The UP controlled the South Park at this time. The writer made a mistake, the UP grade was 200 feet higher than the RG.
RAILROADS AT PEACE
Crested Butte, Colorado; December 28, 1892
There are no violent hostilities between the Rio Grande and the Union Pacific grading outfits as has been reported in the Denver newspapers. A week ago there were rumors of war and at one time it looked as though it might take a shape to surpass the famous Rio Grande-Santa Fe war in the Royal Gorge of a dozen years ago. All kinds of reports were circulating, one was the Union Pacific was expected in with 200 armed men; but they did not. Chief Engineer Ashton of the Union Pacific was on the ground with a small force of men, but offered no resistance to the Rio Grande planning the crossing. Honorable George Bell, who was a party with Levy and Moore in the contract to grade the Rio Grande tracks from here to the Colorado Fuel and Iron company breaker, took about 60 men and went up to the place and commenced to grade without any resistance and the men have been kept at work ever since in that locality making grade. This was done on Saturday morning when no information could be secured.
The honorable George Bell was a member of the 8th General Assembly from Pueblo county and expects to spend the winter here pushing the grade.
That there was trouble and serious opposition to the Union Pacific right-of-way at this particular point there is no doubt and should anything come of it in the future, it will probably be settled in the counts.
Where the trouble exists it is on deeded land belonging to the Colorado Fuel and Iron company. The Union Pacific had a right-of-way for its road condemned by the court thru this land. It runs along the side of a mountain about 200 feet lower down the mountain that the Rio Grande runs its survey. It was necessary for the Rio Grande to cross the Union Pacific right-of-way thru 200 feet below its grade in order to reach the breaker being built by the CF&I company and it was this move the Union Pacific would have liked to have prevented but so far have failed.
The piece of road the Rio Grande has graded from Crested Butte to this new breaker is 11 miles long and Mr. Bell in charge of the contract has about 500 men strung all along the line pushing work as fast as possible and must be complete by 1st of June. The weather has been most favorable, hardly snow enough to make good sleighing until the present week. This road runs due west from here, the Union Pacific comes north up Ohio Creek from Baldwin and is about at the head of Anthracite Creek where the two roads meet, cross and parallel each other. The Union Pacific has a large force of engineers on the ground and it is said will put a force of graders at work at once. A peace treaty has been patched up this week between the two contending forces and all of the laborers have gone to the respective homes in Denver and Pueblo to enjoy the New Year.
