The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-12-25
new CUTOFF
IS PLANNED
Hartman Line Extensions Are
Now Being Surveyed For,
and Work of Opening New
Territory viii Begin Soon.


Preliminary surveys for three extern
siOns Of the Hartman lines in Utah are
being made and the construction Of these
lines viii be started next year. The new
lines extend from Salt Lake through
Emigration canyon to Evanston, from
salt Lake paralleling the Western Pa
ciIic 10 connect with the Southern Pacillc
between Cobre and ElkO, and from a
point on the Lucin cutoff TO connect
with the main line Of the Oregon Short
Line to the northwest. The completion
Of these lines will mark the first actual
railroad construction opening up new ter
ritOry that has ever been undertaken by
the Hartman organization. They mean
the expenditure Of several million dol
lars.
The sale OF the Emery tract Of land in
the northern part of Utah and southern
Idaho, which was announced yesterday,
was made with the knowledge that the
Hartman lines are already negotiating
contracts for the construction Of this line
northWard from the main line through
the Raft River valley in order to shorten
the distance between Ogden and the
northwest This line VIII be of standard
construction, and although !t viii furnish
its own traffic as profitable branch line,
il viii be constructed with tnoroughness
that indicates the intention to use 1t as
part of the main line for transportation
10 the northwest The announcement Of
the plans Of the Hartman organization to
build this line has been made unof-
Whether the line viii run from Saline
on PromOntOry point, through TO the
north, or whether IL viii be built from
keltOn, on the old line Of the Southern
of doubt, for it is known that surveys
from Kelton n0rthWard to the main line
were completed by the engineering de-
partment of the Oregon Short Line near
~ three years ago. and these surveys are
on file at the local offices.
New Cutoff Planned.
The other extension TO be made by the
AFFILIATED Lines" as the Hartman sys-
tenn is now called by its Officers viii be
the Evanston-Salt Lake cutoff. and TINS
viii be supplemented by the construction
of a line from Salt Lake around the
southern shores of the Great Salt Lake
and out parallel with the Western PaclIlc
10 a connection with the Southern Ia
cific. The fact that the Western Pa
cific may possibly be an actual Compel
iror for transcontinental freight business
has made ii imperative that the Harrl-
man system must cut down It's mileage
and grades at every possible point ana
the circuit from Evanston 10 bdIL Lake
and around the southern shore Of the lake
would greatly reduce the cost or trans
portatiOn TO the railroad in its trans
Continental business.
the last few years is also factor IN the
decision 10 build the road parallel with
the Western Pacific through Titan, Tor Ine
the Lucin cutoff has risen beyond any
early estimates. and If the waters Of the
lake continue 10 rise the cuJ-oII VIII nave
10 be reconstructed or abandoned On IIe
other hand, the Western Pacific has al
ready done away with doubts as TO tne
nractfCabiIfty of building a railroad out
across the salt beds Of the desert Wnlle
ii has added the incentive OF possible ~
ture competition LOT uehsool 'iiie '''l
business.
Meaning Of the Franchise.
Business men Of Salt Lake who have
watched developments i'm the railroad line !
for the last decade saw in the application |
for q freight franchise through Brigham /
street the plans of the Hartman lines 70 /
introduce q wedge whereby they could /
connect the Oregon Short Line with the /
Emigration Canyon railroad ana tnus |
make way for the entrance into SAT- Lake 1
of the cutoff from Evanston. Inc /
friendly relations between the HARM /
man interests and the Emigration Can /
yOn road have been marked all through |
Permission to use the street railway /
tracks was granted the Emigration Can |
Won road Immediately after the compile I
ton of the line, while requests from other l
lines to enter the city by such means /
have been turned down almost before they /
We're presented,
Lake assert that in their petition for |
franchise allowing the transportation of /
freight through Brigham street is backed |
D9 no olL-I LuuLlNe IMAM ~ Colupl! WIN l
the request of the army officials to trans /
port building materials TO the government
reservation. Active work in favor of the |
granting of the franchise has been done |
by Oregon Short Line officials in Salt |
Lake who have no official connection I
whatever with the local street railway
company which is asking for the privilege. /
In the minds of some well-pOsted bust /
ness men of Salt Lake this fact is con-
Vincing proof that the Oregon Short Line
Is father to the whole movement, with "a
view to establishing an entrance into Salt
Lake for the cutoff from Evanston.
Tt was reported yesterday that the Utah
cured The contracts for a large part of
the grading on the extensions of the Har-
riman lines in Utah and the forces of
this company which have been at work on
the Western Pacific for the last three
years viii be started on the new lines
early next spring.