The Detroit times., 1910-01-26
GIVES UP FIGHT
In 100000 CANYON
Loss of 100 Miles of San Pedro Line
From Cloudburst Decides
Senator Clark.

NEW YORK, Jan. 26.-Former Sen
ator William A. Clark has given up
his fight against the "hoodoo' OF
Rainbow Canyon. through which his
San Pedro. Los Angeles & Salt Lake
railroad runs from Utah into Nevada.
How many millions the canyon has
cost him IN floods and washouts since
+. II. Hartman first used IL as a club
ito force him 10 give up half the road,
no one but the senator can say. Now
ne has abandoned the section OF the,
road in the canyon and will build q
new lie around the "hoodoo" spot, In
volving an expenditure of $4,000,000.
The last straw came only a few
days ago when a series OF cloudbursts
put more than one hundred miles OF
the San Pedro road out of business.
Senator Clark, who Is president of the
road, put his foot down.
That's enough" he said. THAT
section OF the line will be abandoned
and we will build around the canyon.
Start the work at once"
Orders were issued from his Offices
at No. 40 Wall-st. a few days ago TO
rush the work as fast as possible and
thousands of men and enormous guam
titles of railroad construction mater
ial and apparatus will be pressed into
service. II is expected that the broken
line will be spliced together and run
ming again with through traffic in four
or five months.
The Clash With Hartman.
The region OF the present devasta-
ton Is one OF bitter memories for Sen
ator Clark. 1t Is in the Meadow Val
ley Wash section, extending about
twenty-five miles north and seventy
five miles south of the dividing line
between Nevada and Utah.
II was six or seven years ago that
Senator Clark became ambitious TO
enter western rilroading, and planned
the San Pedro, los Angeles e. Salt
Lake railroad He had the money to
build 1t, matter of 100000 or $780,
600, 900, and he thought he. had the
right of way. So he started to build
his line from Salt Lake City to Los
Angeles, 500 miles, virtually In
straight line. Then K. II. Hartman,
who resented the Montana mans In
vaslon into the sacred preserves OF
the Southern Pacific, sent an ultima
tum that work must cease. Clark re-
fused, Hartman threatened; Clark or
dered the work pressed with greater
vigor.
One day, when the Clark construc-
ton gangs reached Rainbow Canyon,
a narrow pass in the middle OF the
Meadow Valley Wash region, through
which the Clark engineers had laid
out their right-of-way, they found a
numerous force OF workmen grading a
roadbed ahead of them. The strangers
announced that they were there to
pre-empt the pass for E. H. Hartman.
Pitched battles followed, the construc-
ton quarters became armed camps,
peace officers wer rushed to the
scene, and tn dispute went into the
courts.
Hartman Wins the Fight.
Harriman's attorneys proved his en-
gineers had surveyed a right-of-way
through the pass years before, and
had made such filings as entitled them
to the right-of-way. The courts sup
ported the Hartman contention; tide
veloped that the pass was too narrow
for two railroads, and Clark found him
self in a corner. II was a bitter pill,
but Clark compromised the fight by
selling a half interest," n the San Pedro
road to Hartman. Jointly they COM
pleted and operated 1t.
Since the opening OF the road. In
1905, Rainbow Canyon and the whole
SSSSSSScSSScccccccc
get would ipjure the country, and that
Is why they insist that the opinion Of
the country shall be asked before they
give their consent"
Some OF the leading Liberal papers
have deemed 1t necessary TO take Mrs.
Wards letters and combat their argu-
ments one by one.