The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-01-26
MANY SURVEYS BUT
HARDLY ANY FACTS
Railroad Officials Spending
Thousands for Information
Before Deciding.
No ONE KNOWS WHERE
NEW ROUTE WILL RUN
An Engineers Map Shows Sew
eraI Possible Lines and
Gives Attitudes.

The man who knows Just where the
Salt Lake Route is going 10 rebuild is
numerous In the land. lie can be found
everywhere from Salt Lake TO 81 George,
and from Las Vegas to Phoebe. He is
always surrounded by tint OF mystery,
and. of course knows Il friend who lives
next door To friend who has n mort
gage on the house wherein lives the
maiden aunt OF the office boy OF Second
Assistant Brakeman Joncs-and that set
ties II. His Information is straight
IN only one place is il unblushiDGlY adj
mittcd that no one has any idea where
the line is going, and that is in tire head
Offices OF the Salt Lake Route itself. If
the man who knows would only come i'm
aud tell them about IL his nyc minutes
conversation would bc worth 10000 TO
him. and, incidentally 10 the road itself.
1T may be fully accepted as fact that
the more a man knows about the Salt
Lake Route the less he knows today
where the new line is going.
The railroad officials themselves arc
spending thousands OF dollars for just ono
pencil line on their map. and how long
~ VIII be before this line is drawn by the
chief engineer no man can tell Half
dozen routes may be looked over before
lnything is definitely decided ON the
)thcr hand, IL good grade is found
through a fertile country where tho dis
tance is not too great and the construc-
tion is not too expensive the problem may
he solved in a few seconds
Plenty of Good Advice.
Meanwhile, the various officials OF the
road receive all kinds OF advice. more
or less. well meant and worthless. and Of
;crS of aid. valued In thousands, while The
line will cost millions from numerous
hamlcts now far remote from the rails.
Considering that some parts or the road
VIII cost 500. 900 mile one or TWO
owns have offered 10 build as much as
one mile OF road If the new line will only
come their way. and will have To build
only thirty seven miles further 10 do so.
The unconscious humor of some OF the
offers and suggestions recently made 10
the railroad officials meets with kindly
although somewhat weary smile.
Meanwhile the engineers are in the
field. Chief Engineer Tnton has gone
down Ia st. George TO look over the Nir-
Gin river country 10 the west OF that
garden ccntcr. There will be no difficulty
getting into ST. George, as there is 2
per cent grade 10 he had all the way
rom the present main line. probably from
Lund 10 Modena. The question hangs ON
the Virgin river country. This Is said 10
bc much broken. and whether il would be
sensible TO attempt 10 run Inc down
the Virgin canyon or up out of the can
yon across the mesa toward Moapa or
vicinity, Engineer Tilton has gone 10 md
How long this will take him, Tilton
himself has no idea. An impossible place
may stop him In few DAYS he may
keep slowly on iii he finds the main line
somewhere near Moapa or Las Vegas. He
Is receiving much advice and free infor
nation from men who have wandered
over the country with pack animal. but
10 whom q three per cont grade seems 10
he dead level, and the railroad wants
nothing more than per cent.
Cannot Judge Grades.
OFTEN a man on horseback will report
that the country where he has ridden aft |
er cattle for years lis as level floor |
when the surveyors level shows that il
Is fun Of three and four per cent grades.
Hence unskillod suggestions about a
chotc" ol routes are at present somewhat
below par in the engineering offices.
\ certain map. however. issued by an
authority that commands the respectful
attention Of every engineer. shows the
following numerous possible routes as in
dlcatcd on the map in question by very
sent actual lines or stakes. FOR surveys
have been run from time TO time in the
washed out region Tor the past half cen
turN.
Starting from Milford there is line
running almost due south to the Virgin !
river above st George. then down the |
Virgin through st. George TO the Utah- |
Nevada state line. Here tho survey stops
right in the Virgin Narrows. ono Of the
most questionable parts Of q possible new
line. As has hccn said before there is |
no reliable information TO be had concern |
ing tho possibilities OF line from St |
George west 10 the main line again. prob |
ably near Moapa. but not necessarily 50.
This line from Milford goes 10 tho right |
of Iron mountain and crosses Kanarra
pass. thon goes down stream TO tho |
Virgin. From Msrysvale there is "A sur
river to Fremont pass (I250 fcnD then
up Parowan valley to tho south side of
Iron mountain. going several miles to |
the west OF Cedar city. then over Ka-
nara pass (5i91 fect). whore the line |
apparently joins the other survey from
Milford previously mentioned.
The Various Passes.
This kansrrs pass is the outlet over
The southern rim OF tho Salt Lake basin |
Along this rim arc three other passes
as ono goes west 10 the present main
line OF the road. These passes la tho
order NAMED. from kansrra pass aud
th"ir attitudes. arc: Pine Valley pass
$4,000 Mountain Meadows pass ,5S0o) !
Ma colu pass t6i00l. with Shocpsprluss
pass l6i6D and Clever Valley pass $3.50, |
near Uvada. These. apparcntiy are the
passes that lead 10 tbc ST George coun-
Try.
The lowest altitude. ja9I feet and the
fact that the Salt Lake Route aud the
Denver & Rio Graudc both seem To have
old surveys over this pass. tend 10 indi-
cate that ii is probably The best leading
into Dixie from tine north But This
point is still unsettled. ~ new surveys
may find new passes as has often oc-
CURED before in ralroading.
The St George route. with one nf the
finest. but comparatively undcvclopod
farming and fruit sections in Utah and