The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-11-11
FIRST TRAIN OVER
WESTERN PACIFIC
y Bears Vice Presidents SchlackS
and Levy and Other High
Officials.
BRINGS GOLDEN GATE FOUR
HOURS NEARER SALT LAKE
Road to Be Opened for Freight
Traffic by First of Year,
at Latest.

nc nTSl Iraln DNtI lut N'ss'iu 1 a -
cic arrived in Salt Lake City from
San Francisco Oh Wednesday afternoon
~ 3 o'clock, aud marks one of the
most important events IN the history of
Utah, the opening OF a new transcon-
tiuental railroad connecting this city
with the Pacific ocean.
On the train were Charles II.
Schlacks. first vice president of the
Western Pacific and active head of
he road under President r. Jefrery;
{. NJ Levy, second e.prcsidcut and
general manager who lately came TO
the Western Pacific from the Northern
Pacific as head OF the operating depart
mcnt; V. G. Boguc. chief engineer, nm
der whom the line has been built;
7. j. Nyche. engineer in charge of the
eastern division; j. +. Evans, auditor
of the new road, and several other otli-
cials
Tho party will return over the line
10 san Francisco today, Thursday, and
not GO on to New York, as was thought
at first.
I'VE have made no appoint.
mcnts whatever said Vice President
Schlacks soon after his arrival Wedncs-
dar, land when they are made The
Tribune viii know ii as soon as does
anybody. No one viii be named till
VIC get back To san Francisco perhaps
not TIL the middle or latter part of this
month. All reports, published or other
wise. are without any foundation what
ever.
Open for Freight Soon,
"Thc new road will bc open for
freight traffic about December /, if we
have Coood luck. and before the end of
this year in any case. The rails are all
connected. Of course. or our tram could
not have got through. but about eighty
miles Of track remains 10 be ballastcd
and put in final shape.
The scenery in Feather River
canyon is not cXcclled in America. The
Western Pacific is q continuation of the
Denver & Rio Grande in scenery, as
well rs in ali other matters.
Second Nicc-Presidcnt Levy said:
This is. Of course. the first time
| have seen the road. but am greatly
pleased with its possibilities when we
have il settled down into final shape.
The roadbcd Will soon be frozen, and
we must wait till warm weather 10
pack it thoroughly by running freight
trains over il nj slow speed before we
can put on fast passenger service. 1t
viii not take long TO appoint aud ar
Iaugc our forces. as we VIII select first
class men TO start with. each an expert
are not required TO publish our traffic
rates sixty days before We can do busi.
ness. They will bc in force ms soon rs
flied aud approved, which viii take
only dav or two.
BY the first of the month we will
lie taking freight. not only local traffic
along the line but freight from any
other line We can get ii from, Our
passenger service. because of tho ucccs
>ary packing of the roadbed. will
probably not be in operation before
@pring say in March or April. We
havc the engines. the track and the
grade 10 make as good time IS any line
across the western part OF the con
iiuent. and when NC start We will do
some running,
Uno1iciallv il was learned from other
sources that the Western Pacific has
- track $40 miles long between Salt
Lake and the Oakland pier AZ san
Francisco. compared to the Southcru-
Pacific mileage of So; miles. This
makes the Western. Pacific line lo3
miles Logger, but il is understood that
this greater distance is more than
cqualized by the low grade and slight
curves on the new line,
To Bring Coast Nearer.
1t is understood thai the Western
Pacific viii meet any time 10 San Fran
risco that the present fastest train, the
Overland Limited on the Southern Pa
citc. cares 10 attempt. At present the
Overland Limited makes the run in
twenty. seven hours and forty-fvc
minutes from this city to Oakland, an
average running time OF thirty-torcc
and fraction miles IN hour. Ii the
Western Pacific makes the run at an
average OF forty miles an hour. and
local officials say that this can easily
he done. then the present time be
tween here and San Francisco may be
cat down nominallv four hours, or even
more
Speaking OF the importance Of the
opening Of the new road, u local rail"
road man. who has the railroad history
Of Utah ~ his fingers ends and who
knows all the ms and outs of the VA.
!ious lines dating back for many wears,
said:
"Tbc Importance Of the arrival OF
this train Wednesday cannot be over
estimated. ii is an epoch in the great
story of transportation in the great
west. a story that dates from the carly
cmigratiops and moving onward through
stirring chapters embodying the rush
FOR gold in 40, the pony express, the
overland stage cogch, tho vast wagon
trains moving from tho Missouri aud
then the overland telegraph aud tho
irst through line of railroad And all
these chapters were fold in nut quar-.
tcr of century ending in 1869,
81. is of interest 10 add in conuCC-
ion with The foregoing historical refer.
euce that the Western Pacific. in many
respects. follows the liuc of early cuIi.
grafton, the pony express. the stage
and Inc first through wire 10 the Pacific
aud if The occupants of the special Wed
nesdsy had carefully looked to tho south
as they passed Garfield thrv could hay,
disccrDed IN old rock house tbat playcd
its part in the pioneer DAYS of trans
,ortation through that section.
Organized Seven Years Ago.
st was in the summer Of 1902 that
The Tribune gave lie FIRST i:cm Of ncw,
relating to The organization in Ssr
Francisco Of the Western Pacific 3nt
from the first announcements its columu-
we"b daily flied with stories Of ;h'
route and the probable backcEs of tb'
line. The names Of Salt Lake and S3r
Francisco men 21N" no cine and ii wa;
not until Virgil Boguc WIS named N
he chief epgrccr il'"r the posItIy,
announcement WAS made that The Gouio