Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-06-15
THE RAILROADS.
An Interview Regarding the
Salt Lake Road.
THIS YEARS TRACKLAYING.
Announcements TO Intending Tour.
lists TO the Yosemite Valley
This Season.

A HERALD reporter yesterday had a.
chat with q gentleman whose promi-
nence is good authority for the soundness
of his remarks.
II think that the road between Salt
Lake and this city will soon obtain more
substantial form than mere newspaper
talk. in fact, understand that the ar
rangements have been perfected for the
commencement OF construction. As re-
cards the route by which the line will
enter this city, some Of the projects given
out in the papers are perfectly absurd.
They talk Of entering by Altadena and
the Arroyo Seco-why a railroad going
north by that way would cost as
much as the line did at Mont
Gents. Besides, what object would
there be in going that way; it
would simply mean running through
miles and miles of unpopulated country
which does not hold out any induce
ments at all to settlers. In my opinion
the road from Utah here will only be
constructed at present to some point on
tine Atlantic and Pacific Road which
it must necessarily cross. Traffic will
then reach Los Angeles by means OF the
Atlantic and Pacific and Southern Pa
cific, and there is no doubt but that sat
isfactory arrangements could be made to
that effect. OF course the line will run
into Los Angeles some day and when it
does il will come through the natural
road-the Cajon Pass. | cannot see any
reason at all why any other route should
be selected. The line would then
run from Los Angeles through a
section that would pay from the first, and
besides that it would be almost bee
line, there being only a deviation Of
about 43 miles from q straight line be-
tween the two termini. | do not think
that the Union Pacific, or rather the Utah
Central will be down here for some time !;
their funds are not available at present,
and then again | think that they would
be satisfied to run their cars over the line
that the American Finance Company in
tends 10 construct. 1t is astonishing the
number of schemes that this new road
has set in motion. The building OF the
Altadena road was, as you know, origi-
nally done with the idea of selling out
to the Southern Pacific; when its pro-
jectors saw that this was not possible
then they thought thai they might make
people believe that their line would form
the inlet on this end of the Salt Lake
road, and with this object in view they
proceeded to bond Rattlesnake Island.
All this, however, was simply scheme !;
for any engineer who is at all acquainted
with the lay OF the country will tell you
that for natural and financial reasons
there could not possibly be anything in
it. Then, again, q morning paper has
started a rumor that Jay Gould had said
that he intended to come to Los Angeles
over his own line and in his own car.
Another unsupported theory, and fool
ish one, il you knew its ori-
gin, as l do. Gould's line is a long
way from California at present, and /
don't think that he has the slightest in
fention OF building from Pueblo, Color
ado, to the Pacific coast at present"
'How about the reported new line Of
the S. P. to the north so as to avoid the
San Fernando tunnel at the Tehachipe
1oop?" asked the reporter.
at would be good thing if it could
be done," was the reply; "but | have
always understood that the Soledad pass
was the only one by which railroad
could cross this great terrace OF noun
tains to the north. 1t has long been a
pet scheme, though, of one of the S. p.
land agents in this territory to find road
which would avoid the San Fernando
tunnel, and that probably accounts for the
surveying party being in the field. l
personally examined all that part OF the
country though before the Southern Pa
cific's present line was built and as re-
suit of my Investigations | am inclined to
state that they cannot get through"