The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-10-26
West Siders Not Opposed to Railroad
Expansion.
PETITIONS FOR FRANCHISE
WILL SOON BE CONSIDERED BY
CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEES.
Only Parts of Fourth West Street
Proposed to Be Closed, but viii
Have Three Tracks for Four
Blocks-Property Owners Favor
Viaducts.

From the expressions heard yesterday
there is little doubt that property
owners and residents on the west side
Will offer no serious opposition to the
consunmation of the union depot pro-
ject in so far as the city council is
concerned in the matter of granting the
desired franchise. People residing in
the district between Third and Sixth
West streets begin to see the time
when they must sell out to the rail-
roads at advancing prices and change
their residences to more congenial
parts of the town They believe too,
that the building of the union depot
means more for the future of Salt
Lake than the mere betterment of
terminal facilities for the Oregon Short
Line and the Rio Grande Western-it is
taken to signify the approach of the
Southern Pacific, the Burlington and
probably other lines. which, with a
union depot to come into will be on
equal terms with the old roads.
No Protests Heard.
When west siders learned yesterday
that the petitions submitted to the city
council Tuesday evening for franchises
to erect and maintain the union depot
at the foot of Third South street and
for railroad approaches thereto from
both directions did not contemplate
The closing of Fourth West, many Of
those whose homes are west of Third
West street evirced a Willingness to
waive any protests against the enter
prise which is destined to make Salt
Lake Cutelass Denver as a railroad and
business center. However, they viii
probably insist that the municipality
shall make no grant that will prevent
them from having reasonable access to
their respective homes
While nothing YVES said in the petit
ticns to intimate that the railroad COM
paries will be willing to erect viaducts
across streets closed to traffic, repre-
sentative west siGars are in favor Of
urging the city council to make the
grants desired by the railroads condi-
tional upon the erection of viaducts at
stated intersections within Il reason
able period Of years that Will work no
hardship upon the companies.
Streets to Be Used.
For the union depot itself it is pro-
posed to permit the occupancy with
tracks of the entire east half of Fourth
West street from Second to Fourth
South and also to dose up Third South
street for the main entrance to the
dapot, but the union depot will open a
four rod street on the east of the
central station from Second to Fourth
South.
Already the Rio Grande Western has
its bread guage track down the entire
length of the center of Fourth West
north to near First North. In anticipa-
ton of the granting of the requests of
the union depot promoters the Rio
Grande Western desires the privilege of
having its main line and connections"
on the west side of Fourth West. from
First to Fifth South. 1t also desires
the closing up of Third South from
Fifth to Seventh West, which is al
ready many times intersected with
switches.
The Oregon Short Line company has
petiticaed also for the closing of South
Temple street between Third and
Fourth West and for a right of way for
its main line and connections" along
the east half of Fourth West street
From First North to the union
depot and out again down to Eighth
South.
Early Hearing By Councilmen.
1t is not likely that the railroad
franchise question will come before the
city council committees on municipal
laws and streets this evening, for the
reasons that the paving controversy
has the right of way and Chairman
Morris of the latter committee has not
yet returned from the east. However,
from the directions given by the coun-
ell for an early report consistent with
due considera ton of the important sub
ject. it is believed the matter will be
taken up in committee nSt later than
next week.
Five of the members of the joint
committee reside on the west side and
the other members reside east of Main
street. The personnel CT the committee
is: On municipal Slaws-Councilmen
Ca1Gister, Wallace. F'ernstrom, Diehl,
Weller; on streets-Morfis, Buckle,
Allen. Margetts, Howe.