The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-12-18
ROCK ISLAND BACK
OF MOFFAT'S ROAD
Alliance Assures Early Com
pIetiOn of Salt Lake-Den-
yer Line.
INSPECTION BY ENGINEERS
REPRESENTATIVES OF BOTH IN
TERESTs HAVE LONG TRIP.

From information given out here Fri
day, it is an assured fact that the Moitat
line will Doe built TO salt Lake city next
year. and further, that the finances IoE
the building OF the line Will De tuLnlsHsu
by the Chicago, Rock Island & racine
road. The Moffat line, which was started
from Denver several years ago, hedueu
Tor Salt Lake, has been at a pid-llEai
stanQstlu i'll the way or cons Ut uCtt1lL 4oI
nearly two years but now, with tne 9ach-
ing by such a great road as the RoGh
Island, there is every assurance lnaL the
line viii be completed to SAT- Lake.
The completion of the MoIIat line 20
this city IS one of the most important
stems I'M The railroad world in this part of
the county for many years It' not ollS
will 1t mean a new entrance lhtO the Guy
from the east uuL viii place salt Lake
on the main line OF one OF the greatest
railroads I'm the United States. 1t viii
give a shorter line TO Denver over route
which affords the most beautiful scenery
in an Colorado.
gineer of the MOffat line, and j, B. Berry,
chief engineer of the Rock Island line
have been i'm Salt Lake, having just com
pleted "a trip over the original survey or
the MOffat road between salt Lake and
Denver The journey was made overland
by these two great railroad builders, and
they arrived i'm Salt Lake tanned and
worn out from the hard trip over the ice
and snow of the Rocky mountains Iue
line of the MOttat road passes through
COlOrado's real garden of beautiful seen
cry. The trip Of these engineers took
them across nigh mountain passes but II
was accomplished without a mishap.
Engineer Is Recognized.
The engineers made every effort to keep
their mission here secret, but Mr.. Berry,
who was formerly chief engineer of the
Union Pacific lines was recognized, and
the purpose of his trip here was learned.
The building of the Moffat line TO salt
Lake has been looked forward to for sew
eral years, and the coming of the road,
coupled with the Rock Island line makes
the event of all the more Importance. The
line viii be built over the original survey
entering Salt Lake by the way Of Provo.
From the information received, It was
learned that the construction ON the line
will be resumed early next spring, and
every effort viii be put forth to have the
road completed by the end Of the year.
The consolidation of the Moffat road
with the Rock Island line in the compile
ton of the short cut TO Salt Lake VIII
in reality make this city the western ter
minal of the Rock Island line. This
means that salt Lake will have direct
opening TO Chicago, Kansas City and Cal
weston and also to St Paul and Mime
apOlis The Rock Island lines extend
from Galveston in the south, TO Water
town, S. D., IN the north, and from chi
cage to Denver. at the present time. The
coming of this line to Salt Lake viii give
the people direct railroad COmmunica-
tiOn with this vast territory.
May Mean Competition.
1t may also mean that Salt Lake mer-
chants will receive the advantage of a
terminal freight rate from eastern points,
which advantage they have not at the
present time, and il is also possible that
Salt Lake viii have the benefit of com
petition i'm railroad rates for the first
time in the history of the city.
The MOffat road is now completed TO a
point several miles beyond Steamboat
Springs. Colo. The route is over eX-
ceedingly rough country, making the cost
OF construction much more than it was
at first estimated. When the line was
completed TO its present terminal the
company was forced 10 give up further
work owing TO lack of funds. The Chi
cagO, Rock Island & Pacific has now
agreed TO take up the work where it was
left Off and finance the line TO its COM
pletiOn.
The survey for the road runs in a line
almost directly west from Denver TO Pro
vO, Utah. The line goes over the noun
tains where possible, but the higher points
are crossed by means of tunnels. The
completion of the road will place Salt
Lake several hours closer to Denver, and
viii make this city the terminal point for
one of the greatest eastern lines.