The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-07-05
Rio Grande Influence Said to BE
Backing Denver, North
western & Pacific.
WILL MEET HARTMAN
IN COMPETITION
New Road Will Connect With the
Western Pacific and Cut Dis
tanCe Across Continent.
Special TO The Tribune.

NEW YORK, July "A dispatch
from Denver. circulated through the
usual news channel and published by
number OF morning papers, states
that the Denver, Northwestern & Pa
clfc (Moffat road has secured positive
Eastern connections. with the Chicago
Great Western as a hacker and the San
Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt Lake road
as an outlet to Pacific tidewater. thus
making 1t a part of the Hartman sys-
tenn and supposed transcontinental
line. Men here familiar with railroad
affairs state that they are at a loss to
find any Eastern connection with which
the new Western road could form an
alliance and remain in Hartman con-
troll. The dispatch does not state and
Mr.. Moffat refuses to discuss the pro-
tcct and 1t Is Shrcwdly conjectured
that not f, H, Hartman, but George j..
Gould Is the real potent factor behind
the new line to Salt Lake City.
Necessity of Shorter Route
This conclusion Is based on a general
survey of railroad conditions in the
West, the present activity of the Gould
people, the necessity for q short and
quick passage across the Continental
divide to successfully compete with
Hartman interests on the Union Pa
cinc and thus expedite the Journey
from Atlantic to Pacihc tidewater. All
this and more would be achieved with
the completion OF the Moffat road un-
der Gould control.
Train Time Reduced.
The Denver. Northwestern & Pacific
Is approximately 200 miles shorter be-
tween the two terminals than the other
Gould line, the Denver & Rio Grande
1t is estimated that the train time will
be shortened by about ten hours. The
present Rio Grande schedule Is about
twenty-seven hours from Denver to
Salt Lake. on the new road IL would
be reduced To seventeen or sixteen
hours on a twenty-fouT- hour schedule.
The distance ls covered Via the Union
Pacific In from eighteen TO twenty
hours, according to schedule. Thus
Gould would be In the saddle.
Connect with Western Pacific.
At Salt Lake City the connection
would be the Western Pacific, now In
course OF construction TO San Francis
CO Here the schedule OF the new road
Will compare favorably with the Har-
riman line. although the distance COW
cred is greater, the Gould road being
over 500 miles distant from Salt Lake
L
S25 miles This distance in mileage Is
more than overcome by the difference
In grades. the latter being the grenI
obstacle on the Hartman route
Does History Repeat Itself?
D. II. MoffatS connection with the
new road Is not unnatural. as the Den
yer 1inuncier was Il factor In the build
ing of the Denver & Rio Grande In the
early sos. which ultimately became
the property of the GouldS, and II Is
probably "a case of history repeating.
That the line ls being pushed forward
Govertly so far as the real financial
end OF the deal is concerned ls but in
keeping with past actions on the part
of the Gould people as witness the
oft-repeated den!als of those interests
OF connection with Western Pacific AZ
fairs until a year. ago. when President
Jeffrey made the announcement that
the new Pacific road was a Gould pro-
Ject.
Advantage to BE Gained.
With the knowledge that the Monal
road was TO pierce the Continental cl-
vide that it would be an advantageous
route, the Gould interests :eaizeo 'hs
material advantage 10 be cameo anu
thus gave II their aid and lnnuence'
Aside from the advantages ana possl
bilties already enumerated, the ne"
line from a scenic standpoint eclipses
any project ever conceived and carried
INTO execution on this continent. Thirty
years ago an attempt was made to
build mis- road. but It was abandoned
On account of the supposed lnsur-
rnountable engineering obstacles. Mod
ern engineering science and skill how
evar have devised ways ard means o.
o,,ercomIng the barriers, so that soon
tbe road will be an accomplished fact
The tremendous influence brought to
hear on the Government In the Gore
CANYON litigation required powerful
influence on behalf of the railroad to
gain for IL a roadway through the "a
NOUS gorge. and this success is at
tributed to Gould manipulation. Again,
those IN high official positions on the
Gould system have been heard to de.
clare that some day the Hartman
people would wake up and find them
selves thoroughly checkmated and
beaten In the railroad rivalry I'm the
Western part of the continent al
least" and II may be that the Denver.
& Pacific is the chief
pawn in the game,