Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-10-23
Former RaiIroader Points Out
How Distance Could be
Made SAP Miles.
NATIONS RUGGED SCENERY.
Gore Canyon Offers Picturesque Pan
Drama for the Travclcr-wouId
Force Traffic Agreement.

The building OF IS miles Of road from
crested station on the Moffatt road
whore It turns to go north toward
Steamboat Springs from the west
mouth OF Gore canyon. through Egeria
park, 20 Dotsero on the Denver a. Rio
Srande road" says a former local rail-
way Official, would shorten the dis
lance between Salt Lake and Denver
1S2 miles over the present route via
Pueblo The distance at present over
the Rio Grande IS 724 miles; over the
Union Pacific. 62s miles. The MOffatt
short cut with the Rio Grs,nde would
reduce the total distance TO 542 miles.
No wonder that both the Gould and tue
Hartman interests have fought MOf-
fatt teeth and toenail, and not only did
all they could themselves, but involved
the government in the fight TO prevent
the Moffatt road fro.l running through
Gore canyon, the scheme being 10 have
the government dam up that canyon
for a reservoir. This would have shut
out not only Mofratt, but every other
road and left the present transoonti-
mental lines, as now. the sole routes be-
tween the plains country and the Pa
cific slope between the thirty-fifth and
forty-ffth parallels Of latitude. But
Gould and Hartman lost their fight.
and Mofatt got through the canyon
along the Grand river which flows
southwest via Dotsero. Mr.. Moffatt is
now in a position where he oan carry
out his plan to tunnel six miles under
Gray's Peak, Immediately west of Den
yer, thus doing away with the time
consuming zigzag over the range, ana
reduce the grades to ? per cent or less.
besides escaping being blocked by
SHOWS for several mon<hs in the year,
This tunnel win cost s5,O00O00, but as
the mountains in that vicinity are COW
cred with mining claims the supposition
Is that enough ore will be dug out 10
go long way toward reducing the
amount necessary 10 be borrowed for
construction OF the tunnel Mr.. MOffatt
viii then be so situated that Gould will
have to make traffic arrangements with
him, or see all Of his Missouri Pacific
traffic go 10 the more northern routes.
But the most feasible plan. and what Il
is believed win be done, is for Gould to
extend westward from Leonora, Kan.
20 Denver. his central branch of the
Union Pacific, which fell into the hands
Of the Gould interests some years ago,
connecting from the east with the Moi
fatt road In that way the Could
lines would not lose the business. the
switching from the Missouri Pacific to
the central lranch OF the Union Pacific
| being 'robbing Peter TO pay Paul. or
shifting the change from one pocket 20
another. but, for a certainty, when
/ that tunnel Is done and Dotsero con-
| nectcd with the Moffatt line. George
! Gould has got TO make traffic arrange
ments with this new line. The round
about way to Denver via Pueblo will
| become a local line doing a local traf-
| fic
THE line west Of Steamboat Springs
| Is surveyed westward 10 Charleston. In
| the Heber valley; but just how II will
| cross the Wasatch range has not yet
| been determined The most feasible
! way would seem TO be to acquire the
| Heber branch OF the Rio Grande and
the san Pedro from Provo into salt
Lake. The scenery through Gore can
yon IL the most rugged, Wild and ro-
/ mantle on the continent"