The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-11-11
PASSENGER TRAIN
COMPLETES TRIP
First Train Arrives From San
Francisco on Western
Pacific.
CARRIES HIGH OFFICIALS
MANY IMPROVEMENTS WILL BE
MADE AT LOCAL TERMINAL.

The first train that ever came from
San Francisco over the Western Paciflc'
got into Salt Lake at 2:30 o'clock yester-
day afternoon. 1t came without any eete-
mOny. A few Rio Grande engineers Wv
whistles as greeting, but ire 0SoIliO ~ :
did not have any decorations Ihere was
not even tiny flag on the he1dlight anu
the only champagne bottles broken was as
when the negro waiter cropped theHh III
the buffet car. H.
president of the Western PaciIlci II NJ
Levey, general manager and d. r. ENalss
general auditor, and V. q. BoSue' cIlieI
engineer Mr.. Schlacks' private car.
dining car and a baggage coach and the
locomotive comprised the train. Mess i
Schlacks and Levey hurried 70 the ciIy
ticket offices of the Denver q RIO Grahue
where they spent the afternoon IN cOIl-
sidering freight tariffs and general OPP
Grating problems.
we shall open freight traffic Dec OF
day or two thereafter, said MI LSNsy.
passenger traffic will be postponed Tor
awhile, We shall probably begin carry
ing some passengers about Jan. !, but the
through passenger trains may not be put
although we found the Western Pa
cific in splendid shape, there are always
a number of problems to be solved Ia
opening a new road and we believe they
will be best solved by running freight
trains until we see what time they make
and what if any difficulties they ehcouh-
ter.
I'VE made our trip very leisurely and
found that the entire road is at this mo-
ment ready to take trains from here to
San Francisco We have submitted our
tariffs to the interstate commerce com
mission and will have everything in read
mess to accept freight for Pacific coast
DOfnts Dec l. of course we shall con-
tinue to run the mixed trains from here
to ElkO as we have been doing until the
through trains are put on
hill fnar mr. "A ann0lnf-
ments to be made they will be announced
from our general offices in the Mills
building in San Francisco. We shall not
make any appointments while we are
here. We leave Thursday afternoon for
San Francisco
Mr.. Schlacks said that the trip over
the road was a revelation to him. He be-
lieVes that some of the most attractive
scenery in the west is on the Western
Pacific. This with the low grades insur-
ing fast time and the magnificent equip
ment which has been ordered, will make
the line one OF the most popular IN the
United States Mr. Schlacks said that
during the entire trip the party lived in
his private car and stopped wherever they
wanted to inspect anything, consequently
the trip took almost a week.
While neither of the two high officials
of the Western Pacific would say so, II
became known yesterday that the Denver
q Rio Grande and the Western Pacific
will establish big shops and roundhouses
here. Salt Lake will be the biggest divi-
sion point on the two roads and work for
the Denver & Rio GTande that is now
being done at Ogden will be done in Salt
Lake 1t is understood that the Denver
& Rio Grande's line from here to Og-
den will Be regarded as a branch line,
and of course all the traffic possible will
be diverted from it. Arrangements have
already been made with Pacific steam
ship companies to bring Seattle passen-
gers to San Francisco and route them
over the Western Pacific and Rio Grande
instead of sending them out on the Ore
gon Short Line to Ogden, which is the
present practice.
This is one of the reasons why the
Western Pacific does not want to open
passenger traffic in the beginning Of the
winter. Denver & Rio GTande cOnpec-
tiOns are bound to be late during the
winter and no matter how prompt the
Western Pacific was. the trains would be
reported hours and days late getting into
San Francisco. Also the Denver - Rio
Grande needs all its equipment during the
winter and the new equipment for the
Western Pacific will not be ready before
spring. Before returning to San Fran
cisco. MeSsrs. Schlacks and Levey viii in
spect the new depot and look over sites
for the big shops which are to be erected
here in the near future.