Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1906-03-06

TRIUMPH OF ENGINEERING.
Dream of Read Across Great Salt
Lake at Last Realized.

Lake at Last Realized.
When the first survey of the Union
Pacific Railroad came out of the
mouth of Weber Canyon, little
southeast of the present city of Og-
den, it found the Great Salt Lake
lying across its path westward to
a junction with the Central Pacific.
Even at that early date some idea
of tne possibilities of the later day
triumphs of railroad construction
seems to have occurred to the engi-
neers of the survey, for they dis
cussed little, though perhaps more
jocularly than seriously, the feasibil-
ity Of driving straight across the
lake, or at least across its eastern
arm. OF course they gave it up. The
idea then was most chimerical. There
was neither the genius in finance
bold enough to undertake such stu
pendous work nor the traffic to war
rant such an expenditure. 1t may
be doubted, too, if there was engi-
neering 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 six
ties 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 Pa
cific. William Hood was of that
company of across the isthmus' pio-
neers who have made their mark and
their fame in the development of
California and the Pacific slope. AS
he worked his way up to the RESPONSE
BILE 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. Hunt
ington, the master of the Pacific
railroads, was inclined to think that
it 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.. Huntington's
death there came to the head of
Southern Pacific affairs q man whose
financial ability and boldness
matched the engineering skill and
pluck of Mr. Hood In Edward H.
Hartman Mr. Hood found man who
sympathized with and believed in mis-
plans, and who was able and willing
to provide the money.
The times mad changed. The day
of great and bold enterprises had
come The era of pinching and often
false economy, that let roadbed and
rolling stock run down in order to
squeeze out On unjustified dividend,
was ended The condition had been
reached where it was only necessary
for the engineer to show how the in
terest on the irvestment could be made
to be told 20 go ahead. Traffic had
increased to such a point that opera
ton over he steep and crooked old
line was becoming constantly more
and more yexaGous and difficult. Re
lief must be had. f1nancler agreed
with engineer as to how it could ne
obtained, and the result is the 'Lu.
Gin Cutoff" as it is called, the line
that runs from Ogden straight over
Great Salt Lake, which it crosses on
, trestle nearly twelve miles long
and or twenty miles of FILL" and
over the desert flats, 102 miles in
all. to Lucin, where it rejoins the
old road. 1t is a "cutoff" indeed.
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 expenses of operation
are reduced more than enough to
pay interest on the whole cost twice
over.-From Oscar King Davis's THE
Lucin Cutoff in the Century.