The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-09-17
IN RAILWAY CIRCLES.
The Union Pacific Wants the Salt
Lake and Sioux City,
AND 1T WILL PROBABLY GET IT
President Adams On the Present Condition of
the Union Pacific Force-Union Pacific
Surveyors

What do you think OF the rum0rs that
tho Union Pacific has made overtures to
the managers of the Salt Lake 6; Sioux
City, or the Pacific Short Line, with a view
TO purchasing the entire road, or at least
obtaining controlling interest in it 2"
Such was the question put to a. b.
S2obertson, a gentlemen who recently ar
1ved here from the headquarters of the
short Line.
A"Wel, it is hard to say Before left
sioux city, there were several rumors
afoat TO that effect. These we both affirmed
and denied with equal vchemence, and
while have no positive knowledge on the
subject, l am inclined to believe that some
such move-just in what form, though, 1
am in the dark regarding been made. )"
''But what particular interest has the
Union Pacific in the Short Line.'
at has considerable. The Pacific Short
Line, if it is ever completed, will come di-
rectly to this city, via Ogden, unless a
valley via Emigration caflon is conSum-
mated. BE that as it may, however, it wiD
prove formidable competitor to the Union
Pacific, causing an almost equal division of
business. 1t is idle to suppose that the
Pacific Short Line will
STOP IN THIS CITY.
To be success, it must be pushed on to
the coast II it comes via Ogden, il will
doubtless make some traffic arrangement
with the Utah Central-prOviding the Union
Pacific gets control Of it."
"a see the idea has been mOoted that one
of the chief reasons the Union Pacific de-
sires to obtain control of the Short Line is
that it will then be in a position to snap it's
fingers at the government and tell it that it
can take the subsidized road if it wants to.
Congress, in my opinion, has not acted
fairly with the Union Pacific. Its policy
has been one of dilly-dallying. 1t should
= either have taken the road and run it for
the benefit of the public, or allowed the
company some lecway in the matter. To
my mind, there is every reason to believe
that the Union Pacific will get hold
of the Short Line and abandon
the present route from Omaha to
Ogden. Government will then have
a white elephant on its hands, and no mis-
take. The debt on the Union Pacific, as I
understand it, is about seventy thousand,
dollars per mile. Under such circum i
stances, you viii readily see that It would
be foolish play on the part of the CONF
pany to pay of this sum of money when.
they can obtain control of another line for,
say half the amount
but would the controllers Of the Pacific
Short Line consent to this! Do not the
people of Sioux city-the capitalists who
have the matter in charge-lOOk
WITH UHFRIENDLY EYES
upon the Union Pacific and its methods"
Il am hardly prepared TO give "A direct
answer 10 that question, but think not. l
don't think they care who builds, owns or
controls the road What they want, what
they arc schemiug for, is an outlet to the
coast Now, that being the case, what road
rs in better position TO give them this than
.. the Union Pacific the surveys from this
Aety have already been made and the route
decided upon True, there is the Central
is an independent line. They do not pro
pose to put up their thousands of good
money and then be placed at the mercy of
a road that is on good terms with Il rival
I know there are those who ieer at this
idea. but unless all signs fail you will see
it a fact before many moons have passed"
1t was Learn ed from other sources that
there is no doubt but that the officers Of the
Short Line are even now considering the
overtures made by the Union Pacific. 1t is
also said that should the Union Pacific alb
sorb the new line, the former would be able
10 overcome the obstacles placed in the
road of the latter by the Chicago & North
western in refusing 10 grant the Short Line
concessions in the way Of an approach to
the bridge across the Missouri, either by
FoRC1SG THE NORTHWESTERN TO TERMS
or else by building new bridge An of
ficcr of tho Union Pacific, in speaking on
this subject recently, is reported as saying
faat "the Union Pacific has been working
quietly on this scheme for some time and
matters have now gone so far thatthey can
no longer be kept secret, and probably next
year will show q complete change in the
overland route