, 1868-06-05
mn WeIla WaIla R.iIroed.

DAN fhAhoisOOt UAy y, 1866
my DEAR Sir Some three months since,
noticsd 10 a paper paragraph to The effect
that movement had been made By citizens Of
HallA Walla, looking TO the construction Of .
railroad from the latter point to Waii6la, on the
Columbia river. few days after this, met
aEr. hinkioa, Of TallA Wallas when thssnbject
came up, and while we agreed that road be.
tween the. tive opoints1was seminently necesatyb
and would be good investment, the cost of con-
struction aud equipment would be 50 heavy that
it might be the cause of delaying the project for
time. then suggested to Mr.. Linkton, that
aroadzusiug the wooden, insteadlofth the leryssxs
pensive iron rail, could be built at nearly One>
half less expense, which would answer every
purpose for few years, until the earnings of the
road would enable the COMPANY to adopt the iron
rail. .. .g ,s-.-- sr--a,-, .t+;
Within a few, days have bad my attention
called to the fact that a company bad really been
organized at Walla WAlla, for the purpose Of
msking commencement of the important project
iu question. Under these circumstances, take
the liberty, as an old citizen of the Territory,
feeling much interest in whatever concepts its
welfare and that of its people, to suggest to 700,
as the President of the lately formed company,
the propriety Of looking into the matter Of The
building a wooden road, as a means of much
cheaper, and quite as rapid a communication
between your city and the river. am coguisaut
of the fact that this style Of road has been used
il some of the Eastern States with great success
aud in many of the Southern States during the
late civil war, owing to the impossibility of OBJ.
tanning iron rails, they were used on an eKten'
sive scale, for the transportation of men and
munitions of war, and general freight and
proved efficient and durable. On the route be.
tween Walla Wslla and Wallula, free as it ID
from all engineering difficulties, am quite sure
that the experiment would be entirely successful
As it wonld hardly be possible 10 procure
either maple or oak for rails within ble
distance east of the Columbia, would suggest
| that on the eastern slope of the Cascades, the
maple, aud probably some other kinds OF timber
can be found. Crossing the river at Wallula
and making directly for the Natchess riven fol'
low it up TO a poiut some four TO six miles above
what is known as "Edgar's Rock" where the
main fork turns short to the south, up which any
amount of iue timter can be, procured Of various
kinds This stream is one of the finest / have
seen n the Territory. 1t rises in a lake on
the summit of the mountains has a fine val.
ley on either hand, and is rapid and beautiful
stream, averaging about $50 feet in width, and
carrying in the dry season about 20 inches depth;
clear from distractions, without falls or rapids
and from shore Indications has, at high water a
| depth of some FIVE or six feet. Down this river
into the Yakima, could be foated millions ot
feet of the finest FIR, pine, hacmack, spruce, &C.,
to Wallula and there sawed by cheap, portable e
mills, into such dimensions as might be required
Large quantities Of beautiful pine timber grow
in the valley of the Natchess, commencing about
| twenty miles above its mouth. Down the Nat
chess from the summit, the line of The Northern
Pacific Railroad, BY the Cowlitz Pass, was run
last August, and bad occasion to observe the
great facilities offered for obtaining timber as
indicated. Throwing the construction of a wood
railroad entirely out of consideration, think
the vicinity named, the most available from
which to procure timber for the use ofIyour
railroad. Very respectfully,
Z. NJ. WALKER, Civil Engineer.
HoN. J. H. LAsATER, Pres. W. W. &W. R. Co.,