The Montana post., 1868-09-11
THE RaILROAD GRIDrRON.


and projects for the construction of the
auxiliary bars are already receiving con-
siderable attention. The upper one of
these, running east and west is TO be the
y. p r. T., the one in which we OF
Montana are most deeply interested, ana
which will, doubtless, connect Helena
with Lake Superior on the one hand.
and Puget Sound on the other. The
b lower bar, the Southern Road. will prob
ably be the last built, but is already re-
ceiving renewed attention, especially
from the people of San Francisco. 1t
will open up a large extent of country
believed to be rich in mines, but which is
now almost uninhabited by whites on
account of the presence of hostile Indi-
ans OF the cross bars, and of which
we propose more particularly to speak,
the most westerly, will doubtless follow
down the Pacific coast from the termi-
nus of the y. p. r. Il. on Puget Sound,
through Portland. the rich valley of the
Willamet, TO San Francisco, there con-
Meeting with the Central road, and
thence to the terminus of the Southern
road in the lower portion of the State
of California. \ scheme for the con-
struction of a portion of this western
bar is already agitated, a proposition
asking for subsidy for il having been
presented TO Congress by the Hon. Rufus
Mallory, Representative from Oregon.
1t is thought that the aid asked will be
granted early in the next session. The
branch road at present contemplated is
one which shall connect Portland with
San Francisco. In this enterprise the
Central p. K. r. takes especial interest
from the fact that it thinks that by the
building of this branch it would be en-
abled TO head off the u. p. r. r., which
is striving to make itself independent
of the Central by the construction of
road from some point near Salt Lake
through Idaho TO Umatilla, on the Co
lumba. With this latter road built, the
L. p. r. r. could run it's cars the entire
distance TO the Pacific waters without
once touching the rails of the Central
road, an idea which strikes the CaliforS
mans more forcibly than pleasantly.
We have faith to believe that the road
from Portland TO San Francisco, through
the rich and populous country which il
would traverse will be first built, and
that the branch through Idaho will
therefore be abandoned. and the unfavCr-
able influence which it would have on
the N p r. r. be thus avoided The
easterly bar of the gridiron may be
purely imaginary, still, we conceive that
one will eventually be constructed, and
that it will leave the Northern
Pacific Railroad at Helena, pass near or
through Virginia city, cross the L. p.
r. r. at Salt Lake, and connect with
the southern road at some point on the
navigable waters of the Colorado river
\ line has been already projected from
the central portion of the State of Ne
vada to the head of navigation on the
Colorado River, but the length OF this
line would be fully equal to one from
Salt Lake, and would have no advan-
tsge over the road suggested by US, in
the country through which it passed;
besides, We may suppose that the U. p.
r. r. would not rest content To see the
Central read monopolize all the branch
es, and that finding itself headed on its
Idaho branch scheme, it would turn its
attention TO the colorado project. The
length of the road from Salt Lake to
the head of navigation on the Colora-
do river, would be about the same as
from Salt Lake to Helena. The road
would pass through the most populous
and best cultivated portions of Utah
which lie south of Salt Lake. and would
form connecting link between the
mines OF Montana and those of Arizo-
ma and Mexico, and would, we believe.
cause 9. large influx into this Territory
from those southern regions, be-
sides bringing us all the productions
and Injuries OF the tropics and
of Utah. That central North
and South line will be constructed at a
no distant day, we believe, but whether
il will run entirely west of the main
range through Nevada and Idaho, or
partially east of it through Montana
and Utah, we cannot predict We hope
that it will pursue neither the one
course. or the other, until after the
construction of the North-Pacific Rsil-
road. and then we shall gladly see any
exhibition of enterprise by the Union
line which shall connect rs WITH Utah
and the Colorado river, before the Gems
trail road can have the opportunity to
do any similar service for Idaho. and
| Nerada 8 Wrh the rnads mentioned