Show I Tale of the Western Pacific I 1 New York Evening Mall Mail Mal The Western Vestern Pacific railway was wa In Inevitable inevitable evitable in fact a necessity Years be before before before fore it was projected it I was a vision in wa one mans mas mind but when Union Pacific secured control of ot the central division of the tho Southern Pacific and straightway ex exhibited exhibited exhibited a hostile hoste policy pol I toward the Den Denver Denver Denver ver Rio Grande Grando and ad the Rio Grande Western Vestern a new line lne from Salt Sat Lake City from the dream to San Francisco passed deam stage to a reality realy It I had to be built bui to Insure the time free play pIa of the Colorado lines lne Otherwise their destiny for tor many man years ears at least would have been concerned sim simply simply simply ply leat with local traffic Transcontinental business wih had to be preserved even if I at great cost The Rio Grande Western ester was wa first con constructed constructed constructed under the auspices auspice of the Denver Rio Grande Grando as a narrow gauge guge road This was during the height of the war of the wa gauges waged by technical writers writer and theorists When hen the Denver Rio Grande became Insolvent and later was wa reorganized the Rio Grande Grando Western Vestern be became became came independent and so remained until acquired by the Denver Rio Grande In 1599 the tho two to boards of directors ap appointed appointed appointed pointed 09 conference committees the one oneto oneto oneto to sell and ad the other to buy Rio Grande sel Western The committees failed to agree agee whereupon the Western jointly with wih the Colorado Southern bought the Colo Cob Colorado Colordo rado Midland and the Western bought also rdo a large Interest In the Colorado Southern A year jear ear elapsed during which the Denver Denver Den Denver ver Rio Grande board nearly nearl decided to build an independent extension to Salt Lake City and Ogden Prudent counsel prevailed CI however and In 1900 negotiations negotiations were resumed and after aCer some months tons Denver Rio Grande acquired the Western About this time George Gould hearing of the conferences and being suspicious of negotiations so long and conducted acquired for Mis Missouri Missouri an Important Interest In Denver Rio Grande so that Missouri Pacific would gould have a friendly connection to Denver and to all al principal points in Colorado and ad Utah This Is a tale never before told tod The Huntington regime had ha favored the two Rio Grandes Mr Harriman Harman immedi immediately Immediately immediately became beame an antagonist He was bent benton on routing all al of the business that the Central Pacific could stand by that line lne He only did what any other railroad man would do In the same position for the sentimental side of transportation life Is not conspicuous The Harriman attitude made It imperative for the Rio Grandes to act at to get a 2 western outlet not only for themselves but hut for Cor the three or four lines that sent the bulk of their coast traffic traffic fic lie via the Rio Grande route Surveys va had been made along a pro projected projected projected line lne that roughly follows the pres present present present ent right of way wy of the Western Vester Pacific and ad engineers had been In the field Celd for a along along along long time trying tring to find a pass through the Sierra Sier Nevada and and the Coast Range mountains which would permit the construction of a line lne at reasonable cost The Southern Pacific negotiates the Sierras at an n elevation of 70 7 feet Ceet with wih a maximum grade of over 1 4 i per percent percent percent cent The engineers whom President Jeffery Jeffer of the Denver Denv r Rio Grande engaged for a reconnaissance a a number of ot years ago were successful in finding a away away away way through Beckwith pass and by the canyons of the Feather Jeather river and tribu tributaries tributaries tarIe in the Sierras Here it Is that the theline theline line lne now being constructed has Its Is right passing the summit at an eleva tion ton of 50 feet with wih a westbound gradi gradient gadi gadient gradient I ent of a little more than i of 1 per pr cent and eastbound of exactly 1 per cent Pos Possessing I sassing such an a advantage to start wih with further doubt concerning the feasibility of the line lne was wa removed A nucleus was established in two small California Cal Cornia roads one with wih miles mies of railroad and ad the other with wih fifty fiftysix fiftysix six miles mies of valuable The Theman main man undertaking provided for the con construction construction of 9 miles mies additional giving a continuous line Une of traffic from Crom the time Rio Grande Western terminal at Salt Sal Lake City to Oakland Cal Ca where the West Western Western ern era Pacific has its is own ow proper facilities It I also has excellent traffic handling ar arrangements arrangements In San Sa Francisco Stockton and Sacramento fc Western Pacific construction began ac in 1905 1005 10 after ater the financial plan had been approved and 00 of ear 5 per cent gold bonds sold It was ex I wa that the line lne would be completed and in operation by September 1903 1908 19 but tunnel delays have compelled the man to set the forward to April or May of 1909 1 or about a year hence Of 5 Jhu the i total tal 9 miles mies are ae com corn that Is graded bridged track laid and ballasted This includes miles 16 mies west from Salt Lake City which has been opened some time an J now could be operated for local business and miles In California from Stockton to some 13 mies dis tance tace north of Sacramento and from Oroville to 0 B Big s Bend on the Feather Feat r river About Abut 0 miles mie of have been graded and are ready for ties tes and rails rals Of the tunnel and excavation work 60 6 per pr cent was completed a few weeks ago Rail Rai laying this spring has progressed week at the rate of about two miles mies a a day The heavy construction Is in the Feather river section feton where the line lne goes through almost solid sold rock rock There extensive tun tunneling tunneling has been Ten bores from to 