CENTRAL PACIFIC RAILROAD.

The Central Pacific Railroad Company of California was chartered June 28, 1861, to build a railroad from Sacramento to the State line of Nevada. In 1862, Congress passed an Act to aid in the construction of a Pacific railroad, and authorized the Central Pacific Railroad to construct its road to the westerly line of the State of California, and there meet the Union Pacific Railroad, thus forming a through overland road. Subsequently the limitation to build to the westerly line of the State of California was removed, and the Central Pacific was authorized to build eastward from California to a connection with the Union Pacific Railroad. In 1863 the work of construction was commenced, and the through line was completed in May, 1869-seven years less time than had been allowed by the Acts of Congress. The obstacles encountered in the tunneling of mountains, bridging and filling of ravines, was accomplished at an enormous cost, and when the snow line was reached it became evident that the only means of protecting the road from the heavy snowfalls, and keep it open for traffic, would be the construction of substantial snowsheds and galleries, which were constructed for a distance of nearly forty miles. The road was completed to Newcastle on November 1, 1864; to Auburn, May 14, 1865; to Clipper Gap, June 19, 1865; to Colfax, September 11, 1865; to Dutch Flat, July 5, 1866; to Alta, July 11, 1866; to Cisco, December 3, 1866; to Truckee, April 3, 1868; to Reno, June 19, 1868; to Wadsworth, July 22, 1868; to Browns, August 21, 1868; to Oreana, September 20, 1868; to Winnemucca, October 1, 1868; to Argenta, November 19, 1868; to Elko, January 25, 1869; to Carlin, March 15, 1869; to Terrace, May 7, 1869; to Promontory, May 9, 1869, to a connection with the Union Pacific Railroad, thus completing the first overland railroad. Subsequently the road from Promontory to Ogden was acquired from the Union Pacific Railroad Company.

On June 23, 1870, the Western Pacific Railroad, organized to construct a line from San José to Sacramento and San Francisco, was consolidated with the Central Pacific Railroad of California, forming the Central Pacific Railroad Company. On August 22, 1870, the California and Oregon Railroad, operating a line from Roseville north toward Oregon; the San Francisco, Oakland, and Alameda Railroad, operating ferry steamers on the Bay of San Francisco, and local lines of railroad in Oakland and Alameda, and the San Joaquin Valley Railroad, organized to construct a line through the San Joaquin Valley, were consolidated with the Central Pacific Railroad, under the name of the Central Pacific Railroad Company.

Construction, which had ceased on the Oregon Division at Redding, was resumed in 1884 with the intention of pushing the line to a connection with the Oregon and California Railroad, thus forming a through rail connection between San Francisco, California, and Portland, Oregon. The Siskiyou Mountains required grades of 174.24 feet to the mile, and curvature with a radius of 409.51 feet to reach the summit of the Siskiyou Mountains. The whole road was solidly constructed, all culverts and openings being built of stone, and the river crossings are bridged with iron bridges the Sacramento River being crossed eighteen times-and on October 5, 1887, the line was completed to the State line of California and Oregon. On December 17, 1887, the Oregon and California Railroad completed its road to the State line, making connection with the Central Pacific Railroad, thus uniting California and Oregon.

All the lines of this company are of standard gauge. The mileage, as operated, is as follows:

SOUTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD OF CALIFORNIA.

This road was incorporated. December 2, 1865, and on October 12, 1870, consolidated with the San Francisco and San José Railroad, the Santa Clara and Pajaro Valley Railroad, and the California Southern Railroad. On August 19, 1873, the Southern Pacific Branch Railroad was consolidated with this road. On December 18, 1874, the Los Angeles and San Pedro Railroad was consolidated with the Southern Pacific Railroad. On May 14, 1888, the Southern Pacific Railroad, San José and Almaden Railroad, Pajaro and Santa Cruz Railroad, Monterey Railroad, Monterey Extension Railroad, Southern Pacific Branch Railway, San Pablo and Tulare Railroad, San Pablo and Tulare Extension Railroad, San Ramon Valley Railroad, Stockton and Copperopolis Railroad, Stockton and Tulare Railroad, San Joaquin Valley and Yosemite Railroad, Los Angeles and San Diego Railroad, Los Angeles and Independence Railroad, Long Beach, Whittier, and Los Angeles County Railroad, Long Beach Railroad, Southern Pacific Railroad Extension, and Ramona and San Bernardino Railroad, were consolidated under the name of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company.

Under the Acts of Congress of July 27, 1886, and March 3, 1871, this company was aided in the construction of its line by a land grant, covering the road from San José, via Goshen, to the Colorado River.

