The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-09-26
CHANCE TO GET
T0N0PAH TRAFFIC
Salt Lake Route Branch Affords 0p.
portunity to Capture Trade.
CAN BEAT SAN FRANCISCO
ROAD WILL OPERATE AS FAST AS
IT is BUILT.

Salt Lake business men have had
placed at their finger tips an opportu-
nifty to capture the market OF Nevada's
great mining district through the de-
termination OF the Salt Lake Route TO
build branch line from Las Vegas TO
Tonopah. Last March Salt Lakes job
bers considered the offer of a freighting
route TO the gold camps of sufficient
Importance TO warrant their going
deeply into the project They saw that
even with horses and rough wagon
roads they might have an even break
with san Francisco for the control Of
the Nevada market That proposition
called for the delivery of about 125 tons
daily, and for a period in transit Of
between eight and nine days.
With the completion of the Salt Lake
Route branch local shippers will have
an opportunity 20 lay down food-stuffs
in little over thirty-siX hours. Vice
President j. Ross Clark, in a special in
terview for The Herald. gave assurance
that work viii be rushed. From local
officers of the company il is learned
that not more than eight months should
elapse before the opening of the branch
Coupled TO this is the further an
nouncement that the road viii be given
TO the operating department as fast as
track is laid. Surveys have already
been made and everything ready for
immediate construction.
Big Chance for Utah.
Now the question arises: Are Utah
business men ready. or will they be
ready when the road is completed to
give San Francisco and Los Angeles
q run for their money? SO far as San
Francisco Is concerned. il has the pres
Uge of already controlling the lions
share % the market That is all In
both freight tariffs and time Salt Lake
can beat the Golden Gate city and, if
she Will. can draw away much of her
business.
So far as Los Angeles is concerned.
Salt Lake City will have an even break.
To lis between the two cities of the
SAN Lake Route and the gold fields
viii be practically the same.
Just what the branch line means in
the opinion of a Salt Laker who has
been lending a hand in the interest of
local JObbers many years, may be gath
cred from the following statement by
Manager Fisher Harris of the CONNER
cial club
Il consider that the line viii be one
of the best things secured for Salt Lake
1obbers IN years. Il ranks in impor-
lance, IN my opinion. with the victory
Won by the Commercial club in the gem
eral freight reductions made March 13
by the Oregon Short Line. trust that
the advantage given Salt Lake by the
opening of the branch road will not be
overlooked by her business men,
The freight victory referred to by Mr..
Harris was accomplished BY the Com
mercial club after three years OF in
cessant struggle. II brought material
advantages 10 this city, doing away
with Determinations against Salt Lake
and in favor of POcatellO, Boise and
Butte. When Mr.. Harris ranks the
building of the branch with the revised
freight schedule il appears that the
city has received its cue TO take the
center of the stage in traffic matters.
The distance from salt Lake to TOnO-
pah will be about sos miles. the branch
being in the neighbOrhOOd OF 120 miles
in length. In the proposition made the
business men of this city by {. I.
Marsh of Goldheld and A C. Horn of
Ogden March >, 1908. at the Commercial
club, freight line 10 miles in length
was TO be established. Marsh did not
state where he would branch off the
Salt Lake Route. The men asked the
merchants for bonus of $40. 600 and
per cent of the invoice value of goods
as soon as teamins was under actual
way They We're anxious at the time 10
get into immediate operation owing To
the fact that ToPopah and GOldfield
had suffered through delayed freight
shipments on the Southern Pacific.
The matter dragged along several
weeks, there being no definite outcome.
Some of the reasons given at that
time as 10 why Salt Lake iObhers
should get busy and go after the Ne
vada trade are of manifold Importance
now in view of the branch To be con-
structed.
Some of the benefits that will accrue
TO Salt Lake City through the opening
of the Salt Lake Route branch may be
given as follows. \ field for traffic at
present closed To Utah; a cOncentra-
ltion of trade and travel here instead
of at san Francisco; the advertisement
of Utah; the" headquarters for south
western Nevada; the attraction of ores
10 local smelters