. The great demand for the
road and Its equally great value and
Importance is felt and understood, and
as we have the means and the will to
do, there is little room for doubt but
that we will do. We have enumera-
ted the great and manifold advantages
which this road will secure to Los
Angeles valley OH so many occasions
that we are justified in assuming that
the HERALD's readers, which comprise
nearly everybody in the valley, are
familiar with them. They know that
an iron thoroughfare to the mines of
our ''back country" will guarantee a
ready market for the product of Los
Angeles and San Bernardino counties,
even when that surplus is thousand
times greater than it is at present.
They all know that this always certain
market will greatly enhance the value
of our real estate and add millions to
the wealth of our valley. They know
that the freight business of the road
will be so great that it will prove q
paving investment from the day it is
completed to Cajon Pass. But there is
one great feature of this railroad
enterprise which has not been much
discussed and has therefore attracted
but little attention. We mean the
practicability of making it q semi
Southern Overland route. We do not
suppose that 1t is the purpose Of SEN
ator JONES, +. p. f. TEMPLE and the
other leaders in the enterprise, to make
Independence or any other point in
Inyo county the final Eastern terminus
Of the road. The practicability and
Importance of extending it Eastward
until it taps the vast coal beds and
rich mining regions of Utah and
finally forms a connection with the
Union Pacific road, cannot have es-
capped the observation and must have
received the serious consideration o
these clear-headed and far-seeing gen


tlemen. Engineer CRAWFORD, with
an engineers comprehensiveness. saw
and named the ultimate terminus ofthe
Los Angeles and independence ROAD
almost Immediately after making his
first preliminary surveys. He has
maintained from the beginning that
five built the road to Independence we
would build it to Salt Lake. Indeed,
if the road is once completed to a point
where it will draw to it the freight ol
Panamint, twill build itself Eastward
until it connects with the Union Pacific
and gives us transcontinental road
comparatively free of heavy mountain
grades, snow-sheds and high attitudes


to say nothing of being some four ol
five hundred miles shorter than the
one we now have. Itwould divide the
through freight and passengers will
the Central road and pour into South


ern California population which
would rapidly double and treble tina


now here. 1t will enable Los Angeles


valley to place her oranges in the New
York, Boston and Philadelphia mar
kets six days from the trees. 1t will


by tapping the vast coal beds of Utah
afford us an abundance of fuel at rates
as cheap or cheaper than coal may bt
had in the San Francisco market
This will encourage and facilitate the
establishment of manufactures anG
smelling works in this city, anC
thus add materially to our wealth and
population. 1t will create a railroad
competition, which, by reducing the
cost Transportation, will prove a saw.
ing of millions of dollars to consumers
1t will make Los Angeles great ano
beautiful city and Los Angeles valley
the garden spot of the Pacific Coast


These may be called over-drawn pic.
lures, but We do not so regard them


They are not only possible but positive
results which will follow the building
of short piece of road; for if WE
build the road to Cajon Pass that piece
will build the remainder, and al


else follows as certainly as the day
succeeds the night.