The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-10-13
GOULD LINE
TO THE COAST
Speculation Concerning tho Rio
Grande Western Extension.
GEN. HARRIS ANNOUNCEMENT
CALIFORNIA MIDLAND A LINK
IN THE SYSTEM.

General w. H. H. Hart. who fled ar
ticles of incorporation of the Califor-
mia Midland railway in Sacramento
this week. is quoted in special dis
patch as saying that his road is to be
a part of the Gould system, which will
be extended to the coast.
This announcement, in the face of the
many recent indications that the Har-
riman and Gould interests are becom-
ing more closely Identified than ever is
not received with general credence. On
the other hand. there have been devel
opments recently which might be cited
to show the possibility that the Gould
| system actually is preparing to carry
out the long-cherished plans of the old
Rio Grande Western for an extension
to the Pacific coast Rio Grande West
ern surveyors are now at work running
9 new line from the vicinity of Cisco
in westerly direction to join the old
Salina canyon survey, which is being
gone over and improved. This cut-SS
saves considerable distance. 1t has
previously been supposed to be part
of a plan to extend the line over TO a
connection with the San Pedro and the
Oregon Short Lines California extern
sion, as well as to open up new coal
/ fields in Castle valley and furnish q
/ direct route for the transportation of
coal and coke to the vicinity OF the
great iron deposits near Cedar City
| I he Rio Grande has for years had a
/ survey for a California extension of its
own. but the purchase of the road by
/ the Gould interests was supposed TO
/ have put a stop to all thoughts of a
/ California extension for many years to
/ come Moreover. local railroad men
[ scOff at the idea that under present
circumstances the Rio Grande would
4 attempt to build a third competing line
/ across the southern Nevada desert.
/ General Hart is quoted as saying that
the proposed new route would shorten
| by 300 miles the distance between Chi
cagO and San Francisco. A possible
/ route would he the extension of the
/ Marysvale branch according to present
! surveys down the ParOwan valley, past
/ the iron deposits and across Nevada
almost due west. instead of southwest.
/ as the San Pedro and Short Line are
| building. This would bring the road
/ to the point for which the newly incor-
porated California Midland is declared
/ to be abingdon mountain. at the
edge of the San Joaquin valley and
near the Yosemite. The California
/ Midland it is stated. will extend from
| there to San Francisco. a distance of
200 miles.
Whether the California Midland will
ever be a link in a transcontinental
system or not the projectors are talk
ing of building up a.local tonnage by
/ opening up the Minaret iron mines
/ which are situated on Iron mountain.
the present principal objective of the
! road.
A road will be built first between
/ FRESNO and Iron mountain. a distance
of f1fty-one miles. Later the road will
| be built &C San Francisco. with
branches to Bakersfield. to the Yosemi-
I tie valley and to Stockton. Port Rich
mond viii be the principal port for the
road 1t is expected that big iron
manufacturing industry win be built
up, competing With the proposed iron
works TO be made possible in Utah BY
the building of the San Pedro. Los An
! geles & Salt Lake road to the Utah
| iron deposits.
| w Fl. II. Hart, w. NJ. Graham Daniel
p Hayes, r. J. Davis. f. r. Graham
EDWARD Dexter, Albert Betz. Henry c.
! Bunker and B. c. Van Enron.