The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-11-28
THE NEW THROUGH LINE.
The Union Pacific Independent of
the Central Pacific.

Just a week ago the Call published an
article on the subject # new transcon-
tinental lines, In which it was stated
that negotiations were pending for a
sale or lease of the Oregon Railroad and
Navigation Company's line to the Union
Pacific. The negotiations were closed
on Wednesday by lease of the prop
erty for q term of years to the company
named, which thus becomes the pos
SCISSOR of a through line from the Mis-
souri, River to the Pacific Ocean.
In comparison with the present route
via the Central Pacific and the Union
Pacific, the new line is somewhat round
about. 1t is identical with the present
line from Omaha as far as Changer,
Wyoming Territory. There it leaves
the main line to travel northwest
through Idaho into Oregon. The Union
Pacific Short Line, as il is called, was
completed just two years ago as far as
Huntington, Or, where il met the Ore
gon Railway Navigation Company's
line to -Umatilla. This last line, as well
as the line built through the Columbia
Valley 20 avoid the Cascades, has now
been acquired by the Union Pacific, and
passengers coming west on il will have
70 travel as lar north as the southern
boundary OF Washington Territory be
fore they turn their faces towards the
coast. Still, the Southern Pacific Com
pany's line via Arizona and New Mex
leo is also a roundabout line; yet Il
completes actively for business. In
these days, when the average speed of
western railroads is not over twenty
one miles an hour, few extra miles of
road can easily be compensated by a
little more steam. The Union, Pacific
will probably carry passengers and
freight as rapidly from Chicago to Port
land as the Southern Pacific Company
can carry them to San Francisco.
The event gives the Union Pacific
club 10 fight the Southern Company
with In case of any future misunder-
standing over percentages. IL places
the former precisely on the same foot
ing toward its western connection as
the latter secured when the Denver and
Rio Grande Western was completed to
Ogden. III the Central Pacific threat
ems TO send business over the Denver &
Rio Grande, the Union Pacific can re-
taliate by threatening TO switch off its
west-bound business over the Oregon
Short Line.
There was for long time belief in
railroad circles that sooner or later the
Union and Central Pacific would be
merged into one corporation. In those
days, the Union Pacific was in poor
credit and its business was small,
whereas the Central Pacific was in high
credit and its business was large. 1t is
believed that the San Francisco syndi-
cate rejected overtures which were made
about the time that Jay Gould became
connected with the Union Pacific.
Now. the time has passed for any con-
solidation. For obvious reasons il is
impossible. But there is no reason
why the Union Pacific should not build
its own line into Chicago, if it found it
impossible TO make a trade by which it
would acquire line already built, and
there is reason 10 believe that tine
directors At Boston have some such
scheme in contemplation. 1t is
notorious that the Union Pacific peo-
pie are dissatisfied with the territory
which has been allotted to them by the
railroad pool. They think the whole
continent about the size of what they
are entitled TO. Whether there is any
thing in the street gossip about negoti-
atoms with the st. Paul company the
public have no means Of judging.-S. F..
Call.