Omaha daily bee., 1889-10-28
ANOTHER BIG RAILROAD DEAL
Events Shaping For Second Trans
Continental Line.
CENTRAL PACIFIC CONCERNED
Facts Which Show That Road to
Have Been Forewarned OF
the Recent Union Pa
cific Consolid alton.
A second Trops.Cor,ipeu,a, Line.

0DENvER, Oct. 2L-TSpecial to THE BEE. -
The recent consolidation of the Union Pa
cific and the Chicago s. North western, Civ
ing through kne from ocean to ocean in
the Vanderbilt interests has been discussed
in almost every aspect save in regard to the
Central Pacific. Movements in progress in
eastern Utah and western Colorado for sew
eral months past indicate that the Central
Pacific has been forewarned regarding this
new deal, dhd has been providing itself with
a friendly connection at Ogden, when 1t
should become the interest OF the Union Pa
cific to throw its traffic northward toward
Portland
Citizens of Omaha have not fully consid-
cred the import of these movements, and
brief resume of the railway situation in the
territory referred to, and its future bearing
OH transcontinental traffic, may be of inter
est to the readers of THE BEE.
When the old Denver g. Rio Grande West.
ern came out of the hands of a receiver and
reorganized under the name Of the Rio
Grande Western, 1t was announced that IT
would widen it's gauge, improve its line and
place itself in first class condition. Every
body wondered why this was to be done.
Extending from Grand Junction, Col, to
Ogden, Utah, distance of 3i6 miles, il had
been run in connection with the Denver &
from Denver to Salt Lake City aud Ogden.
1t had always remained under the control of
General William j, Palmer and Colonel ID.
G.. Dodge, although forced into receivers
hands at the time Lovoioy, or the successor
of the Palmer. Dodge management wrecked
the Denver 81 Rio Grande. These two
men were at the front of the company also
when IL roorganzed, and soon began to make
good their promise by beginning actual work,
and within "a few weeks broad gauge trains
n n
This action of the Rio Grande Western left
the Denver 81 Rio Grande apparently one of
two alternatves-to break back at Grand
Junction, or to also broaden its guage from
Canon City to Grand Junction. The latter
alternative was next to impossible, on ac-
count of the difficulties presented on Mar
shall Pass and in the black canon of the
Gunnison 1t next turned it's attention to Its
Eagle river branch, which had been ex-
tended to Glenwood Springs, and thence for
twenty five miles down the river valley to
Rife creek, sixty-fve miles from Grand
junction. Another very important
fact directed the attention of the
Denver g. Rio Grande management in this
direction, and that was the Colorado Mid
land railway, which also, reached Glenwood
Springs, and paralleled the Denver 81 Rio
Grande twelve miles down the Grande to
Newcastle
The Midland had never been considered
factor ia the through business-in fact the
Denver g. Rio Grande had never paid much
attention to it, except to pool with 1t on
Leadville Glenwood and Aspen business,
common points reached by both companies
But the Midland was broad gauge, and the
action of the Rio Granue Western in widen
ing Its rails, gave to the rival of the Denver
& Rio Grande a sudden and startling
Importance. The Midland had only
to build from Newcastle to Grand
junction, distance of seventy eight miles
down the valley of the Grand and broad
gauge connection would have been formed
which would have at once rendered the
narrow gauge of the Denver 81 Rio Grapde
valueess.
Fortunately perhaps for both companies.
there were two or three gentlemen who
were stockholders and directors in both the
Denver & Rio Grande and Colorado Midland
companies, and the result was compro-
mise.
The nature of this compromise was the or
gauzation of the Rio Grande Junction rail-
way, which is to be built jointly by the two
companies between Rifle creek and
Grand Junction, and operated in their
mutual interest. The contract has
already been let, and work will
be begun In u few days. This sixty-fve
miles of new road will be completed in Feb
ruary, and then over the Colorado Midland
and Rio Grande Junction, and Rio Grande
Western roads, broad gauge cars will DO
running between Denver and Ogden. 1t
will take the Denver & Rio Grande some
months longer to complete its change of
gauge DebWceu Sduou SIJy anu hillo STeeh,
distance of 2Sl miles, the line being al
ready broad gauge from Denver to that
point.
This new line will give the Central Pacific
friendly connection at Ogden, and from
Denver eastward over the Burlington, Rock
Island and Missouri Pacific to
Omaha, Kansas City, Chicago and ST.
Louis. While it will have an evident
effect on the development of western Colo
RADIO, and the growth of Denver, it will also
have similar effect on Omaha by giving it
two broad gauge routes to the Pacific, both
competing for travel and traffic The recent
Union Pacific-Northwestern deal gives
color to the rumor which has long existed
that the Central Pacific has all the time
been behind the Rio Grande Western, and
was making for itself a connection which
would be more friendly than the Union
Pacific.
1t is only necessary in this connection to
refer TO the proposed "Acequia Cutoff" by
e. Rio Grande's line 100 miles, and the Mid
lands line fifty miles. This cutoff will
leave the Rio Grande seventeen miles south
of Denver, parallel the South Park
road through Platte canon and reaching the
Midland tracks, again strike the main Rio
Grande line at Buena Vista. Active prepa-
rations are making to build this cut Off, but
it is not yet begun. IL is also JOINT Rio
Grande-Midland enterprise. That 1t will be
constructed at an early date no one doubts,
for all the movements Of the companies
named indicate that they are fully alive to
the Importance of the new through line now
so nearly completed. In connection with the
rivals of the Union Pacific, running west
from Omaha, it will give to her merchants
and citizens two transcontinental lines to the
Pacific coast.