The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-10-31
WILL OPEN UP
RICH VALLEYS
Engineer Mccartney on Southern
NeVadaS Resources.
ROUTE NOT YET SELECTED
FIVE WAYS OF ENTERING SALT
LAKE.

Assistant Chief Engineer H. NJ. Nc
Gartney of TIE San Pedro, Los Angeles
q 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 hurnor 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 Tor
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 dehSht-
ful 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
northerly climate. As for the minerals,
there is a vast mineral belt there that
mas never DEen tlOIG IMAM SNA e1NNAl~A
because it has been too far from
railroad.
There is no question about the abil-
fly to get all the water needed for the
railroad. The Santa F'e 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 a depth OF 800
TO 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
ars working from Calientes as far as
/ kiernan's.
Mr. Mccartney takes exceptions to
| the name Muddy" for the principal
/ stream of southern Nevada
THE real name or the stream is
! fModi, " he said, ''as we discovered on
! this trip The word is Indian and
means bean, referring to the mes
I quite Deans WHICH nOuTlSn N lDdl
country This has been corrupted TO
! Muddy 1t is a misnorner, 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
J ing every effort to get its 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
nouncement that Cajon pass has been
selected as the route for crossing tbs
mountains. This is the pass already
used by the Santa Fe. The route from
Los Angeles goes to Pomona, thence tC
Riverside, and through the San Ber-
nardino valley. crossing the mountains
at Cajon pass. From this point to the
terminus of the Navada survey NJ
route has been fixed upon.