Show AN AERIAL TRAMWAY WITH A PAST last winter the aerial tramway in little cottonwood canyon operated by the michigan Z utah consolidated mining aag company was very badly wrecked by snow slides and since march 15 has been under reconstruction on modern lines and since our last issue the mining company reports that it is now working 6 very satisfactorily Y this tramway was ori originally anally built by the continental alta company about fifteen years ago and has caused more diore grief and expense to the different mining companies and leasers leaders who have tried to operate it since that time than all 1 the other tramways tram ways that have been built in utah put together and that is why it is called a tramway with a pasta past 7 but ut from now on it promises to rank with the different tramways tram ways which have been operated successfully in the ther other mining camps of the state the tramway has been entirely rebuilt out of the old material on hand with the exception of the rolling stock which now consists of an outfit of the latest improved friction gri grip P buckets equipped with lubricating devices and ther other improvements which have been devised since the old tramway was built and a comparison of the two outfits would uld be interesting to anyone who is operating now or expects expects to install tramways tram ways of the older patterns in the future march when the work of rebuilding this tram tramway vay was avas started there was about eight feet of snow in the can yon and while the work was in pro progress ress about four feet more of the beautiful was delivered for the special benefit of the erect erecting ino gang an and anyone who has ever tried to do any outside work in little cottonwood canyon during the early spring knows what this means utah talent was used exclusively in the reconstruction work R B seymour a local tramway engineer was in in charge of the work and H E petro and a hard boiled gang of mechanics that was recruited in salt lake looked after the field work vork all the new material used was furnished by local shops very promptly and efficiently and the job is a fine example of how local firms are progressing towards furnishing materials needed in this state under past conditions it would have been necessary to send east and import all the material needed ibi in a job of this kind and the prices the mining company would have been obliged to pay with the high freight rates would have added materially to the cost of the work A close study of snow conditions in little cottonwood canyon was made while reconstruction of this line was under way and due care was taken to locate all the new tower structures so that snow slides could be avoided wherever possible and at all danger points material is cached to take care of interruptions of traffic that may may occur promptly and efficiently and there now is no reason reason why the tram tramway could not be operated throughout the year instead of the short working b season they have been obliged 1 3 to work under until now the new outfit is said to be a fine example of the progress 6 that has been made in aerial tramway construction and oie operation ration since the old tramway was built and the successful operation of the new line should prove conclusively that an aerial tramway properly built and efficiently operated would solve the transportation problems with which the alta minin mining 6 district has been handicapped in the past there now is is no apparent reason why all the ore producers in the district should not be connected up with a modern system of aerial tramways tram ways and thus make possible the delivery of their ores to standard t guage railroad cars at the mouth of the canyon for a small vart part of the cost of transportation as it is practiced in the canyon now which is by teams exclusive exclusively e ly and thus forever banish the nerve racking combination of rough roads bad weather and the personal equation of the average I 1 teamster which make transportation conditions about the worst that ever came under the writers observation it has been found impo impossible to handle under present methods any of the large deposits of low grade ore which have been uncovered and developed in the camp on accod account nt of the excessive cost of this old system of transportation the installation of a moda modern rii up to date transportation system in little cottonwood canyon i would not only prove very profitable from a mining standpoint but it would open the canyon as a summer re resort sort which for beauty of scenery accessibility and weather conditions is not excelled by any canyon near salt lake city |