The daily sentinel., 1913-05-23

Cisco in good condition, and the Uta
there or not rs they please.
The routing of the cars is wholly,
in the hands OF Midland Trail Off
cials and upon them and no one else
rests the responsibility of making a
successful trio for the Hoosiers. More
than any one else the trail officials
are interested in taking the best
possible course. They have investi-
gated every situation in reference to
optional routes that has come up and
they have determined that the only
feasible route for this summer is by
way of Mack.
Miller Against Mack Route.
Yesterday they found that Road
Commissioner Miller, as stated near
ly week ago by this paper. was
ready to abandon the desert work
lie wanted to use the Otto road, but
he did not have the power to change
The stakes set by the engineer. He
would. IL he could. divert all travel
over the Anderson ferry and thence
over Pinon mesa and the Main street
bridge. But he can't, Moreover he
faces the fact that even though he
puts the Utah end of that road in
good ccndition-which seems unlike
Colorado to put any money in a Mesa
road to meet him. On the other hand
County Commissioner Ben j Snyder
has declared that Mesa county, with
.ha. ns: :istanca-o the stats.ahia ahwaxa
commission, will put the road from
Mack to the state line in fine shape.
and the Midland Trail will put the
road through to Cisco. The cars will
either go by way of Mack or not at
fll This is definite and final. If
Apme catastrophe should prevent the
insert road from being completed,
Ne Indianans will be wired at Den
yer to take the Overland trail and
they will not come this way.
Other Route Impracticable.
The reason for this is plain. Coun-
ty Engineer Fisk has given it as his
opinion that during this summer the
road from Grand Junction to Pinon
Mesa cannot be put in condition for
these cars. There is no county mon
ey nor state money that can be le-
gally applied on that route. The An
derson ferry is not safe for big ma
chimes and is entirely too slow to be
practicable to run fleet of cars over
it. At best not more than 20 cars
day can be run over it, and it can be
easily imagined the problem that
would beset the trail officials to put
100 or more machines over the river
The road by way of Mack is that
logged by A. l.. Westgard and the or
ganization is committed to the route
mapped by him.
If Utah sees fit to spend its money
on a Pinon Mesa road, well and good.
Next year it is possible that the Pin
on Mesa road can be put in condition
and an adequate bridge constructed
across the Grand river. But the road
will not be used by the Hoosier tour
lists in July They will go by way
of Mack The officials of the asso-
citation are the people who are re-
sponsible for their visitors safe con-
duct and they propose to shoulder
the responsibility of having the road
run from the state line to Cisco. Me-
sa county will put the road in shape
to the state line.
County Engineer Fisk yesterday
located the place where the trail Will
cross the state line. He also found
where all the branches of the Bitter
creek unite, and a dry, rock-bottom
ford is to be used. Six bridges and
five miles of road are cut out by the
use of the newly fixed road.
Commission to Decide.
]. p. Miller will now make his re-
port to the Utah Highway commits
sion as to the feasibility of the two
roads. He can do as he pleases so far
as the practicability of the route is
concerned, but the association will
take the matter up with the commits
sioners and advise them to retain
their present survey toward Mack.
This, in brief, is the situation as it
stands today The so-called Otto road
is looked upon by the association
with favor as an optional route for
travel next summer, provided there
are funds TO construct it, and z bridge
over the Grand at Cisco. The road
has no standing, however, as route
for this year.
There is every indication that there
will be no change in the attitude of
the Utah Highway commission. Sec
retary Antics today received letter
from w. H. Ellison, secretary of the
Salt Lake branch of the association,
in which he quotes Jesse d. Jawkes,
state treasurer and member OF the
commission, as stating that the trail
road grade through the desert was
the only practicable route for this
year. at any rate. He is also very op-
timistic about the construction of the
road in other places in that state.
Uah, he says, will have her part of
tine trail link completed by July ].