The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1878-04-23
HI RAILROAD WAR
Between the Two Railroads In the Grand
Canon Of the Arkansas.

The Denver Tribune of Sunday says
that the railroad situation at Canon
City Is still the excitement Of the hour.
The movement which had been made
on the part of the Atchinson, Topeka
and Santa Fe; and Denver and Rio
Grande railroads to command the
Grand Canon Of the Arkansas, Is in
deed assuming huge proportions. The
move was decided upon Thursday, and
all the men engaged on the Ranton
Pass by the Denver & Rio Grande were
ordered to the Canon. All day Friday
Ell Moro was alive with laborers wait
ing for transportation. In the evening
the train which was to convey them
arrived at the place and one hundred
men and their teams and implements
were put aboard and started for Cation.
Information that such a move was on
foot reached General Manager Strong
at Ell Moro. As soo as Strong became
Informed Of what was transpiring, lie
asked for a special train over the Rio
Grande, but was refused it. He then
telegraphed to Engineer Morley, who
was at La Junta; and who Immediately
took a special engine for Pueblo where
he arrived Friday morning.
Arrived at Pueblo, Morley found it
out Of the question to get a train to
Canon. But he was u%ndaunted, and
taking a horse, he started overland for
Canon City. The distance is forty-five
miles, but he pushed on without stop
ping until he reached Canon, knowing
that he had a special train to out run.
He was successful and rode into town
half a hour ahead Of the train. He
had no men with him, but found the
citizens Of Canon most friendly to him.
1t was but a few minutes work to en-
list a hundred and fifty men. When,
therefore, Engineer McMurtrie, of the
Denver & Rio Grande, arrived with his
men and appliances, he found hat he
had been fla1ked, and that his enemy
had possession of the pass. The citi-
zens of Canon, with Morley at their
head, had been throwing dht with q
vim and had completed about one hun
bred feet of grade. McMurtrie chained
the ground from the end of the Denver
IL Rio Grand track to the mouth of the
canon and then staked the road already
graded.
The excitement carried both General
Manager Strong, of the Atchison,
Topeka &c Santa Fe railroad, and Messrs
Risley and Weitbrec, of the Denver s.
Rio Grande railroad, to Pueblo, where
Mr.. s. remains, directing affairs like a
general during an engagement. Mean
time Strong has been dispatching men,
teams and instructions overland. One
hundred men were started for the
place from Pueblo yesterday at noon.
Two hundred came in late on the regu.
lar train from the east, and as many
more were expected at seven in the
evening.
Scrapers, shovels, and other tools are
also being rapidly shipped overland
from Colorado Springs to Pueblo. To-
day three hundred graders are expected
to arrive and begin Monday on the line
from Pueblo to Canon, which we are
assured will be pushed early to compile
ton.
While these active movements were
going forward in the way of actual
work, the courts were not allowed to
be idle. Solicitor Cast of the Santa Fee
road went to Canon and applied to the
County Judge of Fremont county for an
injunction, yesterday, to restrain the
Denver & Rio Grande people from
work, which was granted. Our dispatch
from Pueblo says that the Denver &
Rio Grande people withdrew, but one
received at IL O'Clock last night from
canon denies this and says that the
Denver & Rio Grande company hold
the canon. They have two hundred
and twenty men at work, and they pro
pose to ''hold the fort" Both compa.
MES are still sending men in. What
the result will be cannot of course be
predicted. The injunction will be tried
before District Judge Henry, at Pueblo.
Further information says that the
Atchison, Topeka Il Santa Fee folks
have received 81, 500, 900 with which to
push their extension; and, further, that
the Boston directors of the Santa Fe
have ordered the building of n broad
guage road from Pueblo to Denver.