Santa Fe Southern Pacific Corp. is considering...

Santa Fe Southern Pacific Corp. is considering public offerings or partial sales of some of its operating companies, including its mining unit, to increase shareholder value and reduce debt, officials said. The Chicago-based company also is looking into joint ventures involving some of its subsidiaries as a way to pay off some of the $3.66 billion of additional debt it incurred as part of a restructuring begun earlier this year, said spokesman Robert Gehrt.