The daily sentinel., 1905-09-20
Work Will Be Start
ed At Early Date
To Broaden the
Narrow Gua9e
Tracks

In an interview iu Denver yester-
day Vice President Schlacks. OF the
Denver 4 Rio Grande stated that the
Denver & Rio Grandc company eX-
pccted to change its narrCw guaus
lines to broad guage. the work to
start at an early date, and that one
of the first lines TO be standard
guaeed would be the one connecting
with the main line i'm this city. He
discussed msny other important rail-
road matters
rhe interview rs puI'.hcd in the
Denver Post is as follows:
Vice President Charles H. Schlacks
of the Denver 4 Rio Grande railway
returned from New York city last
night, after an absence of almost
six months. enthusiastic over the
plans for extending the Denver &
Rio Grande by means of the Western
Pacific railway from Salt Lake City
to san Francisco. In addition to the
Western Pacific project, Mr.. Schlacts
said that the Denver & Rio Grande
has extensive Improvement plans for
this state, and that they only depend
upon good conditions generally to
have them carried out.
There are good times in Colorado,
and in all parts of the United States
as we'll, said Mr.. Schlacks. Il don't
believe conditions for rapid growth
and prosperity were ever better. All
is serene ms a summer sea. and every
Indication points TO continued pros
pcrity.
"The annual report of President
Jeffriy shows how Western Pacific
affairs stand. The building of this
new road will be of the utmost bcne-
ft TO Colorado. IL will place Denver
on transcontinental line, and viii
make it gateway to the Pacific
coast.
There is nothing but sunshine
ahead for the Rio Grande, so far as
we can see. said Mr.. Suhlacks I'VE
are building new shops and adding
improvements at Burnham and we
are building new terminals in Pueblo
and we contemplate new improve
ments at our other divisions and inn
portant towns. We will put the Rio
Grande in even better shape than at
present in carrying out a long scheme
of betterments.
Denver at present is only side
station, as far as the transeontinen-
al liuCs are concerned The Union
Pacific reaches the coast by way of
Cheyenne, and the Santa Fes main
line to the coast passes through La
Junta. Denver is practically nowhere
when those lines are considered. The
traffic to and from the Orient is in
creasing by strides and bounds, and
for Denver to be the gateway for
that trade will result in untold bene-
fits to the city and state,
In speaking of the improvement
plans on the Denver & Rio Grande
system. Mr.. Schlacks said that the
company is planning to change many
Of the narrow guage branches toI
standard guage roads. He said he
did not know when the work would
be done "lt might be this year and
IL might be next year.
One of the first lines that viii be
standard guaged is the line connect
ing with the main line at Grand June
lion. A standard guage line will
be run south through Montrose, Del
IA and through all that part OF the
fruit country so that freight and pas
sengers viii not have to be transfer
red at Grand Junction
You may draw your Own ron
illusions" said Mr.. Schlacks, in speak
ing of the report of the Denver &
Rio Grande building from Durango
70 Creede I'VE have some survey
ors in the field there now said he.
II is the intention of the company
to run a standard guage line from
Creede to FL Paso, Texas, to connect
with the Texas & Pacific and the
other Gould lines which connect with
that road,
From Mr. Schlacl,s' statement i'll
is apparent that the narrow guage
lines in the Denver d Rio Grande sys
tem will all be things of the past
within the next year and a half. The
changes will, of course, depend upon
he prosperity of Colrado. The com
pany is at present enlarging It's
shops al Burnham, Pueblo and Salt
lake CITY