Eureka weekly sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1887-1902, 1900-02-10

veying party will be sent to Nevada to
locate the east end Of the new line from
some point on the Carson & Colorado TO a
connection with the Central Pacific. No
decision has been reached by the officials
Of the Southern Pasifc as yet regarding
the route through Nevada, but it islearned
that President Huntington has his eve on
the Nevada Central, and is considering the
a~dvisability of utilizing that property as a
link in the short line to Los Angeles.
The Nevada Central is a narrow-gaug
road running from Battle Mountain, on
the Central Pacific, southwark TO Austin,
a distance of ninety-thres miles. II this
road was broad-gauged and used as a link
IN the Southern Pacifc's new line, the dis
lance from Battle Mountain to Los An
geles would be reduced 800 miles. The
distance by rail between the two points via
Sacramento is $50 miles. Via the pro-
posed new line the distances are as follows:
Los Angeles to Mojave, 100 miles; Mo-.
jave to Keller, 100 miles; Keller to New
Boston, where the new line would proba.
bly, leave the Carson & Colorado, $50
miles; New Boston to Austin Junction,
on the Nevada Central, 30 miles; Austin
Junction to Battle Mountain, So miles;
total, 526 miles. According to this com.
putation the proposed new line would be
3O4 miles shorter than the present line
through Northern California.
POSSIBLY THE EUREKA AND PALIsADE.
The Salt Lake Tribune has also been
investigating this matter and goes on to
explain how the line could be pro6tably
built via Belmont and Eureka, OF by way
| of Deep Creek. Referring to the map it
will be seen that by utilizing the Eureka
& Palisa6e road instead Of the Austin line,
the distance would be still further reduced,
and it would not be at all surprising il this
road were selected in preference to the
| Austin line. Another fact which would
tend to confirm the selection of the Eureka
& Palisade road is that ID. o. Mills, whose
connection with the new line is explained
above, owns a controlling interest in the
4. & p, and it would be reasonable to sup
pose that he would prefer to have this
road made the connecting link rather than
purchase outright the Nevada Central.
Since the above was In type we have
received the Salt Lake Tribune of the 9Th
inst, which follows mp the original arti
Gle with the following argument, the
substance of which, as will be seen, is in
exact accord with the views of the sgN.
TINEL:
SIN rs first story Of the project, the
Tribune last Tuesday used as a possible
limb the Eureka & Palisade in preference
to rhe Nevada Central. A glance at a
railroad map Of Nevada will show the two
roads running south from the Central
Pacific, one from Battle Mountain and the
other from Palisade.
There were two important reasons why
The Tribune suggested the Palisade line
as q connecting link; first, because it is
also a ID. o. Mills road, and second be-
cause the Nevada Central ends abruptly in
a mountain range, and to connect Austin
and Bellville would require a long detour,
while the Bellville-E Eureka connection
could be easily effected via Belmont"
EARLY RAILROAD BUILDING.
This brings to mind some early history
regarding the building Of railroads in Eure-
ka county.
The Eureka & Colorado River Railroad
company was organized in January, 1881,
and the same year a bill was passed bv the
State Legislature granting to that company
a franchise for building a railroad from a
point within a quarter of a mile of the
Courthouse in Eureka by the most feasible
route through Hercules Gap, in White Pine
county, past Phoebe, to point in the State
OF Nevada on the Colorado river, at or near
the town of Callville, the gauge to be what
is known as narrow-gauge.
To encourage the building of this road
the Commissioners Of Eureka county were
authorized to issue bonds in the sum Of
500. 900. White Pine county was en-
powered to deliver to said company $780,
900 worth of bonds, and Lincoln county
had authority to bond itself in an equal
amount.
No time was wasted by the promoters of
this enterprise, as we find by referring to
the files of the SENTINEL that on the first
day of August, 1881, grading was com
menced on the new line, the first ground
being broken on the east side of the can
yon opposite the Toll house, about three
miles south Of Eureka, and from this point
grading was prosecuted in both directions.
The following paragraph is reproduced
from the Daily SENTINEL of August 2, Of
that year.
The road is being built, as the SENTINEL
is informed, by the Denver 4 Rio Grade
Company. The point of connection with
the latter road has not yet transpired,
though it is supposed that they will meet
over in Utah in the vicinity of Iron Noun
tain. The Eureka parties who ~incorporat-
ed the Eureka & Colorado Railroad Com
pan disposed of their franchise and con-
tracts some weeks since, receiving the sum
of $50, 900.
The contract under which that work was
done was for the grading of the first
twenty-five miles Of the road in the direc-