The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-05-05
NO BorToMLEss PIT.
Fake Stories Punetured by Engineer
of Salt Lake Cut-of.~

of Salt Lake Cut-of.~
In contradiction of many newspaper
stories of salt Lakes Bottomless Pit
Mr.. William Hood. chief engineer of the
Southern Pacific. furnishes the follow
ing statement to the Railroad Gazette:
The yarns and fake stories circulated
from Salt Lake City about difficulties
and disasters attending the building Of
the Central Pacific cutoff from Ogden
to Lucin are without foundation 1 have
never heard OF any scientist examining
the sO-called peculiar and wonderful
bottOnless pit for Mr.. Hartman. nor
did 1 even know that any bottOmleSS
holes existed in the bottom of Great Sait
Lake along the line of our Improvement
AS a matter Of fact. we have expert
enced less trouble from the settling and
sinking OF material dumped into the
lake than is frequently encountered il
work Of this character. Everybody
knows that there is most always more
or less settling Of material dumped into
water and the only thing to do IS u
keep on adding to the mass until it stops
settling The salt Lake I'LL has really
been very easy TO handle and a small
percentage only of material deposited
has sunk or settled. thus eliminating
many mishaps and trouble often attend
ing even ordinary construction WOrh
along railroads. The story that we have
driven pile after ollie one on top of the
other, in an attempt to find solid ground
1890
talk about.
Another thing, the company has never
lost an engine or car through sinking
into the lake, nor has even an ENGINE
or car ever been spfashed with water or
mud, Every bit of work done so far
has remained intact and we are progress
sing towards completion IN a manner
satisfying to the highest degree. -Four
great steam shOvels are at work load
ing dump cars with material and are
I deDositing between 10000 and 10000
cubic yards Of rock and earth along the
/ fill every week This fill is about 20
miles long. of which II miles is to be on
q trestle and about Is miles on solid
filed n ground. The trestle will bridge
the deeper portion of salt Lake where
the water is about 30 to IS feet deep
The .restls win be completed in about
two months. or trifle more, but it will
require a longer time to do the filing Of
the solid portion of the cutoff. Even
tually the entire thing will be solid
ground, as we intend to deposit material
until it is all solid. If we waited to dc
that now it would take too long, as We
want to get train operating over the
new line as soon as possible or long be
fore the beginning of next year. We
viii save about 43 miles in distance over
the present route via Promontory when
the cutoff is opened for traffic
1 wish to state absolutely that all Of
! these stories about vast unnecessary ex-
pense and trouble attending our work
on this Improvement are false in every
4 detail, and nearly all of the yarns (
notice started from Salt Lake City,
where we have some enemies who have
a grievance against the company be-
cause i did not care to build IS miles
of track around the southern shore OF
Salt Lake into Salt Lake City. Quite a
number of people there are resentfui
towards the company and its fill cutoff
No secrecy has ever been maintained
about our work, which some reports
state has been the case. for fear some
thing might found hG71t orr
doubt originated because I have issued
strict orders that no person shall be
allowed around the work OF on work
trains without a special permit I do
not allow any superintendent even 10
grant this permission. because it is I'M
safe to let people on premises where big
construction is being carried on. [
simply did this to avoid accidents and
not to conceal anything. because there
is nothing to hide. We have q COM
plete electric light plant. and the work
is carried on night and day.