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Show HARRIIMS INTERESTS IN MOFFAT LINE That's Why It WU1 Be Financed, Fi-nanced, Say Railroad Men. TO WORK TOWARD SALT LAKE SOON Virgin Territory Will Be Opened, Especially Big Coal Fields. The principal topic of oonwsitlo In local railroad circle today Is the announcement an-nouncement In a dispatch from Denver that ths Hani man Interests have with drawn their opposition to the Denver, Northwestern Pacific (the Moffat road), and that extension work on that road from Bt earn boat Hprlnars. Colo., to Salt Lake City. Utah, will b?pin at onoe. The dispatch says that William Q. Evans, Ev-ans, president of the Moffat road, and Vice President and OeneraJ WIIHaw O. gv-ema, preeldesu of the Moffat Mof-fat road, and Vice President and General Manager Dod(e visited President Lovett of the Union Pacific In NfW York recently" and consummated a harmonious aaree-ment aaree-ment between the conflicting; railway late) la-te) rests. For year E. H. Hariiman, by I his control In Wall street, blocked every effort of the late D. H. Moffat to finance and complete the road. Mr. Herri men saw that the line would become a moat danrerous rival of the Union Pacific by forming the link of a hostile transcontinental transconti-nental system. Naturally he did everything every-thing to prevent the growth of such a rival. Lovttt Abandons Branche. The agreement between Bvana and Tovett removes those elements which Mr. Herri man regarded ae moat objectionable. Mr. Evans has made an alliance with the Herri man interests whereby the Union Pacific and the Denver. Northwestern s) Pacific (the Moffat) railroad will Interchange Inter-change traffic. The Union Pacific will get all the traffic that the Moffat road can turn over to it. President Lovett, on his part, agreed to abandon all plana for branches Into Moffat line territory. This declaration of peace Is by no means In line with the hopes and dreams of David Moffat. He wished to keep the road an Independent factor at least until un-til It was completed. Then It would have been possible to dictate terms to the older lines. Now. however, all thought of war has been abandoned and. Indeed, it is freely predicted here tonight that the Moffat road will at no distant date be owned largely by the men who have heavy Investments In the Union Pacific, with due regard, ef course, for the provisions pro-visions of the Interstate commerce law which have reference to the ownership of parallel and competing lines. Colonel Dodge, however, still regard s the M of -fat road as a distinctly Independent line and foresees for li a splendidly prosperous future. It Is ststed In Denver that In the finaming of the road a number of rich Halt Lake men will have a share. Opens Virgin Territory. . At the office of William H. Bancroft. vU -e presiden t and general ma na ger of the Oregon Hhort tine. It waa announced this morning that no Information other than that contained In the Associated Press dispatch had been received. However, How-ever, no surprise was expressed as to the contents of the dispatch. , It has been an open secret In railroad circles for years that the chief opponent to the completion of the Moffat road was the Hsrrlman Interest. Not only would the new road open up n virgin territory In western Colorado and eastern tl'ah. but It would tap Immense coal beds. It Is slso known that the In ion Pacific has surveys for the building of branch I1ne from Its main line at U'amsutter. Wyo., (o the Immense coal deposits known to exist In Routt and Moffat counties. Colorado, Col-orado, and that It threatened to build thotie 11ns snd tap the coal beds before the Moffst road could build Into that territory. ter-ritory. It la now claimed that with the agreement reached between the officials offi-cials of the two mads that the 1'nlon Pacific Pa-cific wilt not build the branch lines hut will leave the business to the Moffat road. To be Harriman OoatroUed. The announcement of an agreement between be-tween the two Interests le taken try local railroad men to not only mean that the Moffat road will be rushed to completion, but that It will be done with Harriman money. It Is the belief of well posted railroad men that when the road Is com-1 com-1 pleted the Harriman Interests will own the control of the stock Just aa they do that of the Rait lakn route, and hat while the road will he known as the Denver. Northwestern Pacific, It will In reavllty be a Harriman holding and be operated iru1r lhs HarHmatn nollcv. It la well known that the Hill Interests have long had an eye on Kail Lake City with a view oC building a line here either from Guernsey, Wyo., or from Orand Junction, Colo. It la also known that wlfhln the last few months the HIM In-tercets In-tercets hsd a corps of surveyors In the field surveying from Orand Junction towards to-wards this rtty. and it waa the opinion of railroad men that it was the Intention to i extend the Colorado Midland, whlrh Is j owned jointly by the Hll and OouM Interests, In-terests, to this cttv ovr a part of the fmptsed route of the Moffat road. Borne oral railroad men believe that the announced an-nounced alliance between the Harriman and Moffat intereata Is another move to head tfT the Hill Interests from entering this city. However true any of theae opinions may he it will he welcome news to the people of this city and state that "the work of extension will begin at ones." |