Omaha daily bee., 1905-07-28
OBJECT OF HARRlMAN'S VISIT
What Brings Magnate This Way is Puzzling
Railroad Men.
SEVERAL REASONS ARE IN SPECULATION
Reported He VIII See MOnatt as
Wen ne Look After Tunnels
Through sierra Nevada
Mountains.

The coming Of f. II. Hartman to the
west at this time is a matter Of much in
terest in railroad circles. Mr.. Hartman
belongs to that class OF men who somehow
do not take the public into their conf
dences, hence it is not generally known,
from the lips Of Mr.. Hartman, just why
he is making special trip from New York
to the Pacific coast now. But conditions
offer some mighty good suggestions. Rail-
road men who are wont to speculate on
such matters think they see enough out IN
this western country to interest the great
ma gnate to the extent OF calling for a per-
sonal visit.
First and foremost-this is no secret-he
has projected the construction OF five great
tunnels through the Sierra Nevada noun
tains dividing California and Nevada and
taking the place of the forty-one miles Of
snow sheds which protect the Southern
Pacific as IL traverses the great divide.
These snow sheds long have been an eye
sore to E. II. Hartman
MY next big job is to abolish those snow
sheds and bore big hole through those
hills said the railroad king to a party Of
newspaper men on the occasion of his trip
to the west when the Ogden-Lucin cut off
was opened and dedicated.
And now that work is In progress. So
that is one reason why Mr.. Hartman Is
coming west.
what About the San Pedrof
who controls the salt Lake-san Pedro
road?" railroad men are asking these days.
While 1t is generally accepted that Sem
ator william A. Clark. Just ordered to
Europe to recover his health. is the power
behind the throne, there is substantial
grounds in railroad circles for the state
ment that the Hartman people own 81 per
cent of the stock of this road and 81 per
cent gives control. Be that as It may the
Union Pacific is running it's trains over the
San Pedro from Salt Lake as a short cut
to Los Angeles and the interesting point
which railroad men are trying to settle is,
IF Hartman does not control this road,
why not, since It is direct competitor Of
the Southern Pacific. beating that road
into Los Angeles and southern California
by several laps?"
Perfection of certain plans for the i'm
provement of conditions on this new road
is taken as another object attracting Har-
riman to the west.
To Meet ID. II. MOnat.
Rumor has It that Mr. Hartman and
D. H. Moffat have a conference scheduled
at Denver, the subject of which will be the
future Of the Moffat road building from
Denver to Salt Lake. Whether it is true
or not that the Goulds have a controlling
interest in the new Moffat line, railroad
men Of good judgment adhere to the theory
that it benooves the Hartman interests
to get in on this proposition If they can,
and II not prepare competition which Will
make It hard for the Moffat people to gain
the whip hand at which they have aimed
The road, as projected, goes on a bee line
almost, from Denver to Salt Lake and there
an interesting question arises, How much
farther wost will it extend?" 1t might go
on to San Francisco and. there is a great
deal of talk that 1t will do this. In that
event Mr.. Hartman would have another
competitor OF potential strength.
The exact time of Harrimans arrival
in Omaha Is not known at Union Pacific
headquarters.
Electric Line Project.
Incidentally. since his retirement from
the board of directors of the Hartman
roads, E. H. Huntington, owner of the
street railway system of Los Angeles, has
bought Redondo, eighteen miles from Los
Angeles and one of the most popular OF
southern California beach resorts. He Is
said to have a gold mine in the traffic
which his motor lines carry to and from
this great place. Mr.. Hartman is said to
have the evil eye on Coronado Beach or
another rival OF Redonda, and also to have
determined on extensive investments in
electric line property in southern California
as a competitor to Huntington. There is no
question but that Huntingtons revenues
have been materially swelled by the en-
trance OF the San Pedro road. and on the
theory that Hartman controls this road
railroad men argue that he is too shrewd
to allow the fruits of his skillful labors to
be entirely garnered by others than-himself.