The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1892-06-18
THE NEW RAILROAD.

'"The people OF Salt Lake City,
said gentleman to S. F. Bulletin
reporter Monday" are taking great
interest in the new railroad. They
have for long time been anxious to
have road that would tap the rich
mineral region of Western Utah and
Eastern Nevada. They believe that
the railroad will pay well" The Tri-
bune of that city voices the popular
feeling thus:
The best way to estimate what the
road would probably pay is to first get
it's cost. A railroad from here to San
Francisco would be about 900 miles
perhaps 30 miles less. To get out
of the State of California on the route
proposed, as we figure it, is about 200
miles from San Francisco Bay to the
Nevada line, just this side of Beck
with Pass. That much of the distance
would involve good many bridges
and some very heavy cutting In the
mountains for perhaps 80 miles, and
it might cost, fully equipped, $40, 600
mile. From Beckwith Pass to Salt
Lake there would be but one bridge,
and that a cheap thing over the
Truckee. There is not a point where
there would be any heavy cutting, ex-
cept perhaps a dozen miles over the
Toyabie range. This side of Beckwith
Pass the road ought not to cost exceed
ing $12, 900 mile, but placing it at
500, ZOO, we have the whole line equip
ped for $25, 100000. Six per cent on
that for operating expenses and 6 per
cent interest on the investment shows
that to make the road a profitable in
vestmeut it will have to pay $3, OOO,-
600 per annum. Working 800 days
in year, it will make it necessary for
the road to earn $40, 200 day, or on
/, 900 miles, $40 per mile. The road
will travers the mineral belt of West
| ern Utah and Nevada, and it will
place hundred mining districts un-
der tribute. To earn the necessary
money on the first 165 miles from this
city, the road will have to pay ISL 600
day. To say nothing about passengers,
nothing about machinery, merchan-
disc, and coal to go out, and Nevada
wool, beef, grain and vegetables to
come in, at $3 ton, $50 tons OF ore
per day would pay the required
amount. The next 200 miles would
pay Just as we'll Then for 100 miles
| further on the road would run through
salt marshes and close by low grade
mines, which, possibly, would be made
valuable with road near. Beyond
that, the road would have nothing in
itself of value for probably 200 miles,
but that is all the space on the road
that would not be profitable. The
other end of the road would come out
for 40 miles through the richest part
of California, and, striking the noun
tains, it would enter at once manifi-
cent timber country, and would tap
all the northern valleys of Plumas
county, which are very splendid. We
believe the local traffic there of the
road would be ample to pay 6 per
cent on the investment and 6 per cent
for operating expenses, leaving the
through freight and travel a clear
profit beside.
While in one sense it would be a
parallel road to the Central Pacific,
they would be rivals in nothing except
the through business and in carrying
lumber out of the Sierras and the
freight of the Sacramento valley. With
the road built and paid for, the Cen
trail Pacific would not be able to reduce
prices to point to hurt the new road,
because it's fixed charges would not
compare with those of the Central
Pacific.
Then, another thing is that the trade
of California ought to be doubled and
that at once. In that State there are
about 100000 people; it ought to
possess 12,OOO,OOO, and the addition
ought for long time to increase the
business of that State in proportion to
the population gained. The orchards
have just begun to bear. With the
rivers utilized it would be seen that
the valleys as yet have done nothing
in comparison with what they ought
to do. The mountains are full of
lands which are exactly adOnted for a