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Show PEABODY DENIES IT. He Says the Eio Grande Western Has No Passed Under the Control of Any Eastern Boad. BUN IN THE INTEBEST OF UTAH. Yioe-Presidont Peabody Talks-Alniost Eoady to Lay Bails on the Thistle Valley Line. (ieorge Foster Peabody, of Brooklyn, N. Y., vice-president of the Rio Grande Western, accompanied by General Dodge, arrived in the city last evening after a two-days' inspection trip over the company's line. They will remain in the city uutil 8 o'clock tomorrow morning when they leave for Denver. After a short slop there, Mr. Peabody will go on east. A Times man met Mr. Peabody this morning at tho company's general offices. Ho expressed himself as much gratified with what he saw (luring his short inspection trip. Everything Every-thing along tho line was, he said, in excellent shape, in fact iu remarkable shape for a new road. l'EABOUY DENIED II. Mr. Peabody denied most emphatically emphatic-ally the report, that has gained currency, cur-rency, that the Kock Island and Missouri Mis-souri Pacilic had paid for the widening of the gauge of the Bio Grande western from the state line to Salt Lake and Ogden. "The published story,". Mr. Peabody continued, "is so far from correct, however, how-ever, that it can do us no harm. The people of Salt Lake are not going to see Kock Island trains running into their city but they will see Kio Grande ' Western trains right along. The Mid-laud Mid-laud is not within twenty-two miles of Grand Junction, although I wish it was, but it is thirty miles oil' yet. The third rail between Denver and Pueblo was put down by tho Deuver and Rio Grande iu 188, loug before the Rock Island ever thought of going on through." THE R. O. W, CONTROL. "In regard to the report that the control con-trol of tne Rio Grande Western has passed into tho hands of eastern lines, the whole thing is without the shadow of a foundation. The control of tho Rio Grande Western is the same control con-trol that it has had from tho beginning, begin-ning, with the addition of myself and my friends. I was chairman of the reorganization committee and raised all the money for the widening widen-ing of the guage. Not one cent of tho money of the Rock Island or Missouri Pacific is in it. Part of the money was raised in England; the greater part, however, was raised right here in America. A good bit of my own money went into it." HELD BY THE ENGLISH, "Of course, I can't say who coutrols the Midland but I think it is still held by the English. The money to build It was all put up in England. The money for tho extension from Rifle Creek to Grand Junction was also all raised in London. Not one of the bonds was sold in the United States. The Rock Island and Missouri Pacilic may have purchased the Midland recently, re-cently, but I am inclined to think not." IN THE INTEREST OF UTAH. "The Rio Grande Western has no arrangements with the Rock Island or any other road by which it will run trains over our lines. Wo hold an absolutely neutral position posi-tion toward the eastern lines aud receive business from the C. B. & Q., the Rock Island, the Missouri Pacilic, Pa-cilic, the Atchison and even the Union Pacilic." "The control of the Rio Grade Western West-ern is in the interests of Utah. It is the only road that is entirely a Utah corporation, cor-poration, and holds tho samo position to Utah as does the Denver and Rio Grande to Colorado. All our profits como from tho development of local business, and I don't want the people to get tho idea that we have sold thorn out to an eastern company, who will run the road in the interest of some other section of the country. THE THISTLE VALLEY LINE. Colonel Dodge said that tho work on the line from ThisUe to Mary's Vale was being pushed as rapidly as possible. They had 250 teams at work on the grading now, and would begin laying rails in about ten days. Colonel Dodge expressed the greatest satisfaction with the way in which the change had beou effected in the gauge, and said that in a few days, just as soon as everything was gotten into smooth running shape, he would be very glad to have any one go over the line and criticise it. |