The Southern Pacific Railroad is divided into two divisions for operating purposes: The Coast Division, from San Francisco to Santa Margarita, with branches to Tres Pinos, Monterey, Santa Cruz, and Almaden; the Southern Division, from Goshen to Yuma, together with the various branches. The Coast Division was completed to Soledad and Tres Pinos August 12, 1873. In 1886, construction was resumed at Soledad, to extend the line down the coast to a connection with the Southern Division, the present terminus being Santa Margarita, to which point the road was completed for operation January 31, 1889.

The Southern Division commences at Goshen, where it forms a junction with the Central Pacific Railroad. Construction on this division was commenced in 1872, reaching Caliente April 26, 1875; from Caliente through the Tehachapi Pass a great many difficulties were encountered, on account of the rugged nature of the country. Seventeen tunnels had to be constructed in a distance of twenty-five miles, and it is here the celebrated loop is located. In the meantime construction was carried on from Los Angeles, south toward the Colorado River, and work was being pushed at the San Fernando tunnel, which was constructed at an enormous cost, being 6,966.5 feet in length, and it was found necessary to timber the whole of it. On September 6, 1876, connection was made at the San Fernando tunnel between the lines constructed from San Francisco south and from Los Angeles north, completing the all rail line between the two points. The construction of the line was rapidly carried on across the Colorado desert, where it passes two hundred and sixty-six feet below the sea level. The Colorado River was reached May 23, 1877, and the road opened for traffic. At the Colorado River connection is made with the Southern Pacific Railroad of Arizona, thus forming the Southern Pacific transcontinental line, popularly known as the "Sunset Route."

In 1882 construction was commenced on a line from Mojave to The Needles, at the Colorado River, and it was opened for traffic on August 9, 1883, making connection at The Needles with the line of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad Company. On August 20, 1884, an agreement of sale for

not be financially successful; consequently it has been necessary for the Atlantic and Pacific (Eastern Division), now known as the St. Louis and San Francisco Company, and the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad Company, to sustain the property jointly, drawing heavily on both to meet the annual deficit.

The line was originally constructed in first class manner, with good road-bed carefully laid, and track laid mostly with fifty-six-pound steel rails, and it has been kept fully up to the standard of western railroads. Several large iron bridges were built on the line during its construction, and at the most important point, viz.: the crossing of the Colorado River, near Needles, a bridge is now being built at a cost of nearly half a million dollars. This had to be done to take the road out of the valley and overflowed lands along the river, where it was subject to continual attack from the river, and its maintenance was difficult and expensive. The line has almost fourteen hundred wooden bridges; and as an illustration of the fact that they have been fully and carefully maintained, it is stated that there has not been a case known since the road has been in operation where a bridge gave way under a train. The only danger to these bridges is from fire, where ignition occurs so easily from the extreme dryness of the timber. This is met by the use of fire-proof paint, to some extent, and a strict surveillance by track-walkers, day and night. The property is now in good condition, with ample equipment for its present business, and the local traffic is gradually growing, so that the hope of a better outlook is a reasonable one.

The line commencing at Albuquerque passes over twelve miles of the track of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad Company, operated under a lease; thence, by its own road, over the divide of the Rio Puerco; thence up the valley of the Rio San José to its head at the Continental Divide, which it crosses at an elevation of seven thousand two hundred and forty-eight feet above sea level; thence down the valley of the Rio Puerco of the west to its juncture with the Rio Colorado Chiquito, crossing the latter near Winslow at an elevation of about four thousand seven hundred feet above the sea. It ascends the inclined plain, rising to the base of the San Francisco Mountains near Flagstaff, where it attains an elevation at the Arizona Divide of seven thousand two hundred and fifty-five feet above the sea level. Thence it passes down the west slope of the San Francisco Mountains through Johnson's Cañon, reaching the plateau at the head of the Rio Verde at an elevation of about five thousand two hundred feet above the sea. It is on the west slope of these mountains that the heaviest grade is encountered: i. e., one hundred and thirty-eight feet per mile.

At a point near the east line of Mojave County the road commences the descent westward to the Colorado River, reaching an elevation at the Colorado River of a little over five hundred feet.

From Needles to Mojave the line passes over what is essentially a desert, attaining a higher elevation than two thousand four hundred feet above sea level, until reaching Mojave, at an elevation of three thousand feet.

Fuel in unlimited quantity exists on the line. A light lignite coal, very good for locomotive use, is to be had at Gallup Station, New Mexico, where four or five coal mines are in operation. Wood is found in abundance about the San Francisco Mountains.

Timber (pine and spruce) is found in great profusion at the latter point, where are situated large mills for cutting the same.

Stone of great variety, some of it the finest building stone in the country or world, is found in vast deposits.

The item of water for locomotive purposes is one of the most troublesome and expensive matters with which the road is obliged to contend, and which adds largely to the cost of operation. There are stretches of from forty to ninety miles where water does not exist, and where it has to be distributed by train, entailing large expense. The water supply for some points has been secured at immense cost, nearly $100,000 having been expended in one case and to supply one station. When it is considered that water stations are needed at a mean distance not to exceed fifteen miles, in consequence of much high grade, it will be seen how serious this expense is.

