The daily sentinel., 1905-11-14
TRULY A MARVEL

''Aiu Slsit lulleS OF the western
noVndary of the state. it crosses owe
INTO Utah and follows up the lin,
IN that state for three miles more
Later 1t is TO run into Utah further
was huilt so quietly, with sucl
niue morn blowing or talk of bone
noating. stock selling and all ma
sort of thing. that the newspapers NJ
the state almost overlooked the fac
that IL was being built. and vet In
some particulars it is the most in,
leresting railroad ever built in the
state where the great majority of the
roads nave had new problems "a
solNe and new features to present and
interest says writer i'm the Denver
Republican
This railroad was not built In the
ordinary way nor for ordinary rail
road purposes. The builders had no
need TO float bonds nor sell stock and
lhey employed no press agent TO boom
their novel features or scenic attrac-
tions of their line
IL is road built for business. but
one that had its business already cut
out for It. 1T is the Uintah rail
road, built by the asphalt people for
their own haulage of gilsonite from
their mines In Colorado and Utah. to
its connection with the Denver & Rio
Grande al Mack, Colorado. where
it can be shipped TO their factories at
( Madison. Illinois and in New Jersey.
There is a stretch on the road that
makes 10 remarkable. For its greater
length IL IL just an ordinary narrow
guage railroad following a dry gulch
in low mountain range. making its
grade at about four per cent or be-
low, but for twelve miles It is the
/ highest grade railroad operating by
traction there is to be found In
the mountains of the west. In this
{ twelve miles the road crosses the
mountains over 1000 feet in height
making the ascent of this in six and
the descent of this in the same num-
Der of miles of track. on the south
ern slope a grade of Z 5 per cent is
maintained, but on the descent. by
reason of the north slope valley in
which il ends being considerably
higher than the approch on the
south. the grade Of 5.5 is sufficient.
There is some compensation for the
curvatures which cut down the actual
distance in which the grade of 7.5
per cent is maintained to something
like five miles Of track.
The curves are something fierce
running to as sharp as as degrees
The line twists and turns at a rate
that makes the comparison with
serpent weak and insufficient The
mountain slope over which It crawls
is lined with the six lines of track.
The very map makes one dizzy.
There is not in the six miles "A tangent
OF 100 feet Five terminuses of zig
zags where switch backs might be or
are surmounted with curves from 60
and 76 degrees. There has been talk
before of the brakeman on the back
end of the train shaking hands with
the fireman on the engine, but no
road ever before so near realized the
saying.
To run a simple engine over such
track We're Of, course. impossible
For its preliminary construction OF
the approach to the hill the company
used one OF the early day engines of
the Denver G Rio Grande's narrow
guage period, but when the ascent OF
of the hill was begun a change was
necessary, and three Shea engines
were ordered. These are now in use. /.
making about five miles an hour over
the hill and keeping the curves with
reliability even though their very
form of construction precludes any IN
clining of the outer rail on even the
sharpest of curves. The Sheas are
45-tonners and have been giving good
service. but the company has hopes
OF putting on a simple engine OF an
extraordinary type that the Baldwin
are now building
-Four cars are hauled up and down
the hill bv the Sheas The old d. a 4
r.. G veteran brings the load to the
foot of the hill and from there it is
taken by one of the Sheas, which must
complete the northern end of the line,
running even on the comparatively
straight and low grade track some %
miles from the bottom of the hill to
tbe present terminus Of the line, Dra-
gon. Utah. at its possible development
OF speed of six miles an hour rms
work the Shea is required. TO 90 pc
cause they have never been aDle 10
get a simple engine over the line 10
do the work 1t could better do II II I
We're there. ~.
several gilsonite mines near ORA
con are owned by the same people
Who own the road. There are others
of the same further on its line ana
over in the Uintah reservation, some
go miles in all from the present end
of the road. Ii is expected that in
time the line will be extended at least
10 Fort Duchesne, the post OF the
Uintah reservation
Through the opening OF tpis res
ervation the railroad company found
itself confronted with the public ne
eessity to become a common car
rier. although it was never Intended
10 be such. and for several months
This wear the Uintah railway was
emong the busiest lines in the
country considering the facilities
roadbed and all that
Seeing the necessity, the company
ser resolutelv at work to prepare 10
handle the thousands who came
swarming and clamoring to be maui
ed TO the new country to when II IS
fbe most feasible route. 1t butt no
teIs al station points TO handle the
neople. constructed 6S miles OF wagon
road through the mountains, over
which to run automobiles and horse
stages. and to transfer freight IN
a,reat. numbering wagons. II bought
several automobiles including Two
Oldsmobiles to run over its railroad
rack. some 20 big Sudebaker stages
40 huge freight wagons-and secured
T-tah for horses. of which it now mas
close 10 thousand in use pulling
s,overnment freight to the post ana
Stages 10 Vernal, Utah. and uintah
.points in connection with the rall
road ..,.t.,,, ,,,,