The Elk Mountain pilot., 1881-04-21
WHY RAILROADS WILL
CONF HERE.

There Is more or less gossip among
our people about when the two rail
roads will be completed to this point.
The South Park is being vigorously
pushed through Alpine Pass, via Pit
kin to Gunnison City. The D. & R.
G. is coming over Marshall Pass, down
the Tumitchi valley to the same point,
and it IS generally conceded by all
that the two roads will enter Gunnison
City within ninety days. But that is
not the question. When will the iron
horse get to snorting around Ruby?
Some who are disposed to look on the
dark side of prosperity say that it will
be after this year. For what purpose
are these two roads striving SO hard to
enter Gunnison? Surely it can't
be for the local traffic of transporting
merchandise alone; to bring IN Boston
baked beans, condemned milk,
ETC., to feed the masses of these noun
taii.s. 1t is for greater purpose than
the above objects. 1t is for the pur-
pose of reaching the immense anthaa-
cite coal veins that are found within
two miles of this camp. Is it pre-
sumable then that these railroads will
remain with their terminus at Gunni-
son City long? Not much. With
the usual amount Of pluck, persever-
ance and good management of the D.
& R. G.. Co., and with the bulldog
tenacity of Jay Gould, who is success
full in all of his undertakings, to back
the South Park, it is very evident that
these two roads will not stop anywhere
over night, SO to speak, until they run
their cars right into the coal banks.
1t is we'll known fact that these COM
panies have had their agents here for
long time buying up all the coal
lands available. We understand that
spectators in Chicago, New York and
Philadelphia are making preparations
to come out here this summer to see
if what we have been saying about the
quantity and quality of this coal is
true.
Anthracite coal, the commodity that
has made nrsylvania the richest
coal and iron producing state in the
country, is found here in just as large
if not larger quantity, and quality
that perhaps surpasses that of the
Keystone state. Who knows but what
some day we may have our Pittsburg,
or Johnstown, or Reading or Allen
town, with our iron furnaces, with
their cupalos reaching heavenward,
Illuminating the skies by night, for we
have an almost endless quantity of
iron that can be utilized some day.
We do not want to be too enthusiastic
on this subject, but it it is the will of
Divine Providence, we expect to see
the day not far hence when trains will
pass to and fro through this coun-
try-golng west ladened with black
diamonds to Southern Utah and make
a through Pacific route with the South
ern Utah R. r.; and returning ladened
with the delicious fruits and vegetables
of that cline. The same may be said
also eastward bound as far as all of the
Missouri river points any how. These
prophecies, if such they may be called,
are not impossibilities. How often
do we meet with men who have
been worth a million or two, or ought
to have been, and hear them tell that
same old story about remembering only
few years ago that they used to plant
corn and wheat where the city of
Chicago now stands, and the shores
of Lake Michigan was the home of wild
animals, their only enemy being
stray shot from the rifle of the natives
Indians. And yet at the time these
would-be millionaires were gathering
their cereals where now stands the en-
pire city of the west, if you had told
them that in few years city of two
or three hundred thousand population
would at some future day stand there,
they would have declared you lunatic
and endeavored to had you incarce-
rated as such. The same may be said
of the history 0 + Denver, Leadyllle,
or any of OFT young thriving commu-
mites. We have the product both in