The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-06-05
RAILR0AD.
Railroad to Rights Of Us, Rail
road to Left of Us!
And the Cry is, Still they Come.

If, in the history of civilization,
community or country was know
60 partially insane on a specifics
| topic-and it is highly probable tina
| several such calamities have trans
| plred in the few centuries that haV
passed since in the introduction O
| Chrlstlanity-then, can we say, w
are not alive. Our whole territor,
/ is next to wild on the matter of rail
roads, and not without apparen
cause. What tends to increase tn,
interest is the mystery with which
railroad projects, are managed, anC
the secrecy with which plans art
executed. Time was when rail
road companies made as broad dec
larahons as possible of their inten
tons build 4, railroads, and United
towns, cities and counties, to subsi.
die them to come within specified
distances of the subsidizer. Now
the whole manner has changed
People have come to the conclusion
that If it pays a railroad to run in a
certain direction where a subsidy is
offered, then it will pay the com
pany to construct its line without
any. inducements of a pecuniary
nature; in fact, people have more
than generally come to the conclu-
sion that a railroad company sees
big money in the project, and that it
can afford to pay handsomely for
the privilege of entering. This is
the case in localities where there is
already railroad communication.
Where there is no line, then people
are more anxious to get the road to
them. and are willing to help the
cause along in various ways. This
disposition, however, to make rail-
roads pay big money for lands, is
one OF the reasons why so much
secrecy is exercised; but a far more
potent reason is found in the fact
that each road is afraid of rival,
and in the checkmating that is now
being done on the railroad chess
board, it is considered next to idiotic
to give even the faintest hint of
what the next move will be. In
the matter of secrecy, the
Denver and Rio Grande, has re-
duced the plan to a science. No
man employed in or connected with
the road knows anything; he hardly
knows for what company he is
working; and this company might,
with some degree of aptitude, be
dubbed the Great Know Nothing
Railroad Building Organization.
But this is not to the purpose.
What is in store for Utah in the
matter of railroads is a subject on
which not even man thoroughly
imbued with railroad prognostica-
lions, would have the daring to |
commit himself to the expression of |
forecast that would be allowed to
be given to the public. Neverthe-
less, all can suggest, and while the
suggestions may prove wide of the
mark, it is not improbable that in a |
number of shots at the railroad tar
get a man may make a bullseye
once in round. So here's at it:
The following will give some idea |
OF the prophetic railroad spirit |
which moved a gentleman-a keen
observer, by the way, WHO knows
the territory like a book, appre-
ciates its capacity, and is far-seeing
enough to know what would be a |
good thing all around for the peo-
ple-to utterance day or two ago.
Nov you see it and now you
don't; and the chances are ten to one
that you will not see it until it is |
next door to an accomplished fact
but to my mind there is more in
this Denver and Rio Grande bust
ness than we are generally willing
to discern. If you will notice the
the direction that the d. s. r. G. |
takes in this territory, you will find
it to have been one that has evil
denced the best of judgment in the
situation. After entering the ter
ritOry it runs westward and north
ward, with slight curve to the
south for a distance, until it strikes
Salina Canyon. This throws it in a |
position where it not only taps the
Pleasant Valley coal fields on its
northward branch, but it's branch
that runs south and west passes
through the Castle Valley coal
fields, and is now headed in a direc-
ton which points toward the Iron
County iron mountains. I am
informed, and there seems to be no
doubt about it, that the main line of
this road is that which turns down
the Salina Canyon and goes through
the Sewer Valley, to heaven and |
thecOmpany itself only know where
while the line coming to this city is |
the branch. But that is neither here |
nor there. The great thing to be OBJ
served is that this road, where it |
divides at Salina Canyon, has hit a |
point whence it can supply Salt Lake |
with coal. From Pleasant Valley
tie Castle Valley coal can be carried
lack to Denver and intermediate
POINTS, and forward as far as the
load extends. If the company should
erect iron furnaces, as is talked of.
it has its coal beds within reasonable
access on its direct route to the iron
deposits; and it can ship this iron
when made, to the end of its main
!lne-wheneYer that may be-to
Salt Lake, and back to Denver. A |,
better position could not have been
chosen, as the road commands
everything it could desire.
c+,.