The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-05-18
LOCK HORNS
Brief But Lively Controversy Be
tween Rio Grande and Salt
Lake Route at Provo.

Provo, May 16.-Last night the San Pc
dro Railway company commenced the
construction Of the extension of the spur
on Sixth South street, which is now built
freight at the z. c. NJ. l., and this morn
ing about hundred feet of track was
iald ana some forty men were at work
laying ties and rails. AS soon as this
was noticed by the d. & r. G. that com
pany commenced action in opposition. a
freight train was run onto the spur,
which prevented the San Pedro people
from getting construction material over
the line TO the point where work was 60
ing on. An iron freight car placed at the
head Of the Obstructing train was run
ONO a push car used by the san Pedro
constructing crew and loaded with mate
RAJ, and the push car, smashed flat on
the track, remains under the big iron car
and marks the terminus of railroad facIl-
1ueS 10 the new track. The San Pedro
force of wOrkmen continued to lay track
and ties east of the point where their
work was interrupted, using ties and
rails already on the ground and preparing
was interrupted by the D. q r. @. crowd
Of men of about equal number, and no
progress could be made. Sheriff Harmon
and City Marshal Henry were called onto
the ground, but there were no breaches
Of the peace, and the officers decided
they could not make any arrests. The
cOntending forces were just buSy-nOth-
ing mOTe-the San Pedro men in laying
ties and tracks and the D. < r. G. men
in moving them. but no violence was
used.
The attorneys OF the respective com
painless. R Thurman of the d. & r 9.
and J. W. y. WhitecOttOn of the San
PedrO-Were consulted by Agent FOUtS o!
the D. & r. @. and Agent Craig of the
warning forces and work was begun on
restraining orders by the San Pedro
against the D. & r. G. for ObstrUcting
the work and by the d. & r. C. against
the San Pedro for doing the work, and
operations of the constructing gangs were
postponed awaiting developments.
The object of building the track by the
San Pedro was to reach the canning fac
tory now being built a block east OF the
L G.. NJ l. The two companies have a
franchise from the city for joint track
on the street and the joint track has
been built and has been used for many
years as far east as the L. g N l. 1t IS
claimed that by tho San PEDRO extending
the track east Independently it would Sc
cure some preferential rights over II
which would permit il TO shut out the d
< r G. at will. or at least that the u. &
R G. would only have secondary traffic
rights over the extension and that TINS
Is why the D. & r. @. objected to the
construction Of the extension by the rival
road
Housen and Attorney Cherrington OF the
san Pedro and Superintendent Elliott and
Attorney Waidemar Van Colt represent
ing the D & r. G.. came down from SAT-
Lake to take a hand in the local trouble
and with the local attorneys, a conference
was held and il was soon decided tnat
nothing would be gained by hght; thaJ
under the terms of the franchise the COM
panies had equal rights. The contest
was then declared off and 1t IS probable
that a joint track viii be constructed
by the two companies
The San Pedro people claimed at the
conference that they were not aware that
rbe d & r G. company had accepted
The franchise granted by the city council
for a Joint track in 1897. which as a mat
ter of fact the D. & r. g. did not &C
cept until d few days ago, which was
accented by the Oregon Short Line. the
predecessor of the San Pedro at the time
it was granted On the superstition that
the D & r G. did not care to join III
the track the San Pedro company com
menced building operations in good faith.