The herald., 1894-07-16
ANOTHER BACK-CoUNTRY RAILROAD.

Now that the bill to admit Utah into
the union has passed, we shall look for
the early naturalization of the project
mentioned the other day in our Wash
ington dispatches to build an independ-
emit railroad from Salt Lake to this city.
The enterprise ia in the hands of some
of the leading Mormons, who not only
have ample means themselves, but IN
limited resources to draw upon. This is
what the dispatch gives US to under
stand.
We infer, from the route mapped out
for this projected road, that it will make
junction somewhere in Southern CAL
iiornia or Nevada with the Nevada
Southern, but that it will puraue far
more northern route in Utah than is
contemplated by the Nevada South
ern when it reaches the eastern portion
of the great interior basin. Perhaps it
will pass over the graded route to Phoebe
and is identical with the project we re-
ferred to few days since as having Sc
cured from the Union Pacific company
the right to pass over the route graded
two years since from Milford to Phoebe.
The enterprising people of Salt Lake
have for several years seen tbs great sd.
vantage to their city of immediate rail
connection with Los Angeles, and missed
no opportunity to encourage every
project having that end in view. This
same road would have been built two
hal Co no
ity OF Charles Francis Adams, who was
at the head OF the Union Pacific. The
Utah Central is a branch feeder OF that
railrond, and General Clark was very
anxious to extend it towards the Pacific
coast. In pursuance of this policy, the
road was extended to Frisco and line
surveyed and partly graded to within
short distance of Phoebe. Then the COM
plications in the finances of the Union
Pacific arose, and Mr.. Adams ordered
the work discontinued.
The admission of Utah into the union
as q state will undoubtedly revive the
interest of the people of Salt Lake in the
project of secnring for their city an out
let to the Pacific at Los Angeles. Long
before the Central Pacific WAS built the
trade of Salt Lake city reached Calfor-
MA by way OF Los Angeles. This city
waa the terminus of the numerous
trains of wagons that kept up the COM
mercial trade and traffic between
the capital of MorInondom and
the Pacific ocean. 1t wss the
shortest and by lar the easiest route
from Salt Lake to San Francisco, and
the business OF Los Angeles in the fities
and sixties was greatly increased and
benefited by this commerce. Goods
destined for Utah were shipped from
San Francisco by steamer or sailing ves
sci to Los Angeles, and from Los Angeles
by teams to Salt Lake. The completion
of the Central Pacific to Ogden, which
took place in 1869, diverted this valuable
traffic to that railroad, and Los Angeles
ceased to be in direct commercial COM
munication with the capital of Utah.
The fact, however, that this was the
entrepot and outlet of Salt Lake traffic
with California for many years, marked
the natural course which railroad
would ultimately take.
AT that time but little was known OF
the value OF the intervening country
which the mule trains traversed in com.
ing here. But since then the prospector
has opened large number of fine min
ing districts in Southern Nevada and
Utah, thst only await transportation by
rail Of their ores for the profitable devel-
opmsnt oi - immense stretch Of eoun-