The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-01-27
NJ. & M. OFFICIAL
DISCOVERS COAL
Harris Makes a Trip Over Rio
Grande to Castle
Gate.
CONDITIONS AST0NISH HIM
plENTY OF COAL, BUT MOTIVE
POWER is INADEQUATE.
CONDITIONS ASToNlSH HIM
BY c. o. HARRIS.
Manager Of Manufacturers &
M.rnhn 49, A....s-Ai



That the state Of Utah. and Salt Lake
rfy in particular. are in the grip OF a
roel famine IS too well known to admit
iof argument, but what is not known is
the fact that this shortage is in no
manner due to any lack Of coal in the
ground but is merely the outcome of
conditions over which the public up to
this time has had no control.
In view Of the amount of public in
terest in regard to coal conditions at
fhis time. as manager Of the Manufac-
,urers & Merchants association. I made
n special trip from Salt Lake to Castle
Gate Friday afternoon. returning last
evening. The result Of my investiga-
tons are embodied I'm the following
statement:
Rumors Of cars OF coal allowed 10
stand on sidetracEs instead of being
shipped 10 distributing points for dis
rrIbution among the people who so had
" need H. have reached our associa-
iton from tino to time. The complaints
were in many instances OF a specific
nature. and the instances so we'll au-
thentic7ted that we shad no choice but
70 believe The persistence of these
their denial finally made II necessary
that we make an effort to see for our
selves just what conditions actually
were.
TO say that these were astonishing
expresses Il mildly. We had been led
10 believe that every effort was being
put forth on the part of all concerned
10 get coal TO Salt Lake City. Natural
ly expecting in view Of the repeated
statements that all traffic was be-
ing suspended for the purpose of using
,sI available cars and motive power for
the transportation of coal, I counted
nearly 500 cars of coal between Salt
Lake and Castle Gate.
Met Few Coal Trains.
left salt Lake on Friday morning
on No. 6 of the Rio Grande Western,
arriving at Castle Gate late that after
noon, during which time I passed but
three short freight trains, each one
containing a few cars of coal and sew
eTal cars of coke. all headed north. pre-
Humably for Salt Lake. No trains were
met between Salt Lake and Provo. and
no cars Of coal were seen except a few
cars at the Lehi sugar works. placed
for their own use. At Provo the first
TRAIN was met ana seen 10 q contain
twenty cars. twelve of which were load
ed with coal. In the yards awaiting an
opportunity TO depart for the north. No
other trains were passed until Thistle
was reached. which point is the juno
ton OF the Marysvale branch and the
main line. Here the second train was
met. containing thirty cars. twenty OF
coke and ten of coal, which presumably
pulled out after my train had left the
depot.
] also observed the Southbound train
on the Marysvale branch standing on
the " which was almost entirely
made up OF coal and coke cars going
south. presumably to supply Mount
Pleasant and other nearby points. al
though me distance was too great 10
count the entire number Of cars in the
train. At Tucker. which IS q cOaling
point for the railroad and has quite ex-
tenSive yards. I began to realize that
there must be some coal i'm Utah, re-
ports TO the contrary Notwithstanding
Nearly every foot of spare trackage in
the Yards was occupied by cars of coal
and coke. as the yards-seasned TO be
used for storage purposes almost exclu-
cfNof--