The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-12-30
boon TO CHEYENNE
Extensive Union Pacific Improve
ments Under Way.
CUT-OFFS AND GRADING
NEW TRACK TO BE LAID AT
SHERMAN HILL
Entire Union Pacific Road to Be Bal
lasted With Dscomposed Granite
From Sherman Fill Pits-Heavy
Grades at Athol and Archer Hills
to Be Avoided.
Especial to The Herald,

I cheyenne, Wyo., Dec. 29.-"Cheyenne
viii witness a very healthy boom in the
spring. said an official of the Union Pa
cific railroad today. THE plans of the
Union Pacific. while they have not ma
tured as yet, contemplate extensive i'm
prove1nents ard changes in this section
during the year 1900. The Sherman hill
cut-on. necessitating as it will the con-
stIuction of about tilirty-five miles of new
track and the building Of an immense
tCi.nsi IN the crest of the mountain will
can Tor very large force of men
ne cutoff will probably not be COM
piele1 before the close of the year. as it
is the intention now to make it a double
track road. The balance of the CHEYENNE
Laramie line, Cheyenne to Buford. will
rreMain as IT is. with the exception of a
re" minor changes, but will also be sup
Piled with an additional track The tun-
mel and the extensive work necessary to
effect safe crossing over Dale creek.
VIII require no less than eighteen months
work to complete and 1t is doubtful if
time.
Until it is completed. however. the
present line over Sherman hill and the
nigh bridge at Dale creek will be used In
the meantime the gravel pits at Sherman
VIII be worked as never before, so as to
get the entire Union Pacific road includ-
ing the lines of the new cutoff. ballasted
with this decomposed granite before the
line over the top Of the hill is abandoned.
1t is a matter of doubt in my mind. if the
llne as far as the gravel pits will be ADAM
doned even then. for this gravel has prov
ed to be the best article ever used for bal
last las. and as there are unlimited quaint
ties of it which can be taken out easily,
the pits will doubtless be maintained for
an indefinite period.
Will Help the Towns.
1.-THE extensive work between Cheyenne
ana Laramie will, of course, result in
much benefit to both towns" continued
tine official. But in addition to this work
ut
Cheyenne vastly if carried out, and there
is no doubt that they will One of these is
the Athol hill cutoff, which was sur
veyed last summer and which not only
shortens the route between Denver and
Cheyenne by. several miles, but will also
do away with the steep grades of Atlol
hill. on which all freight trains bound
north or south are compelled TO use helper
engines.
..As was stated few months ago in
The Herald, this cutoff will leave the
present line at a point near Carr station,
eighteen miles south of Cheyenne, and
will come up the valley of the Lone Tree.
past Natural Fort, fourteen miles south
of Cheyenne, and enter the city from the
west instead of from the east, as at pres
ent. This cutoff will be devoid of many
curves and will be a great improvement
oyer the old route in that It will have an
almost water grade all the way from
Carr. / have every reason to believe that
Ii is the intention of the company to COM
mence work on this cutoff at an early
Cutoff Project.
"A third project which was mentioned
n the papers this morning is the proposed
cutoff to avoid Archer hill. and which it
IS proposed TO run from point one mile
vest of Atkins, fourteen miles from Chey-
enne, in q southwesterly direction into
he city from the north, instead of from
he east as at present surveyors are now
put. as you know, running the lines for
this new road
IF the company decides to make a
shange. and IL is believed it Will, one of
he worst pieces of track on the system
will be abandoned. Archer hill has al
ways been an elephant which blocked fast
rains and heavily loaded freights, and
las been very expensive to operate. BY
hrowing out the hill, its grades and
harp curves, the Union Pacific will then
lave an almost straight line from Hills
ale to Borie, a distance of about thirty
niles.
THE extensive railroad work and min
1g activity in northern Laramie coun-
Y cannot fail to bring good results 10
his section and, as present indications
,oint to a year of great activity in the
Jnion Pacific shops at this point, l be-
eve 1 am safe in predicting for Chey-
nne a boom such as she has not wit
essed since the palmy days of the cat
a business,-when millionaire cattle kings
lade this city their home