POINTS OF INTEREST.

The Pueblo villages of New Mexico, and the Pueblo Indians (Lagunas and Acomas); next, the Navajos, a nomadic tribe, and the Supais, Moquis, and Mojaves, of Arizona, are among the matters of interest, the latter, particularly, being good railroad laborers on the desert.

The whole country is mountainous and volcanic, and very interesting geologically. Seventy-five miles west of Albuquerque the line skirts at river of lava in the position that it ceased to flow-one of the best exemplifications of a lava flow in this country. Near Amboy and Lavic, on the California Division, are two recent cones within sight of the track.

At Barstow the line crosses the Mojave River, which at that point sinks in the sand, and is lost.

At Peach Springs the road approaches within eighteen miles of the Grand Cañon of the Colorado, a sight, perhaps, as stupendous and awe inspiring as is to be seen on the continent.

On the plain east of the San Francisco Mountains the line crosses Cañon Diablo-a great crack in the limestone rock extending many miles each way--on a trestle bridge of iron, two hundred and thirty feet above the bottom of the cañon.

The Needles Mountains, from which Needles Station takes its name, are a succession of sharp peaks, presenting to the eye a most remarkable appearance. The Colorado River passes through this range in a very narrow

cañon.

The line in Arizona and California passes in sight of many mountain ranges, in which there are numerous leads of the precious metals; but, on account of the meager supply of water, these are developed but slowly.

CALIFORNIA SOUTHERN RAILROAD-CALIFORNIA CENTRAL RAILWAY-(Santa Fe Route).

The California Southern was chartered January 10, 1882, and was completed from National City, on San Diego Bay, via Temecula Cañon, to Colton and San Bernardino in September, 1883, and extended through the Cajon Pass to Barstow, a junction of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad, in November, 1885, making a total main line mileage of 210.61 miles. In September, 1885, the line of the Southern Pacific, from Colton to Los Angeles, a distance of 58 miles, was leased with equal rights and privileges, and used until the completion of the California Central's line between San Bernardino and Los Angeles, in June, 1887. The mountainous region through which the California Southern line passes, both north and south of San Bernardino, testify to great difficulty and expensiveness, both of construction and operation.

In June, 1887, the California Central Railway completed its line from

Los Angeles to San Bernardino, a distance of 62.84 miles, part of the same being the old Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad, acquired by purchase; and in August, 1888, the California Central completed its Coast Division south from Los Angeles to a junction with the California Southern Railroad near Oceanside, a distance of 80.90 miles. These two divisions comprise the main line of the California Central, forming, in connection with the California Southern, a direct line between Southern California and the East by way of the Atlantic and Pacific, and Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroads.

Other branches of the California Central were completed as follows: From East Riverside to Orange, 42.88 miles, in September, 1887. From Ballona Junction to Pt. Ballona, 15.05 miles, in September, 1887. From Escondido Junction to Escondido, 21.23 miles, in December, 1887. From San Bernardino to Mentone, 12.50 miles, in February, 1888. From Perris to San Jacinto, 19.38 miles, in April, 1888. From Inglewood to Redondo Beach, 10.81 miles, in April, 1888, making a total mileage of 265.59 for the California Central.

The country traversed by the California Central, with the exception of the San Jacinto and Escondido branches, which are located in mountain districts, differs widely from that through which the California Southern winds its course. Easier grades, and long stretches of straight track, mark the path of the former, whose lines, radiating from the beautiful City of Los Angeles, look out on charming suburbs, frequent towns and villages, and broad and fertile valleys devoted to grain, fruit, and stock raising. The opening of the California Central's lines was attended by a large immigration to the entire region of Southern California, and changed places like Los Angeles, San Diego, Pasadena, and San Bernardino from small towns to flourishing cities, and peopled the districts lying between them and other favored localities with thrifty and industrious settlers. Both roads are entirely laid with heavy steel rails and otherwise substantially constructed in all respects, and equipped with rolling stock to handle a large amount of business. Large and permanent shops and engine houses have been erected at San Bernardino, Los Angeles, and National City, and convenient and attractive stations ornament the lines from end to end. The terminal facilities at Barstow, Los Angeles, and National City are extensive and valuable, and in addition thereto these companies own two wharves in San Diego Bay-one at San Diego, the other at National City.

The development of Southern California in less than five years, from an unknown and isolated region to a position of renown and commercial importance, is but another illustration of the results which have followed the daring and aggressive policy of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad Company through the past decade. In the past year the expectations of increased business have not been realized, and as the reaction which follows a season of real estate speculation in a new country seldom subsides within several years, it is doubtful if a profitable showing can immediately be made by these roads. Still great things are hoped for in the near future from Southern California, and the management is leaving nothing undone to meet the necessities of the people and foster their interests.