, 1925-04-09

oIdlc W ScU DelllIlu Ulc lSnU "
this railroad will be an essential link
in a north and south railroad through
the state.
The letter of Mr.. Houghton is ex-
c~eptionally interesting and as we
believe that many of our readers will
be interested we are publishing it:
The Rawlins Republican,:
note with regret the decision of
the present owners of the Saratoga
& Encampment Railway to junk the
road to take a profit on their in
vestment. This would be a calamity
to the section it %traverses as well as
the whole upper Platte Valley and l
am taking the liberty of giving you
some of the data l have gathered in
the past twenty years, trusting it may
help to awaken enough interest in
he citizens of all of Wyoming, that
they will get together M save the
road at all hazards.
have never been able to discover
the reason why the road has not been
able to earn enough revenue to pay
at least a small interest on the pres
ent Investment. know the diff
culties it went through after the pan
&c Of 1907 and the closing of the cop
PCT uiiuCs, put IL was tdTHlus lTOul
3 100000 to 100000 per month
over operating expenses on normal
valley business in 1908, that is ship
ping cattle in and out and shipping
hay, grain, etc. out. In eighteen
years the development OF farming
and stock raising in the valley should
have increased to- such an extent that
the above earnings could have been
kant mn Tn foot 70 tho nplicy NJ tho
operating officials at that time could
have been kept up, and the energy
that "A used in trying to bankrupt
it. vas directed into the development
of the valley and the copper mines,
/ believe the road would never have
got into the hands of outside capital.
However. the fact today is, it is in
danger and l believe an aggressive
campaign should be started to not
only have the residents of the valley,
but the people of Wyoming as a
whole, get together and save it from
the junk pile by purchase or a guar
antee to- the wners of some kind.
In giving my views as TO why 1t Is
an important matter to all the people
of Wyoming, / will first go into the
matter of railroad strategy of the
near future. When the Panama
canal was finished, 1t not only Great
ed an adjustment of railroad rates
on transcontinental business. but 1t
has created a mileage problem hat
not only every railroad that crosses
the continent In this country has had
to face. but also the Canadian rail-
roads. In other words the railroad
with the shortest transcontinental
haul would be the survivor in the war
to meet the water rates through the
canal. The Canadian roads were
most favored by the fact oriental
goods could take the northern route
across the Pacific following the Jap
anese current. and then would have
the shortest rail haul to Atlantic sea-
board as their routes followed the
short are around the globe as did
the water route from Japan. 1t is
obvious n rail haul from San Fran
cisco to New York would be much
more expensive than a haul from st
Rupert, II. G.. to the Atlantic sea-
board. one OF the ways proposed TO
equalize this differential was to ship
via Seattle and Portland to New Or
leans and other Gulf ports. or course
this would leave the three Northern
roads mt n disadvantage and finally
n movement was started to open the
head OF the lakes to ocean going
traffic. These several movements
were well under way when the war
interrupted them and at this date
they are still In allegiance. but the
next great wave OF prosperity u go-
ing to push them to the 'front.' ana
they will be forceful railroad Issues
I'm the next two years.
Now. I'm order for railroads across
the continent In the United States
TO meet the competition OF the Pam
anna canal and the Canadian railroads
there IL just one thing to do aud that
IL to deepen the 81. Lawrence water
way for ocean going traffic aud make
Superior and Duluth %soaporta. When
this IN well under way II Is going
to give an impetus to business In
the Northwest that IL going TO make
that North and South railroad n
necessity. That country viii have
10 have many Wyoming and Northern
Colorado products and when that
road ia built 1t will have TO use tho
Saratoga and Encaaapment as part
Of its line.
Ono or the principal things the
Northwest has TO have on account
OF climate conditions is anthracite
coal. and tho ten foot veins OF nnthrn-
cite In northern Colorado will be SUI
ficicnt for II TO compete far Into tho
Dakotas with tho Pennsylvania pro-