Show IJ ROSS CLARK SIZES UP THINGS railroad has choice the of three routes points for and against each of them i J rosa dark second vice dent of the silt lake route stated in the alta club thursday night that nothing definite had been decided about building the road we will iv ait till chief engineer tilton arrives in salt lake probably saturday morning mr dark said last night ho is working his w ay over the ruined part of the line on foot horseback or probably in places on his hands and knees coming up from rox practically speaking ne in salt lake know nothing more of whit has happened between cal lentema lent emd rox than we did the day after the flood it all depends on mr Til tons report i concerning matesil for rebuilding thit is only a question of money the steel mills are of course six months or so behind their orders but in a case of this kind there is no difficulty in getting all the material we want we can buy it from other roads for instance that is the least of our troubles wo have the choice of three routes to replace tho one that is gone go down the meadow valley wash again but this timo away upon the bidd of the canyon keeping away from alio bottom entirely just as if the hood ran there the year around go north via panaca west along the base of the foothills out of the wash entirely or KO south via sac george each route lias its advantages and all will bo considered seriously when the ight time comes we want three things local traffic the shortest distance and the lowest grades the decision will of course bo a balancing of three considerations cost of construction will of course bo figured in we want no long tunnels if they can be avoided without increasing tho distance or tho grade too much the st george route would probably give us alio most local traffic but the grade west of st george is against that and the dist ance would be the longest down the meadow valley wash again high upon the sido of the cannon walls would give the best grade and the shortest route but no local traffic and a railroad is built not for grades and short distance but for traffic and especially a valuable traffic steady the year around in both directions ions such as any farming section gives this ism favor of st george or that is one of the best farming sections of the nest the northern route along the baso of the foothills is a sort of compromise there would bo some local traffic mostly mining which means traffic all one way and empty oro cars back again medium grades and the second choice as to distance hero are the three choices in a nutshell st corge offers the most local traffic but the longest distance and tho heaviest grades down the meadow valley wash again high up on the canyon walls offers the best grade and the shortest distance but no local traffic the northern route via panaca offers a compromise of all three second choice in grade distances and traffic how it will work itself out I 1 do not know none of us knows it all depends on the engineers and on the cost of building along the various routes it 13 ery easy to get into st george as it is all down hill from the main line but to get out again to the west is not so easy tho virgin nver country is badly broken up and the grades are not inviting in railroading today no one builds for a heavy grade no matter what the other inducements arc we would like to put the road into all three places but that would not pay just now and railroads are built to make money tribune |