The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1902-05-06
HARTMAN OUTLINES PLANS
Speaks Of the Great Work Of Improvement
Now Being Made.

lines known as the Hartman system, has
the coast and through them the entire
people who live along the line of his sys-
Thursday night he outlined briefly the
work of the past few years on the Union
a forecast of the intentions for the fu-
ture.
While most of what he said has been
published in various forms and from va
rious sources many times recently. 1t is
still very interesting from the very fact
that he has deigned to give it to the pub
lie and thus. coming from the highest
authority must be taken as accurate and
correct, and must be accepted by the peo-
pie throughout the country as the true
status of at least the Hartman roads in
the West. In giving this statement out
ne took especial occasion to throw few
bouquets at the people of the West and 1t
may be ausured from this that he desires
their friendship and that his policy is to
be directed to an effort to win and retain
that friendship. Following is portion of
his remarks:
''It is not what the Southern Pacific has
done, 1 take 1t. that interests you. but
what It is doing today and what 1t pro-
poses to do. We ask for your good will
only on the substantial showing that we
can make. 1t is not necessary to recall to
the minds of most of you the indomi-
table pluck and perseverance. the courage
and confidence that built the great sys-
TEN Of which have now the honor to be
the head I doubt IL there are men alive
at this time who would risk their lives
and their fortunes In the construction of
that system. who would do what was
done years ago to bridge the deserts OF
the Middle West and connect the fertile
valleys of the Mississippi with this won
, derful coast of yours.
But that was done. and we should
honor the men who did 1t. Tonight we
are to discuss more timely issues. and
can do no better. I think. than TO con-
gratulate you. gentlemen. on the way
that you have forced us to keep pace,
or to try to. with your own magnificent
development That we have not been able
to keep up l admit Today we give you
inadequate transportation facilities. but
i assure you that 1t is your fault and not
ours. You have simply grown too fast
for us, and I am here now to pledge the
word of the Southern Pacific that you
will not lead us for very long time.
We are going to catch up.
-Four years ago. when the Union Pa
cific road emerged from bankruptcy and
the preesnt management took possession
we found tht we could not handle the
business offered us. We added 81 per cent
to its freight equipment. and the same
proportion to its carrying capacity. We
reduced grades, eliminated curves and
spared no expense to make 1t a perfect
road. We built 15S miles OF new track
to shorten our road thirty mies-an en-
glneering problem that is difficult of COM
prehnsion, but perfectly true-and we
think now that the Union Pacific is all
that a railroad ought to be. 1t takes
some nerve. gentlemen. to spend s5000,ooo
or s6.0oo.O0o on work of that sort these
days, but we did IT: did 1t cheerfully.
And we are going to spend $200o0,O0o
on the Southern Pacific That means Inn
provement in the coast line from San
Francisco to Los Angeles; the finishing
OF the tunnel through Simi pass and the
reduction of grades, the elimination of
curves, the building of new bridges. the
Improvement Of the roadbed and the lay
ing of new rails from Los Angeles to Ell
Paso. We have pound rails now; we
are going to have eighty-pound rails.
And while I am on the subject Of road
Improvement want to tell you that from
Reno to Ogden. distance OF $50 miles,
we have reduced the percentage of grades
from ninety-seven feet to the mile to
twenty-one feet We have so cut out
curves that a train which used to des-
cribe sixty circles In making the trip