The Record-courier. [volume] (Gardnerville, Nev.) 1904-current, 1924-01-18

From the time tnat the last spike
was driven connecting the links of the
Central Pacific railroad, each and
every Spring there have been rail-
road rumors. These rumors have
been of such effect in the years that
have passed that the country is coy
cred with next work of iron rails,
carrying the freight and passengers
of the country.
In late years the rumors have had
to do with the development of motor
transportation and the serious in
roads that the motor trucks were
making upon the railroad monopoly.
In many instances to such an extent
that the railroad life was threatened
and the big railroad corporations
hastened to the relief of the threat
ened line, and through prompt and
efficient guiding of legislative act
ions, tied the motor lines with red
tape of taxation and license to such
an extent that the motor lines were
forced to battle for existence
There Is a rumor now floating
around In railroad circles which is
causing considerable worriment to
one of the short line roads of this
section; but as this rumor has to do
with railroads against railroad the
transportation powers that be, are
keeping their hands off and letting
the minor powers work out their
own salvation.
The factors in the transportation
tale are the Virginia and Truckee
railway with its Southern terminus
at Minden and the Copper Belt road
with its terminus at Hudson, and the
plum-the nice, rich, juicy plum to
be secured and preserved-is the
trade of the southern section. By
the southern section being meant all
that virgin territory of Smith Valley,
Antelope Valley. Bridgeport Valley.
Mono Lake Valley, and all points
further South, now tributory to Los
Angeles and coveted by the marts
of San Francisco.
In the years that have passed the
Virginia and Truckee has had sew
eral surveys made OF the most feast
BILE route to the south to connect
with the Southern Pacific at one of
the Southern points. perhaps Mojavs.
but the surveys were all The ex-
tension of the route was just talked
of. nothing more.
Then came the Copper Belt rail
road into Smith Valley, primarily as
tonnage conveyance for the Thomp-
sen Smelter. 1t was a financial fail
ure and those who financed its build
ing are still holding the bonds upon
which the interest is accumulating.
The railroad was built for a single
purpose-the office of serving the
mines and the smelter-and was not
planned to serve the people as a
whole, with the result that when the
mines were unable to show a profit,
the railroad became a white elephant.
When the Virginia & Truckee stock
holders fathered the building of the
old Carson and Colorado Railroad
from Mound House to Keeler, they
had dreams of opening an empire
which would turn the rails 10 gold;
but the dream faded and passed
away, and In fatal hour, the long
suffering stockholders. sold the rail-
road to the Southern Pacific, and the
Southern Pacific reaped the harvest
of the Tonopah and Goldfield boom
days. Carson City, and the Vir-
ginia and Truckee Raiload. lost the
harvest of the South, for the Hazen
cutoff was built, and the Virginia
and Truckee Railroad sewed up into
a limited territory.
The tale is told that d. o. Mills,
the heaviest of the stockholders of
the Virginia and Truckee once rode
over the narrow gauge to the South
and viewed the possibilities of the
railroad, and his verdict was that