1200 feet 2 12 long were recently completed and sixteen more of the same average length are now under way be besides besides besides sides several ranging from feet to 73 feet long The cost per mile mie 40 In these Parts of the line lne frequently runs up to The final fial cost of the Western Pacific is placed place at This includes ter terminal terminal minal property and an appropriation for equipment equipment To date there has been ben ac expended 00 The of 5 per cent bonds realized to the 00 com eom company company pany 45 as they were at 92 with wih a bankers commission of 2 4 per cent Provision was made mae for the payment of Interest to September of this year ear from the cost of construction an ap amounting to The funds already disbursed provide for ma on a good part pa of the unfinished road rad For instance the entire entre bridging Is bought and paid for Like every ever other large lare project under taken In the past pat five years the Western Pacific is costing Its It promoters more than tha they estimated but the margin thE between original appropriation and ad final expendi ture will wi not be nearly so great geat as for example in the case pf the St Paul ex tension to the coast coat or the New York terminals of the Pennsylvania and the New York Central systems systems Within l ln the past few tew days of Denver Rio Grande 6 per percent percent percent cent convertible notes have been placed with bankers This provides for tor sufficient sufficient cent new capital to complete Western Pacific construction The operation of the property within a year Is now an as assured assured fact act Furthermore the writer un a that some strong banking hanking houses have pledged their support to what may eventually work up Into a compre scheme for financing the Western Wester Pacific of the future as well iveli as provid ing for the growth and Increased traffic moving necessities of ot the te Denver Rio Grande Although the surplus of the lat hat ter the past fiscal year was above L fixed charges charges there Is an almost Imme diate demand for tor extensive capital outlays on the property for it I has outgrown Its It capacity its It shops and ad Its Is ter terminals terminals terminals Inasmuch as a the operating rela relation relation tion ton between Denver Rio Grande and the Western Pacific will wi be extremely in intimate Intimate an extensive capital readjustment to meet this contingency will wl have have to en engage engage engage gage the attention of Gould interests with within in two years year time Ume Between terminal points the Western Wester Pacific will wi be miles mies longer than the Central Pacific This disadvantage disadvantage disadvantage tage Is overcome and compensated by the difference In speed and transportation I charge chae allowed In the low gradient gradient It I will wi be bo surprising to the general public to know that 72 of the total of 92 miles mies of oC road is at grade as level as the Lake LakeShore LakeShore Shore or the eastern division of the Penn Pennsylvania Pennsylvania sylvania a circumstance that a country countr cOuntr of such high altitudes would not appear capable of producing On the te remaining no miles mies the maximum over the Sierra Nevadas Nevada as has ba been remarked is 1 I per ncr cent eastward while on the Coast Cost range it i Is 1 per cent both east ast and west westbound wet westbound bound In even everl respect the highest ideals Idels of railroad construction have been ben real realized realIzed realized The road rad Is laid with wih pound rails rais rock and gravel ballasted with bridges except in a fuw fw minor in instances instances Instances stances of steel stel and concrete of the I strongest type Uninterested engineers and engineers of other lines who have hac been over the completed parts freely state that It Is one of the best specimens of date railroad construction that the coun country country country try affords Assuming that the final cost cst of the Western Wester Pacific will wl be annual Interest charges of 00 or about 3 2 a mile mie will wi be obligatory The com corn compans pans own ow estimates of gross earnings per mile mie at the end of the first year yer of operation and those of Independent traffic men make an average of around 85 per mile probably 0 to 10 per mile mie at atthe atthe atthe the outset If business then is normal It I ought to be possible to operate a property so well wen constructed at 60 6 per cent as a maximum TIlTS This would Just about meet me t fixed charges from the beginning Event Eventually Eventually It Is believed local traffic alone swill meet the regular annual anual Interest obligations obligations wi The right of way ay Is through a avery avery avery very rich country that will wi produce a large volume of tonnage In the form of fruit minerals and lumber The Imme Immediate diate frit earning earing capacity however has to do date mainly with wih the revenue from the long Ions haul and with traffic turned over to it I by the existing Gould lines The Western Vester Pacific is the of the Denver Rio Grande This Thi property and the Rio Grande Western have hae furnished the th credit for the enterprise It I has been distinctly financed Not a dollar of ot Mis His Missouri Missouri Pacific money has gone Jone Into It nor has Missouri Pacific credit supported it i The charge chare that Gould lines In general general were contributing to the tho construction of this final link of the chain has no basis bosis in fact fact The road moad seems to be amply justified by bythe bythe bythe the new tonnage in sight and surely by bythe bythe bythe the relief that It will wi afford aCord to the some somewhat somewhat somewhat what pocketed Denver Rio Grande Still it is an untried venture for whose success the tIme Denver Rio Grande and Its Is subsidiaries stand responsible and pledged to see that Interest charges are met and deficits se canceled after ater the main line lne Is completed and placed In operation No Noone Noone Noone one however who has traversed the tIme western wester country and witnessed the ac accumulation accumulation of freight on the he Pacific coast can doubt tho the success of the scheme |