Show o. o UINTAH BASIN GROUP lOSES HP i HA Il s rf I U. U S. S Supreme Court Rules Rule Riot Rio t 1 L Grande May Ma Ac Acquire quire Denver Demer l v Salt Lako Lake Line Moffat Bore 7 Plan Part Of or Program v The United States supreme r court ourt Monday removed the last o to linking the Denver S Salt lt Lake and the Denver Rio Grande Western railroads when it denied the Moffat Tunnel League of Western Vestern Colorado and the he Uintah Uintah Uin- Uin tah Basin Railroad league the n 0 right to sue in federal court to prevent the merger said an Associated Associated Asso Ass elated Press dispatch from Wash Was Washington vash I ington D. D C C. The two tv organizations representing i stinting interests in the Uintah b basin basin ba ba- sin sought to prevent the Denver Rio Grande Western Vestern line from purchasing control of the Denver Salt Lake better known as th the Moffat road The purchase would woul enable the Denver Rio Grande Grand Western Vestern to link the two roads road through construction of the Dot Dotsero Dotsero Dotsero Dot Dot- sero cutoff thereby shortening the rail distance between Denver so and Salt Lake by miles Opposition to the proposed purchase purchase pur purchase pur- pur chase was lodged by the two leagues on the grounds that i it forever would prevent construction construction construe tion of a railroad through the Uintah Uintah Uin Uin- K A tah basin When the Moffat off J tunnel tun tun- tunnel nel net was completed Uintah basin basic interests immediately launched launches litigation against the Dotsero cutoff cutoff cutoff cut cut- off the link needed by the Denver Rio Grande Western Vestern road to tc permit use of the tunnel in establishing establishing lishing a shorter route between Denver and Salt Lake The interstate commerce commission commission com corn mission granted the Denver Rio Rh Grande V Western stern permission to acquire acquire acquire ac ac- quire stock control of the Denver Salt Lake over vigorous protests pro pro- tests teats the Uintah Basin Railroad Railroad Rail Rail- road league and the Moffat Tunnel league After the interstate commerce commerce commerce com com- merce commission decision the two leagues sought an injunction in federal court to prevent the railroads from proceeding in accordance accordance accordance ac ac- with the commissions commission's order The case was carried to the United States supreme court with the two leagues contending that the Uintah basin in Utah and the adjoining section of northwestern Colorado had been settled with the understanding that a railroad would eventually be built through I the territory A merger of the Moffat line and the Denver and andRio andRio Rio Grande Western they asserted assert- assert 1 ed would serve t to prevent construction construction construction con con- of a railroad to Salt Lake through the basin I The Denver Rio Grande Western Western West West- west west-I j ern on the other ther hand contended that without linking the two lines the advantages of the Moffat tunnel tunnel tunnel tun tun- nel would be destroyed The tunnel tunnel tun tun- nel extending beneath the continental continental continental conti conti- divide ide provides a more direct direct direct di- di western route from Denver and obviates the need for the Denver Denver Den Den- I ver Rio Grande Western Vestern to tomake tomake tomake make its long loop through Pueblo Pueblo Pu- Pu r. r eblo for westward shipping The supreme court based Its decision decision decision de de- de- de largely upon the importance of solving traffic problems present presented ed in crossing the continental di di- di vide These problems the court decided would be lessened by building the Dotsero cutoff which is la under construction and using the Moffat tunnel owned by the the Denver Salt Lake railroad |