The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-02-06
Hartman System to Appropriate One
Million Dollars to Save the
Lucin Cut OFF over
the Great Lake.
DANGER is WIDESPREAD
Cause of the Encroachment Of Waters
is lnexpIicable to Scientists
Construction Gangs Work
Hard.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Feb. s.
In order to prevent the abandonment
OF the Lucin cutoff across the Great
Salt Lake, the Hartman system is
about to appropriate $1,000,OoO for
track and trestle repairs and eleva-
ton
This latest expense is incurred
with some trepidation en- the part of
the officials, who have viewed the ris-
ing waters of the lake with growing
alarm, and it has been the general
concensus of opinion for some time
that the Southern Pacific ultimately
would have abandoned the cutcff en-
tirely unless the waters recede.
Through some inexplicabie phe.
nomena, the waters of the Great Salt
Lake have been steadily rising, wash
ing out the entertainments of the rail
road at both sides of tn. lake and
threatening the trestle work to such
an extent that work tram and crew
keep constantly patroling the cutoff,
making fil's and repairs,
The water is higher now than at
any time since the modern invasion
of this territory, and the growing
alarm Is spreading not alone among
railroad circles, but among the Off
Gals of the Saltair Beach company,
the Inland Crystal Salt company's
works, and the industries at Garfield
that have been built close to the
waters edge.
Treste is In Danger
Vice President w. H. Bancroft
Chief Engineer William Ashton, end
General Supt j. M. Dsvi of the
Oregon Short Line, together with
Southern Pacific officials from San
Francisco and Ogden, have just return
ed from an extended inspection of the
cutoff They found that the waters
of the lake had washed away the en-
bankments at the east and west ends
of the twenty-five mile trestle, and
that at midlake the trestle itself shows
signs of disintegrating.
The officials found that the east
and west entertainments We're being
supported by powders and rock bal
last to prevent the water from wash
ing further into the gravet embank.
ment that was originally built
The Lucin cutoff was thrown open
for traffic in 1904. at which time 1t
attracted the attention of the engin-
eering world. The late E. Fl. Harri-
man and other prominent railroad men
from all over the United states t,
tended the opening. The Southern
Pacific, when originally built from Og-
den to Oakland, had circled the north
end of the lake, passing over Pro
montory point. BY making the cut
off, 100 miles in length, from Ogden
to Lucin, whe-e the main line was
reached in a more direct route. the
railroad saved forty-one miles of
trackage, as well as escaped the 3
per cent grade over the promontory.
The grade on the cutoff has maxi
mum of " of l per cent
Twenty-Five Miles. Over Lake.
Of this $50 mile stretch, twenty-five
miles are directly over the water of
the lake, for which trestle of
wooden piles was built Over the W.
lands on either side of the lake for
many miles the Southern Pacific built
graded embankment of stone bal.
last and gravel. The land Or the east
side of the lake is five feet higher
than the west side, and u &C. to the
proper elevation, the road SAINTS on
stiff down grade from about Mid
lake to the western shore of the sa.
line reservoir.
In the five years that have elapsed
since the opening of the eutoff t,,e
waters have risen to such an extent
that the gravel and stone embank.
ments now stretch far into the lake
When a storm arises on the lake
the waves often dash over the trestle
| at midlake and many a transconti
mental train passes through shower
OF liquid salt, emerging with a white
coat of crystal
The great weight of the salt laden
water, together with the lorce of the
waves beating constantly against the
trestle and entertainments, Causes the
damage which the Southern Pacific is
attempting to overcome by repair.
Grade Is to Be Raised.
/ Returning from their moss recent
inspection trip. Hartman officials de
cided to use $1,000,000 to raise the
grade of the west embankment This
also will necessitate the further eleva
ton of the trestle.
The further elevation of the cutoff
is to be undertaken as final ex
pedient for the salvation of the short
cut TO the coast However, the Great
/ Salt Lake is set in basin OF heavy
drainage and during the spring Of
I No I,a ofo