The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-12-28
/ RAILROAD NEWS.
Hill and Hartman Struggle for
Western Supremacy.
Two Giants Are Making WyOm-
ing the Battle Ground.
To BUILD NEW LINES
Hills Plan Is to Connect His
Present Properties.
other Items of Interest in Rail-
way Circles.
TO BUILD NEW LINES

Hill and Hartman. the opposing kings
OF commerce, in their struggle for su-
premacy in the west, have planned a
campaign of railroad building in Wyom-
ing, which will open the eyes of the
railroad world.
The work of Hill will be to connect
up lines he has bought and to make a
second line to unite with his big trans
continentals. the Northern Pacific and
Great Northern and Hartman will
build long stretch in pursuance of his
policy of Strengthening out the Union
Pacific. lessening the grades and MAX
. ing the journey from the Missouri river
to the Pacific as short as possible.
Hartman never hesitates to spend
millions if he. can see a way to shorten
the Union Pacific, the road which he
looks upon as a model of construction
and on which he has lavished millions
In the last seven years. To cut off the
clrcultOuS route around Salt Lake. he
ordered his engineers to build a line
straight across the lake and this was
done at the expense of millions. To
shorten the line in and out of Omaha
Lane cuton was built, a saving of nine
miles at an expense of 5000. 900. To
avoid the climb of Sherman hill on the
run to Denver the Borie-Carr cutoff
was built. To insure safety in travel
the Union Pacific has been provided
with automatic electric signal devices
at an expense of millions of dollars. To
assist in getting the heavy trains over
double-tracked from Omaha to Wat
sons ranch at Kearney at the expense
of more millions and now to save the
climb of Sherman hill and to avoid
more miles another cutoff is to be built
in the spring running between North
Platte and Medicine Bow.
Cheyenne will soon be off the main
line of the Union Pacific. for there is no
doubt that when this cutoff is built it
will be looked upon as the main artery
and the route over which the heavy
tonnage ard the through trains will be
run. The cutoff which will run from
North Platte to Medicine Bow. crossing
the Colorado & Southern at Wheatland
will save IS miles in travel and in adj
dition to this distance it will save a
climb of 1000 feet over the Sherman
The line is now built as far as North
port from North Platte and from
Northport it will go slightly northwest
TO Wheatland and Will then follow the
water grade of the Laramie river to
Medicine Bow
The Burlington will also have men in
the field as soon as the spring weather
will permit and the newly acquired Col
orado & Southern will be connected with
the Hill lines of the north by a second
line across Wyoming. For some time
the Burlington has been contemplating
the construction of this line and the
surveys have been made for some time.
The Burlington now owns a line as
far west as Guernsey and as far south
in the Big Horn Basin as Worland
with a spur running over to the Kirby
mines. To build south from Worland
is quite an engineering feat, as the
pass of Thermopolis has to be en-
countered Once through this diff
Guilty the construction of the line
south will be practically an easy mat
ter to Grin Junction. where the Colo
RADIO & Southern meets the North |
western.
The Colorado & Southern, which is
now a Hill line. has track from Grin
Junction to Cheyenne and from Chey-
enne has trackage rights over the I'm
ion Pacific to Denver. To complete a
Hill line would require the building of
a new line from Fort Collins or lyons
to Cheyenne.
The Northern Pacific has a spur
running south from its main line at