The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-10-10
PACIFIC SHORT LINE.
1t Would Be Grand Thing for Ogden
When Will 1t Be Built?

What is the Pacific Short line. about
which there has been so much talk during
the past year! At present it appears to be
an intangible thing, and faith in the prom
Uses of those who are supposed to be man
aging the scheme is beginning to wave.
All this may be said without laying the
writer liable to the charge of trying to
throw cold water upon an enterprise which
would intellectually benefit Ogden and all
the inhabitants thereof. The plans of the
ostensible managers of the projected new
railroad, contemplate the building of a line
between Ogden, Utah and Sioux City, Iowa.
over route which surveys have demon
strated to be the shortest and most practi-
cable of any yet examined. This scheme has
been on" for number of years, and has been
Imdorsed almost universally, especially by
Che people of this railroad center, who,
through their municipal government, have
offered to pledge the credit of the city to
assist the company in carrying out its
plans. Three separate corporations, name
". the Salt Lake Valley & Eastern, the
Wyoming s. Eastern and the Nebraska &
Western would, when consolidated, consti-
tute the so-called Pacific Short Line. The
first named company was organized and in
corporated two years ago last June Tor the
purpose of building railroad from some
point in Salt Lake city to Ogden and east
ward through Weber county TO the Utah
and Wyoming boundary line. 1t was given
out by the manager that this was to consti-
tute a link in transcontinental line of rail
road. which would certainly be completed
aDd II operation inside Of two years. Among
o ler not improbable statements given
ou+ and published were that the Central
Pacific wanted an eastern outlet indepen-
dent of the Union Pacific; that the Central
Pa ific desired to reach its own extensive
coal lands in Wyoming; that the traffic ar
rangement had been made between the
Illinois Central and the Central Pacific,
and that both of these great companies
would rack up the new railroad. These
stories a.! bore an air of probability, AMI
had a cheering effect upon the people OF
Ogden. who were not slow to realize the
benefits to accrue to them from the con-
struction of the road. OF course, there
were skeptcs; there always are in regard
TO every enterprise. But the optiOnists
were i'll the ascendant and talked the loud
est. and silenced the pessimists' doleful
croakings by pointing out that a survey
was being made through Ogden canon and
on over the summit to the boundary line.
Thus, one year passed and the flowers of
spring again bloOmed. The next year
score of men did little rock work
in Ogden canon, and that was
all. Then came the present, or faJher past,
working season, and it opened auspiciously,
with promises of werk TO be done. Up to
date the people have been surfeited with
promises, only promises, and now their full
4illment appears to be farther off than ever,
though 1t Is hoped not.
This writer believes that the road will
eventually be built as contemplated, and
that it viii be among the best paying rail
road properties in the country; but wind
won't build it. 1t will not be built until
some company or combination of capital
lists secure control of its affairs, which con
troll the citizens of Ogden who have any
thing at stake hope will not be long de-
layed.
No reasonable company can expect the
people of Ogden to do more than they have
done to aid this project They have done
even more than the alleged Pacific Short
Line company has done; but Ogden is not
able now to assume the burden of building
the entire line, and they have right to be
informed whether the parties to whom they
have rendered magnificent bonus means
business or not Promises are cheap, and
in this case it seems that words are mean
ingless. The Pacific Short Line people
should either put up or shut up, and thus
dispel the uncertainty that surrounds their
enterprise. When it once becomes posit-
lively known that the road will be built
without delay, Ogden will get boom such
as no other enterprise could give her.