The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-02-03
.[UC|N CUTOFF NOT
SERIOUSLY DAMAGED
Trains Moving Over II Again
and Repairs Are Rapidly
Being Made.
ABOUT 10000 CARS OF
ROCK NEEDED FOR FILLS
Storm Shows Necessity of Farm
ingtOn Cutoff From Echo to
Salt Lake.

Passenger traffic. although delayed.
WAS again In operation over The Lucin
cutoff Wednesday afternoon. Freight
trains are still delayed seriously over the
great I'LL, as only the south track at the
western end OF the cut off is available
lor trains. The storm Tuesday was the
Lucin cutoff was built.
According 10 official reports received
at headquarters OF the Oregon Short
Line in this city up till p. m. Wednes-
day, the damage TO the cutoff had been
largely exaggerated in the street
ports. At one time Wednesday the
rumor was current that four miles OF the
CUTOFF had disappeared into the lake
and that traffic was suspended indeh
nltely- This is not true
The damage amounts to about $50. 600,
Al several parts OF the trestIe the rail.
gone, and at about 100 places In the
I'LL the waves washed out the embanE-
ment under the north line OF the double
track, and in a few places these washes
extended even under the south tracks.
The road at once had plenty OF men and
steam shovels at work and by Wedncs-
AT least temporarily repaired. From
1000 To 10000 carloads of rock Will he
needed TO replace that which has dis
appeared
Worst Storm on Record
The average rate OF the wind all Tues
lifly-four miles an hour, but at ono time
the rate was seventy-two miles. This
is ten miles above the record, Over the
Lucin cut-off the wind same from the
north, utslone the tracks OF the West
ern Pacific across the southern end OF
the lake the wind was from tile south.
The two gales met somewhere in the
middle of the lake. and probably joined
forces and went straight up into the air.
The wind along the Western Pacific
tracks was so strong. that it blew the
the northern side of the tracks fully two
feet lower than the water banked up by
wind on the southern side. So far as
known no damage resulted 10 the West
crn Pacific tracks.
AT the Oregon Short Line offices We'd
nesday ii was stated officially that the
water-level Of the lake, when calm. Is
within about three feet OF the tracks
instead of only one foot, as seemed TO
nc the case at one time: Work OF rails
Ing the embankment above all danger
lines Will go on rapidly,
The lake is now -four and a half feet
above zero. more than one inch having
been attained since January l, On June
lnss at Mldlake registered fifty inches
above zero. In January, tho low water
period. the lake rose TO fifty-fVe inches,
showing that more serious trouble @ Is S,no 10
water than has been experienced since
the cutoff was built.
Must Give Up Cutoff.
Several weekS ago The Tribune pub
lished the inside facts about the Farm
inston CUTOFF that will put Salt Lake
on the main double tracked Inc OF me
Union and the Southern Pacific. This
will he done by building down Weber
canyon from Echo. cutting {OO0-ioot
tunnel several miles north OF Farming
ton. and then coming into Salt Lake di-
rect instead of by the way OF Ogden
The plan is. as said at the time in these
columns. 10 continue the double tracks
on around the southern end OF the lake
and touch the main line again near
Wells, From Wells tho Western Pacific
and the Southern Pacific will be operated
as double track at least between
Wells and Winnemucca.
Although the Western Pacific is COM
monty rated as a Gould line, II is gem
orally understood In certain circles that
the Hartman interests acquired
strong. Drobab bly, controlling. interest in
the Western Pacific before 1t was built,
as from Wells 10 Winnemucca the West
crn Pacific tracks arc on hartman
right of-way.
interests secured this advantage when
Hartman let George Gould have $1,000,
Wheeling & Lake Erie, Also that the
Western Pacific was involved and that
Hartman secured still stronger hold
when Gould found himself in rittsburs
minal facilities and Hartman. through
the Erie and certain coal companies. let
Could have Pttsburc traffic III return
for concessions in the Western Paclilc
However. the more the heavy salt
waves beat against the Lucin cut off,
the one hopelessly weak line in the ljar-
rman lines from San Francisco TO Chl-
cago the more evidence there is that
the main double tracked line OF the Har-
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