The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1910-01-08
AM|LT0NMAYsEcURE RAILWAY
Report That Company May Now
Use Northern Route and
Leave Out Ely

LIZ
gone put and Is being widely quoted In
the newspapers that Ely has ''turned
down" the Ely Goldfeld railroad. This
isSdistinctly unfair both to the COM
munity aud to the city council and
should not be allowed to 20 uncorrecfed
The ccuncil offered the railroad people
every thing the Nevada Northern has
that is, offered the use Of Clark street
for passenger and local freight traffic
but declined to grant the right TO run
through freight trains along the second
most important street in the town when
there Is another route available along
he high line.
1t has been stated and, we are inclined
to think, correctly, that the Ely-Gold-
field road never intended to build along
CLARK street, but planned to form a traf-
&c agreement with the Nevada North
ern by which 1t could connect with the
latter road ct some point mp the canyon
and operate it's trains from there into
East Ely. over the Nevada Northern
tracks. According to this statement,
the Ely Goldheld people wanted the
franchise merely as q club to hold over
the heads OF the Nevada Northern
people when it came to making their
contracts.
There is, no doubt. for honest
difference Of opinion in regard to this
railroad matter. The mayor and n
member of the council. while admitting
the great disadvantage to the town oil
double tracking Clark street and raising
its grade three feet. were in favor OF
granting the franchise on account OF
the great need Of another railroad for
the community. The other two mem
bers Of the council thought differently.
They pointed out that Ely has practi-
cally only two cas- and west streets.
They did not consider 1t good policy to
turn one of these streets over to the
railroads and cut the town in two. No
body in Ely doubts for a minute that
the members of the City Government
are trying to do what is best for the
town. The editorial insinuation OF the
Goldfeld Tribune that the Guggen-
helms or the Southern Pacific Railroad
had anything to do with the decision is
absolute rot and a grave injustice to
everybody concerned.
The report is now in circulation that
the Ely Goldfeld lie considering a new
route direct to Salt Lake City by way of
Hamilton and Cherry Greek. and that
Ely will be left out altogether. This
would of course be a calamity to this
district. but we are not inclined to think
that the management Of the new line
can afford to overlook the traffic posi-
bilities of Ely, even to secure a better
route to Salt Lake. which the Hamilton
and Cherry Greek line would probably
give.
1t might be noted that the franchise
as at first presented called for the laying
Of the track ON CLARK street as the last
link upon the completion of the entire
line. As amended later by the attor-
neys for the railroad. the franchise gave
the railroad the right to lay tracks at
once upon Clark street and thereby. by
inference, at least, it gave the Ely Gold
field or any road to which the privilege
might be assigned. the right to operate
ore trains over Clark street for the
three years allowed the Ely Goldfield in
which to complete its line.
The people Of Ely want the railroad.
They are willing to do anything in
reason to get the railroad. Some Of
them. however, question the wisdom of
giving up everything that the promot-
ers happen to ask for, to the certain det.
riment OF q number of citizens, and
what seems likely to be a serious draw
back to the town as q whole.