ORIENT WILL SOON SPAN
BIG GAP, SAYS STILWELL.
Road to Be Opened to Sweetwater,
Tex., Within a Few Days.
President A. E. Stilwell of the Orient has announced that the Sweetwater gap in Texas will be closed within a few days, giving the road a stretch of 432 miles of track southwestward from Wichita. He says:
"The Sweetwater gap will be finished in the course of a few days. Our first important through connection was made with the Colorado & Southern at Chillicothe, Tex., during October, and five new stations opened. Earnings at once began to show an increase, and for October there were $113,000, the largest for any one month in the history of the railroad, and an increase of $32,000 over September. A through train service will be inaugurated about December 1. Wichita to Sweetwater, giving us in this one section 432 miles of connected track, and putting us in a position to do through business with the Colorado & Southern and Texas Pacific.
"In spite of the panic, we have during the past year laid 135 miles of track. We now plan to finish the track to San Angelo, giving us the business of one of the most important cities on the line, and affording a valuable connection with the Santa Fe road. All of the grading between Sweetwater and San Angelo is completed, and with the track completed to San Angelo, we will have 510 miles of track in one section.
"To aid us in this work, we have just sold in London $575,000 6 per cent five-year notes, and are offering the states $100,000 6 1/2 per cent two-year notes.
