Los Angeles daily herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1884-1890, 1889-12-01

SUNDAY, DECEMBER i, 1889.
Matiread SpeeulaslOns.
There is very little room to doubt the
coming here of the Utah road. Some of
the San Francisco papers have treated
us with absurd stories about the design
Of the Union Pacific to connect with San
Francisco via the Utah Southern by
building the road from Phoebe across the
mountains at the head of MERGED ri yer
and entering the coast at Gilroy. We have
already shown the chimerical and alb.
surd character OF this speculation. Well
informed organs of railroad opinion at
the East all agree that the road will
come direct to Los Angeles. We have
before US copy of the last issue of the
.Ra;lsoay Age, the best authority in the
country upon railroad matters, and
which has the following to say upon the
subject of the Utah railway extension:
Boston dispatches say Unien Pacific
officials announce authoritatively that
they will extend their line to Southern
California, Los Angeles being the ter.
minal city, and Redondo, which is about
twenty miles distant, the Pacific seaport
also that q part of the contract has
already been let, and that the work will
be completed within two years. The in
tention of the Union Pacific to reach the
southern Pacific coast has for some time
been avowed, and the extension to Los
Angeles of the arm which now reaches
down into Southern Utah, thereby max
~ fb<a Tv4sr 60 sUI E.fk Ir
Southern Pacific in California as it now is
Washington, is natural movement. In
what way the Southern Pacific will Offset
the loss OF the Union Pacifc's traffic now
delivered to it at Ogden is.. not yst evil
dent, although it will still retain the
transoontinental traffic of the Burling.
ton, Rock Island and Missouri Pacific
lines, while an extension from Ogden to
the Missouri river would not be among
the possibilities.
There seems to be no doubt about the
destination of the Utah road with the
thoroughly informed people of the Rail
say Age. 1t is coming here for reasons
that are logical and sound topograph-
ically, commercially and in every other
sense. The Union Pacific people are
well aware that Los Angeles is the nat
ural outlet on the Pacific of the Great
Salt Lake valley, and that it is the best,
easiest and cheapest way to reach San
Francisco. With line of fleet steamers
1t Redondo Beach, the Union Pacific will
make better through time to that city
than can be made by any other new
route available to that company.
The only question that is now left in
doubt is as to the route the Union Pacific
will ultimately adopt to reach the coast
valley from the Mohave desert. AT the
start it will doubtless come in by way Ct
Barstow, running over the rails of the
Santa Fe. But that will perhaps only be
q temporary arrangement. If it is at ali
practicable to enter by an Independent
route, corporation like the Union Pc
cific would not be satisfied with the mere
privilege of using the rails of an
other road. This brings us to
the consideration of variety of
peculiar transactions that have taken
place here, and which would not be per-
picking problems if we could clearly
connect them with the Union Pacific.
For instance, for what purpose have
parties here secured lands from the city
aligning the river and right OF way along
its banks? If for the purpose of secur-
ing entrance to the city of the Union
Pacific, there is no difficulty in under
standing why parties here have put up
considerable money to secure these lands
and right of way.
Then again; what is the meaning of
Captain Cross's Los Angeles, Glendale
and Pasadena road7 Here is road
being built of the best and heaviest steel
rails, with bridges across the ARROYO
Seco that are not surpassed as substan-
tial structures anywhere. But where is
1t going to, and for what purpose is this
segment of road, fit for the heaviest
traffic, being built, as it were, in air? 1t
cannot be pretended that such a road is
built merely to divide the traffic between
this city and Pasadena with the Cali
fornia Central, or Southern California
AS.Ns - WIG AiSiU VI why ia tulS CITY
and the building of Captain Cross's
road are parts of general
design, and the Union Pa
cific intends ultimately to CROSS
the Sierra Madre from the Mohave
desert by the surveyed route via Palm
dale, Rock creek, the Teiungas and the
Arroyo Seco, then We have an intelligi-
Ole scheme, and movements that are now
incomprehensib,e and pointless, are made
fe fit in as portions of grand and perfect
plan. If the rumor we have heard to the
effect that the railroad contractor, Grant,
has accepted contract to grade two
hundred miles of road in the desert, has
. basis OF truth, then is the scheme still
further given substance and verisimiIi-
tude.
We ARE informed by the manager of
the Los Angeles Pipe Company that they
are getting along finely with their con-
tract to furnish FIVE miles of sewer pine
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