Los Angeles herald., 1906-08-28
WIDENING PLANS
FOR MT. WILSON
MOUNTAIN TRAIL BECOMING A
WAGON ROAD
Pasadena Is Deeply Interested in the
Future Of Mountain Resort and
Hopes for Long Projected
Scenic Railway
Pasadena Agency,
16th East Colorado street,
Telephone Main 102.

PASADENA. Aug. 21-Persons who
visit the mouth of Eaton's canyon
these days usually go UP the new tran
toward the summit of Mt. Wilson, IL
only for a short distance, to see what
progress is being made with the wild
ening of the trail, as undertaken by
the Carnegie solar observatory people.
Work has been going on from the
lower end of the trail for about three
weeks, but in that short time wonders
have been accomplished. Where be-
fore was a narrow, precarious trail
of from three to four feet in width,
now stretches a wide thoroughfare, as
tonishing in comparison, of full eight
feet
To tenderfoot It looks as though one
could drive an OK cart UP such road
as this. AS yet many lodges and great
boulders project into this trail and
hardly anything has been attempted
to remove these. That will be done
as soon as the truck with its electric
drills arrives.
Ninety men are now working on the
trail and the way in which they are
transforming the burro trail is simply
wonderful. An eight-foot wagon trail
with nothing sleeper than a ten per
cent grade, extending from the wash
at the foot of Eaton's canyon, not
more than a half mile from Esperanza
and less than three miles from Alta
dena and its Mount Lowe railroad
ought to set the builders of mountain
railroads to thinking-and it will.
Graders VIII Work
On Thursday of this week a force of
seventy-five skilled graders will begin
working upon this trail from the top
of Mt Wilson, crawling down the
mountain side step by step to meet
I,n
Meanwhile tents are being hurriedly
erected near the upper end of the
trail and preparations made to railroad.
by burro train, of course, the great
food supplies needed by this added
force of men at the summit.
A little gossip as to things doing
about the great pagoda-like observa-
tory at the summit can be allowed be-
cause of the growing interest In the
work on the trail.
Professor Hale and his assistants
talk guardedly of plans for the erection
of possibly a half dozen new buildings
about the monastery" the workshops
and the experimental stations. Many
of these will await the completion of
the new trail, for 1t is expensive busi-
ness, this carrying of oaken beams and
barrels of cement to the peak on the
backs of burros. But the plans are
being pushed and it is probable that
yet more surprising structures than
those already there will go up as soon
as the big telescope is out of the way.
One of the projected buildings by the
way, is to be for the entertainment and
accommodation of the general public,
now necessarily shut out-be 1t said,
with considerable difficulty-from the
canvas covered observatory and the
workshops AS yet there are no blue
coated police on the summit and with
out their aid 1t has been almost i'm
possible to protect the instruments and
inquisitive persons. 1t Is reported that
some very expensive apparatus has re-
Gently been ruined because of the un-
Intentional carelessness of visitors.
Building for Public
1t Is proposed then, as soon as pos
sible, to construct building expressly
for the use of the public. Here will
be displayed photographs taken by the
apparatus of the observatory, charts
Illustrating the Investigations going on
and from time to time records of dis
coveries. These exhibits will be made
as popular as seems desirable, the
building with its valuable contents to
become what it necessarily will be, with
its setting of clouds and mountain
canyons, hoary forests and sparkling
ocean, another of the famous wonder
spots of Southern California.
Then if someone will only build a
railroad which will make this great
peak more easily cessible-but that
is altogether another story.