The Washington times., 1910-05-09
SALT LAKE RISING,
N.P.LOSES MILLIONS
Lucin Cutoff May Have to
Be Abandoned, 1t is
Said.
ROAD PAYS OUT
OVER S14,OOO,OOO
RumOred That the TreStle viii
Have TO Be Raised Five
Feet Anyway.

SALT LAKE. Utah. May 9.-The eter-
nal mystery Of the Great Salt lake OF
Utah is more puzzlinE today than II has
ever been within the memory Of the
present generation. and II has injected
itself nito the affairs Of national rail-
road finance with a vigor which may
cost the Hartman system millions Of
dollars and cast a penumbraI haze over
the otherwise brilliant career Of the late
Edward H Hartman
The miCrOCOsms Of science. finance and
transportation are now aroused 70 a
most unusual interest over The an
nOUncemert that Great salt lake IS
higher than IL has ever been IN con
1emDoraneoUs history, and BY reason Of
his fact the Union Pacific may be
forced to abandon the famous Lucin
cutoff, sometimes heralded as one Of the
greatest Of modern engineering feats.
and again characterized as '-I1arrtman-s
folly
It Cost SI4,ooo,ooo-
When II was planned 10 construct this
cut on across a corner Of Salt lake 10
shorten the t-auscontinental mileage Of
the Union Pacific the engineers estimate
Of cost was S4,5O0OC0. but By the time Il
was ready for the operation Of trains II
was found that the cost tOIaled $500. 600
Since then changes and repairs have
brought the cost Of the work I'D TO
about 81, 10000 ard the stockholders
mink II IS now time 10 abandon the big
IrestIe-
Judge Robert S LOvett, now the head
Of the Hartman lines. is in salt Lake
City for the purpose Of fully investigat-
ing the cutoff and then deciding
whether or not it shall be abandoned
When Darius Miller, president Of the
burlington, was here two weeks ago, he
told callers some very interesting things
Soout the Lucin cutoff. but according 10
MS viewpoint there IS no intination on
the part OF the Union Pacific officials Of
abandoning the project
Cutoff to Be Elevated.
According TO Mr.. Miller the Lucin cut
OF is to be raised I've feet. which, It is
thought. VIII bring It above the crest Of
the huge waves which are rolling over
the lake these days and interfering in
such q degree with the operation Of
trains
M Miller also verified the report that
Salt Lake is now higher than 1t has ever
been IN modern times. but. Of course. TO
students OF the remarkable past Of this
wonderful body OF water there were
periods IN the ages Of the world when Il
was much higher than at present This
Is a feature which only adds 70 the nys-
terry Of the lake But few. years back
81 was so low that many OF the residents
OF Salt Lake City thought It was drying
Up. and they feared the city was about
10 lose one Of its chief charms and tour
lsI-draTing features The hast houses
at SalJair were practically Isolated.
Within the last four or FIVE seasons
The lake has been steadily and gradually
rising, until the fear al preSenI IS that
d may reach such a height as 70 render
me cutoff entirely useless in few more
years
Nearly Twice as High.
The vicinity Of the lake shore shows
that in ages gone IL had been nearly
twice as high as Il is today. as there
Is a series OF rings around the CirCUm-
ference which look like railroad trades,
but which in reality are beaches Of the
And this would seem 10 prove that
the lake does not rise and fall by inter
miILent spells. but during certain Pc
RODS which would include eras Of per
haps fifty or one hundred years, as Il
would take that long 20 form the
Another mysterious feature about the
lake is the gain and loss in the per
Centage OF salt which the water con
Iails- The percentage Of the saline
matter gets as low as d which is
about the condition today, and IL has
been known 70 90 as high as s. per
cent within the recollection Of the Nor
mons
After years Of research, but little
light has been shed upon the troubled
past Of salt Lake. From whence it re-
Cefves itE supply OF salt and why IL
rises and falls have never been ex-
planned
VIII LOvett Solve It7
-Four fresh water sivers feed the lake.
but they apparently have nothing to do
with the increase or the dininishment Of
the percentage OF salt in the water.
Furthermore, in the mountains sur
rounding the lake are found specimens
Of the group Of crustacean fossils known
as trLobltes. and these in their period
OF the earth's formation lived only at
the bottom Of the deepest seas
Inc question today Is viii Robert S
LoNetL head Of the greatest railroad
syndicate in this country, and with IN
UNITED millions at his command be able
10 solve the mystery Of Salt lake OF
VIII ne be forced 70 bow to It's unknown
power and abandon the work which has
cost his company and its stockholders
so much time and money!