Show A Very Important Deal A most important railroad deal and one in which Colorado and Utah must necessarily neces-sarily be very greatly interested is reported re-ported to be not only on the tapis but to be almost consummated There nave been for the past two months vague and floating rumors that the Rock Island was endeavoring to secure control of the Colorado Midland railway thus giving giv-ing it a feeder from a most important part of the state When the coterie of Rock Island officials made a trip over the line of the Midland a few weeks ago the rumor was revived with increased vehemence The trip it was said was one of inspection inspec-tion preliminary to the transfer This was not abso ut y true for the party was in Colorado principally on a pleasure trip and I the trip was not of a character to be called = an inspection which usuaJy requires slow traveling and a great deal of examination I as to track bridges curves grades fills cuts station buildings fences ditches etc all of which go to make up the sum total pt railroad valuation or figure largely in it The trip of the Rock Island officials was a not of this character There is grave reason however says the t Denver Republttan for believing that the 6 visit of the officials at the time mentioned ll meant a great deal more than appeared on L the face of it Of course any transfer 1 agreement between the two roads would r occur in Sew York city but it is learned T from an authoritative source that the transfer I e trans-fer is almost accomplished or at least that 5 the stops leading to the transfer arc about b through with i t A step of this kind is naturally accom 1 pameu by a great deal of secrecy Then The-n story goes that the deal between the two p roads is definitely settled but that fort for-t various reasons the consummation of the project will not be arrived at for some months It also iivolves several other matters The Midland alone is not all tae Hock Island is after The Midland only runs into the mountains There is i now a h scheme on foot to build a road from the I Midlands western terminus Newcastle to a Grand Junction the eastern end of the Kio Grande Western That the Midland i < < as a well as the Rio Grande has aspirations w for the fair hand of the Kio Grande Western t when it is broad gauged as is aireaay planned and settled is well known L The Rock Island rumor goes that the present plan is to have the Midland absorb J ab-sorb the eonuecaug loop and the Rio tt Grande Western and then be itself absorbed io ab-sorbed by the great Rock Island route The lC plan is perfectly credible President Cable ill told the writer tome weeks ago that then the-n Rock Island would never build acros the k Rockies When asKed if it would buy away h a-way across an evasion was attempted and a finally the answer was perhaps The news now comes from such a credible source o that there can be but little doubt that there 10 is something more besides smoke that tt there is some fire Thf took Island with s of broad gauge line from Chicago to Sail Lake hi would be one of the grandest and greatest tit roads in the world Colorado has been ben o efitted by its coming very materially and it has been so all over The management h n feels very kindly toward Denver and this ht city would welcome any plan bv tInch the ti A Man route would bm a western connection II con-nection |