Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-12-24
A TRIUMPH OF ENGINEERING
How the Dream of Road Across
Great Salt Lake Came to he
Realised.

When the first survey OF the Uuion Pa
cifc railroad came out Of the mouth Of
Weber canyon. a little southeast of the
present city of Ogden It found the Great
Salt lake lying across its path westward
to junction with the Central Pacific.
Even at that early date some idea of the
possibilities Of the later day triumphs OF
railroad construction seems to have oc-
CURED to the engineers Of the survey. for
they discussed a little, though perhaps more
jocularly than seriously. the feasibility OF
driving straight across the lake. or at least
across its eastern arm. OF course they
gave II up The idea then was almost
chimerical There was neither the genius
in finance bold enough to undertake such
a stupendous work nor the traffic to war
rant such an expenditure. It may be
doubted, too, If there was engineering faith
equal TO the task. So the line was built
up through the hills around the north end
OF the lake.
But that light talk Of the early COS was
not without its fruit. The idea remained
the dream, the hope. the faith. of one OF
the young men employed in building the
Central Pacific. William Hood was Of that
company of across the isthmus" pioneers
who have made their mark and their fame
Pacific slope. AS he worked his way up
to the responsible post of chief engineer
Of the Southern Pacific system, owner Of
the old Central Pacific he never lost sight
Of the possibility of that line across Salt
lake. Coils p. Huntington. the master Of
the Pacific railroads. was inclined to think
that II might be DONE but the time was
not yet ripe. the traffic was not heavy
enough to Justify the expense, and such
enterprises were not easy to finance. But
after Mr.. Huntngtons death there came
to the head of Southern Pacific affairs
man whose financial ability and holiness
matched the engineering skill and pluck
OF Mr.. Hood. In Edward H. Hartman Mr.
Hood found a man who sympathized with
and believed in his plans and who was
able and willing to provide the money.
The times had changed The day of
great and bold enterprises had come. The
old era of pinching and often false coon
omy, that let roadbed and rolling stock
run down in order to squeeze out an I'M
, justified dividend. was ended. The condi-
ton had been reached where it was only
necessary for the engineer to show how
the interest on the investment could be
made to be told TO go ahead. Traffic had
increased TO such a point that operation
over the steep ana crooked old line was
becoming constantly more and more vex-
atious and difficult. Relief must be had.
Financier agreed with engineer as to how
1t could be obtained, and the result is the
"Lucien cutoff" as it is called, the line
that runs from Ogden straight over Great
Salt lake, which it crosses on a trestle
/ nearly twelve miles long and on twenty
miles of I'LL" and over the desert flats,
", oil 70 lin n-l1a
joins the old road 1t is cutoff in
deed. Forty-three miles in distance are
Topped Off heart-breaking grades avoided,
curves eliminated, hours of time in transit
saved and untold worry and vexation
prevented, at the same time that ex-
penses of operation are reduced more
than enough to pay interest on the whole
cost twice over.-Oscar King Davis in the
1 Century.