The Ordway new era., 1906-03-23
.LEADv|LLE line.
PROPOSED NEW ROUTE VIA MOI.
FAT ROAD.
TO START At KREMMLINe
Road to Be Built Up the Blue River to
oillon-old Denver 4 Rio Grande
Right Of Way and Grade Secured.

''~S~ ~ - Sebk w kVC DUO hINSF 10
oiilon-oId Denver 4 Rio Grande
Right Of Way and Grade Secured.
Denver.-The Denver Republican
Wednesday morning says:
Within the next year the Moffat rail-
road will be competing with the Den
YER & Rio Grande, the Colorado Mid
land and the Colorado & Southern rail.
roads for business out OF Leadville.
This Is one OF the most important an.
nouncements that Denver has had in
long time. The reason the Moffat
road will be able to do this is because
feeder is to be built up the Blue
river, distance OF forty miles. to con
meet with the new route. a company
OF Denver. business men has been or.
essary steps to exploit their project.
David II. Moffat and associates are
said not to be back of the project.
but that 1t is in the hands of capital
lists who have realized the importance
OF opening up the territory. II is I'M
portant to Denver because IL brings
the Leadville trade many miles nearer.
and 1t is important to the Leadville
mining district because 1t will put the
ores much nearer cheap coal. whether
the ore is shipped to the coal or the
coal to the camp.
The company has secured rights of
way up the Blue river and in fact prac.
tically has n grade all ready, because
10 has come into possession of the old
anver a. Rio Grande grade, CON
structed many years ago.
The distance from Denver to Lead
vile is PISS miles by the Denver 4
Rio Grande. 1t is practically the same
distance via the Colorado Midland less
the forty miles between Colorado
Springs and Pueblo. The Colorado a.
Southern is not taken into account be-
cause II is n narrow gauge route and
n heavy grade. The Moffat line will
be twenty-five miles shorter than that.
The distance between Denver and
Leadville via the Moffat road is 1853
miles. or eighty miles shorter than the
Rio Grande. That means about three
hours OF running time, as trains are
now operated In the mountains.
The situation is as follows: The
Mofiat road is now completed TO Sui
phur Springs. but the grade is made tn
Kremmling. distance OF lis miles
from Denver The rails on this part
of the track are delayed in delivery.
but will be put down early in the
spring. Kremmling is two and one.
half miles from the eastern entrance
of Gore canon, In which large force
OF men is now ut work making the
grade. The Blue river empties into
the Grand river practically at the town
of Kremmling. The town of Dillon Is
on the Blue river. forty miles from
Kremmling. Both the Denver Rio
Grande and the Colorado 4 Southern
have lines of road into Dillon from
Leadville.
Now the proposition OF the Denver
men is that they will build the forty
miles between kremmling. II they
then find that they can not make
proper running agreement with the
older companies for running trains pe,
tween Dillon and Leadville, they VIII
parallel the other lines into Leadville.
II ia n distance of thirty.seven miles.
As originally planned the Denver &
Rio Grande road should have been
built west practically as the Mohat
road is now going. through Gore
canon. The work was undertaken ana
the line was graded to Dillon and up
the Blue to within mile and half
west of Kremmling and up the Muddy
river. The rails were only laid on the
portion to Dillon, and eventually the
grade for the remaining forty miles
was turned over to the commissioners
of summit and Grand counties. and II
became county road. The men who
are undertaking to build this road
to connect with the Moffat line have
secured an agreement by which this is
In he turned over to them for right
of way. It will take considerable
money to put this in shape. OF course,
but they practically find their grade
waiting for them.
II is estimated that the road can be
built for 5000 900 or about $15,ooO
mile. The money for the work is ready
for them when they want 1t.
At present the immense quantities
nj coai used in the Leadville district Is
brought up from Trinidad and Crested
pmtte. or from New Castle on the west
ern slope. 1t is a long and expensive
baul and the Moffat people claim tnat
with the Blue river feeder built tney
can Law coal down at half the price
consumers are now paying.