The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1922-01-21

Nevada Highway Department at q
cost of over s140,0 600. with the aid
of the Association and the Federal
government.
The next reason given is: The
scenic value is as good, IL not better
than any other route"
The scenic value is perhaps a ques-
ton of personal opinion. II would
seem. however, that nearly any one
would prefer to traverse a country
the aat monotony of which was fire.
quently broken by mountain ranges
rather than the endless dreary miles
of fat aIkali plains which character
ize the northern route across Nevada.
The fact is, however, there Is 20
much scenery on either route and
this point is of little importance. No
one drives from Salt Lake to Reno on
any road for scenery"
The next reason given Is:
ct came nearer being an all-year
road. because II avoided practically
all the mountain passes"
The above statement sounds well
but means very little to any n IA
miliar with the conditions. 1t ap-
parently has reference to snow. The
fact is that whenever snow conditions
permit motor travel to enter Utah
from the east or leave Nevada via
Reno for the coast, travel across Utah
| and Nevada on either road Is not i'm
peded by snow. The important point
is that during the months when the
passes of the Sierras west of Reno
| are closed by snow, the Lincoln High
way via Ely offers an open connection
into California which the Victory
| Highway" cannot do. The Salt lake
| statement neglects to mention in con-
nection with the provisions OF an ALI
year road" that the Wendover Road
is for several months of the year un-
| der four to eight inches of salt water
| for a distance of close to eight miles.
The next reason stated Is:
ut was the route selected by the
two transcontinental railroads, the
| transcontinental telephone and later
the transcontinental air mailservice.'
Just what these reasons have to do
with the relative merits of the two
routes under discussion 1t Is difficult
to understand. The railroads follow
the northern route across Nevada for
the very simple eason that 1t trav-
erses fiatter country. the same reason
which makes 1t more expensive to
construct and maintain a road
through that section. In a noun
famous country roads and railroads
can never be laid out exactly parallel.
The considerations governing the
cost of construction of a highway and
a railroad are totally different. just
as are their requirements. The trans
continental telephone and air mail
service naturally follow the line of
the railroads for the simplest bust
ness reasons, which have nothing
whatever to do with the location of
a highway where 1t would most stra-
logically serve through motor travel
headed for the Pacific Coast and
where 1t can be built and maintained
most inexpensively.
The last reason given by the Salt
Lake business men Is stated to be
"the most important Of ALL"
''It is safer for the tourist because
he would never be more than 5 miles
from water or help at a town, rail-
road station or section house."
The longest distance between good
sweet natural water on the Lincoln
Highway is 20 miles. The Western
Pacific Railroad, we understand. has
spent thousands of dollars trying,
without success, to develop fresh
water along its course in Utah, to
save the expense of hauling water to
it's section-houses. Water Is delivered
in tank-cars to these section-houses
and is kept in barrels sunk in the
ground for the use of the Japanese
section hands. There is no fresh,
natural sweet water available along
the Wendover Route from Dele to
Wendover, a distance of approx
| mately 10 miles. This barrel water
/ along the tracks one will drink IL
forced to by thirst, of course. The
distance between water, however. Is
relatively unimportant, as no one Is
! going to run out of water during. a
twenty mile drive any more than dur
ing a ten mile drive, and IL one should
run out of water he would not walk
to the next water, but wait for some
n to come along and give him some.
Just what sort of help" is referred
TO by the proponents of the Wendover
Route, is not explained. We have
never learned OF any repair service
being given at any of the section
houses along the Western Pacific.
The above disposes of the various
reasons" given for the decision of
the Salt Lake City business men who
favor the Victory Highway" The
Lincoln Highway Association can
present as many more better reasons
for preferring and advocating the
present route of the Lincoln High
way. These reasons have all been
presented in much more detail than
car be comprehended in such a letter
as this, in a report presented to the
Bureau of Public Roads of the De-
partment of Agriculture in which
nothing but facts are given which can
be readily checked upon by the Gov
ernment's engineers.
JOY NEVER ACCEPTED
WENDOVER ROAD
A statement under consideration |
Continued on Page Four