, 1888-01-06

Three important railroads have barely
ceased construction in Wyoming, all
headed for the Sweetwater, which heads
in the South Pass. The Wyoming Cen
trail (Chicago & Northwestern was re-
Gently opened for business to a point
about twenty miles west of FetterDan,
with at the same time a branch north
ward to within twelve miles of Deadwood.
By the way, a fine article of bituminous
coal has been found about forty miles
from Deadwood, and the people there are
felicitating themselves on the time when
they will no longer have to pay Sl3 a ton
for it.
The Cheyenne Il Northern Union Pa
ciic) some months ago passed Fort Lara
mic on its way to Fettermau. Y In aid of
this enterprise Laramie county voted
800, 900 in bonds.
The Burlington has just entered Wyo-
ming at Cheyenne with a branch from its
Denver line. Its Northern Nebraska line
is headed for the North Platte at Fort
Laramie, and is not far away. Whether
1t will send a branch from this line around
the base of the mountains into Northern
Wyoming, or from Cheyenne southwest
erly into this valley. must be left to the
future to develop.
But that the Burlington intends to go
through is sufficiently indicated by the
time and money expended during the past
four or five years in hunting a good place
to cross the mountains nearer Denver.
That will probably never be found be-
tween the Arkansas river and North
Platte. and so the North Platte route is
likely to become the through route of the
Burlington. The Black Hills route of
the Union Pacific is, Of course, excluded
from the conclusion of the last sentence,
but, although at Cheyenne, the Burling.
ton will hardly parallel the Union Pacific.
The Cheyenne line will probably intersect
the North Platte line on the Sweetwater,
The Wyoming & Eastern Railway com
pany has right of way over this route,
from the eastern boundary of Wyoming,
in the vicinity OF Twin creeks coal, to
Fetterman. The company was incorpor-
ated in this city two years ago, and for it
Maj. Wilkes surveyed a line in 1886.
1t is somewhat over 300 miles in length,
reaching the South Pass over the Green
River and Sandy country without any
difficulty, following the Sweetwat r down
W uDOuI luuGDtuuClt llOCh anu luClCC
crossing over to the North Platte, it pur-
sues that river down stream to Fetterman,
intending ultimately, to go on to Nebras-
ka, and there connect with a Nebraska
line to Sioux City.
There are some close places on this line
on the Swectwater, and a few miles of
heavy work in crossing from that stream
to the North Platte. Wlthal it is doubt
less the best possible line through Wyo-
ming. The course is almost direct, the
ruling grade does not exceed one per cent,
it has the Twin Greek coal at one end and
the rapidly filling agricultural state of
Nebraska at the other, it has the iron and
soda deposit on one side, the gold mines
and oil fields on the other side.
Tho Salt Lake Valley q Eastern Rail
way company Incorporated in Salt Lake
and Ogden last summer, to build from
Salt Lake to the Wyoming line, and there
connect with the road last mentioned, has
had a party of surveyors in the field east
OF Ogden the past six months under
Capt. Joseph A. West, of Ogden, The
maps, except for the first twenty mile sec
ton, have not been made; indeed, the
work from Ogden to Woodruff on Bear
river has not been completed.
These two lines, with n third in Ncb-
raska, also incorporated in Salt Lake about
a year ago, but which has not yet at
tempted to do anything, connected with
each other make a through line from
Salt Lake to Sioux City, and thence to
Chicago, shorter and with easier gradients
than any existing or any possible line be-
tween those points.
1t is expected that construction will be-
gin at Ogden early in the spring.