The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1901-11-02
SOUTHERN NEVADA RESOURCES,
Trip Over Proposed Route of the
Clark Road

Assistant Chief Engineer H. NJ. Nc
Cartney of TIE San Pedro, Los Angeles
& Salt Lake road returned yesterday
afternoon from his trip over the pro-
posed route of the road, with Chief
Engineer Henry Hawgood. He brought
his good humor and fund of stories
back with him. The two engineers
went by wagon across Nevada, follow
ing the prospective route of the rail-
road. Mr.. Mccartney returned with IN
creased enthusiasm over the POSSIBLE
ties of a large portion of the country
through which the road will pass.
"A large part of the country, of
! course, is desert, with small chance for
many years of its being anything else"
! he said but there are some valleys
that will soon be beautiful gardens,
farms and orchards. Take the Vegas
basin, for example. AS fine fruits are
grown there as anywhere else in the
United States. There is plenty of
water, and some day it will be one vast
orchard. The winter climate is delight
! full The air is balmy and everything
is growing the year round. wherever
there is a sufficient supply of water.
! Figs, dates and other semi-trOpical
! fruits can be raised as well as peaches,
apples and fruits that flourish in a
northerly climate. AS for the minerals,
| there is a vast mineral belt there that
has never been more than scratched
because it has been too far from a
| railroad.
There is no question about the abil
| ity to get all the water needed for the
railroad. The Santa Fe has demon
strated that. 1t has put down artesian
wells all along its line in the desert,
and has found that it can be depended
upon to reach water at depth of 800
1000 feet. In some places the water
has to be pumped but there are many
places where it reaches the surface"
To prove his assertion as to southern
Nevada fruit. Mr.. Mccartney brought
home some huge apples and other fruit
coming from the Vegas basin.
The trip was made to go thoroughly
! into the engineering aspects of the pro-
posed route. Mr.. Mccartney says the
problems are not difficult, and that
! an easy grade will be possible nearly
all the way between Salt Lake and
Phoebe, and from the end of the pres
ent grade to the California state line.
In the Meadow valley wash the graders
are working from Calieutes as far as
Kiernans.
Mr.. Mccartney takes exceptions to
the name Muddy for the principal
stream of southern Nevada.
'Modi, y he said, "as we discovered on
this trip. The word is Indian and
means bean, referring to the mes
quite beans which flourish in that
country. This has been corrupted to
Muddy 1t is a misnomer, for the
stream is clear as crystal. In Our Off
cial maps and in everything else we
shall hereafter designate is as the
Moapa.' from the Moapa Indians"
The engineering department is bend
ing every effort to get it's work in shape
so that the directors can soon decide
on the route out of Salt Lake and or
der work begun at this end. Five
routes are open for selection. One goes
west to the Deep creek country, and
then south. Another goes west from
Salt Lake, and then through Skull val
ley~ A third is by way of Rush and
Tooele valleys. The fourth is down
the west bank of the Jordan, and
thence into Cedar valley The fifth
goes south on the east bank of the
Jordan. and then strikes southwest.
From Los Angeles comes the an