The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-05-25
The San Joaquin Valley Project
Is In Good Shape.
TERMINAL SECURED AT LAST
TRUMBO AIDED IN SECURING THE
CHINA BASIN LEASE.
Best Posted Men Believe that a COM
peting Road from Salt Lake on to
the Coast Is Assured-Wells,
Fargo Mail Service Abolished
Yesterday.

1t is matter for congratulation that
the difficulties in the Tay OF the San
JOAQUIN Valley railroad for securing
terminal facilities in San Francisco.
which, for a time, seemed unsur-
mountable, have at last been overcome,
and the great project will speedily be
carried out. 1t was to be expected that
the Southern Pacific would do what It
could, in it's own peculiar way, to down
the enterprise, and as there were two
boards to deal with in settling the mat
ter, the octopus had opportunity to
play one against the other-for time.
1t is an open secret that Colonel
Trumbos visit to the coast was solely
for the purpose of settling the lease on
the China basin, and securing tor the
valley road the terminal facilities,
without which no move could be made.
Perhaps the colonePs familiarity with
Southern Pacific methods, acquired In
other days, enabled him to circumvent
the agents of the octopus at this time,
but at all events, the work was sue
cessfully done. The fight has been a
hard one, and of the victory by the
people, the San Francisco Call says:
AS might have been expected from
sensible business men, who have the
good of the state at heart, the Harhor
commissioners and the board of direc-
tors of the San Joaquin Valley road
have finally agreed on the terms OF the
China basin lease, and the execution OF
the instrument is now all that remains
to secure a terminal in San Francisco.
The commissioners and the directors
all along have Seen under the con-
trolling influence of a desire to secure
the same end-competition in transport
tation. The only point of difference
between them has been as to the
method. The commissioners offered
lease which prohibited a transfer of
the property to any other transporta-
ton company having a teEminal in the
city. The directors had already
guarded this point completely in the
scheme for pooling shares. They held
that while they hoped to be able to
build the road with California money,
they might not raise sufficient, and
that in case of the necessity for selling
bonds abroad in order that they
might complete the work, the restric-
ton imposed by the commissioners
would render such sale impossible, in
asmuch as mortgage to secure bonds
cannot be made on property which can
not be transferred. The correctness of
by the commissioners. On their part
there was never any fear that the pres
ent promoters of the road would prove
unfaithful; it was only the fact that
the lease is to run fifty years, and that
the present owners will be succeeded
by others, that made the commission
ers hesitate. Realizing, however, that
the safeguards creaIed by the direc-
tors themselves are amply sufficient
to secure the end which they desired,
they have taken the broader ground in
the interest Of the state.
The people have cause for rejoicing
and congratulations are due The COM
missioners. The leasehold will be at
the best only very small part of the
valley railroads property, even though
the line should be run no further than
But China Basin would
be an excellent terminal for an over
land road, and if the present undertake
ing do not lead to this in the end the
indications are misleading. Every mile
of road added to the system will be
the freedom of the peo-
pie from monopoly and will be an adj
dition to the states protection against
an unfriendly ownership Of the China
Basin lease.
The settling of this question means
a competing railway from Salt Lake
to the coast in the near future. Plans
for building on from this end were be-
ing considered before Colonel Trumbo's |
departure, and they will doubtless soon
take definite shape.
The building of the valley road will |
be an important factor in the develop |
ment of Salt Lake.