Cañon City record., 1906-08-02

canon lily, anu tu6 -. = -. ". Whb OK
tending its line over the eastern slope
Of Colorado and had hopes Of getting
to the western slope. One day |
l was going down the wagon road
through the Royal Gorge which had
been built by Canon City to what is
known as the twentieth milepost in
the canon. noticed that the Santa |
Fe was hauling ties and rails and max |
ing preparations to build the road
through the Gorge. hurried down to
Canon City and there learned that the
Santa Fe had leased the road from the
city and intended to build the road
through the Gorge. realized that If
the D. & R. G. ever reached the west
ern slope it must be through that
route.
"They knew we were after it, and l
Immediately hurried down to Pueblo
and notified the D. & r. G. people OF
what was going on. Action was quick.
In few days we had eleven forts
established in the Gorge between Can
on City and the twentieth mile post.
We manned these eleven forts with
1876 men The Santa Fe, determined
to go through. employed 1900 men,
and sent them there to take us out of
the forts, but as we occupied the COM
manding position they never attempt
ed it. Arsenals were maintained In
different places along the line by both
railroads and the siege kept up for
months. There was no way to stop
the Santa Fe people and its line until
the twentieth milepost was reached. so
their workmen continued to lay ties
and rails through the canon, and one
day about 2 o'clock In the afternoon
came in sight of the twentieth mile |
post. Right here. let me say. that after
this post had been passed there was
room for a railroad track on both |
sides of the canon, and there would
have been nothing to hinder them from
going on up. o
I'VE took a tie and marked across
1t on the top. 'Deadline.' We placed
It in the center OF the grade where they
could see 1t. The workmen laid their
ties to within one foot Of this tie and
one Of the laborers picked up another
tie and started across. and called to
him: DO not cross that line The
foreman of the gang said. oh. go on;
he has no authority to boss you The
laborer started, when again told him
not to cross that line or he would get
hurt Turning to the foreman the la
borer handed him the tie and said. II
you want that tie across there you
may place it there; l do not care to
do it. The foreman did not try 1t, but
one of their men asked. BY what au-
thority do you stop the United States
mails? l replied: am not stop
ping the United States malls. because
this road is not hauling United States
mails as yet. He stopped and held a
short parley with his men and came
back and said again: by what au-
do you stop the construction of
a railroadT I replied: BY authority
of the supreme court of the United
States This seemed to satisfy him.
for he and his men went away and
never came back.
After the men departed the man
ayers OF the two corporations held
and an agreement was
reached whereby the Santa Fe people
sold the portion of the railroad through
the Gorge which It had constructed to
the D. & r. G. and waived all rights
10 the line through the canon. II also
It's rights which It secured
by leasing the wagon road from the
people of Canon City.
This. in brief. is the outline OF the
contest. but OF course. you know there
are many details which l have forgot
.en. It was simply fight between the
.wo corporations for the Royal Gorge.
and the D. & r. G. won. After II was