The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-08-11
Tue NORTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD.


we have now passed over the western portion
OF the region along the Pacific slope which con-
tains undoubtedly the western terminus of the
Northern Pacific Railroads and we are now
ready to fairly start on our eastern exploration
A little spare time remains, and it shall be used
to give your readers fair, though hasty, sketch
OF this road, its prospects, and the great advan-
tages that will accrue on its completion.
A previous letter, written from Olympia gave
a brief description of the vast inland seas of
washington Territory. ] am glad to have it in
my power to reiterate that so far as the magnif-
cence of the waters and harbors of the Strait of
Fuca and Puget Sound have been presented to
the Eastern public, there has been no eXaggera-
tion. They are truly on grand scale, and are
fitting point for the vast future commerce of
the Pacific. From Olympia to Portland, by the
valley of the Cowitz river, a railroad of very
moderate grades can be easily constructed.
The country almost affords natural road bed,
and the rails would run through valley
crowded thicllly with magnificent timber. No
elevation at all approaching the height of Fair
mount hill is to be seen; and the soil has such
natural richness that an annual yield of sixty
bushels of wheat to the acre is no rash prophecy
for fair farming.
The Northern Pacific Railroad is designed to
stretch between Lake Superior-probably at the
points of Fond du Lac and Bayield-and Puget
Sound, touching the latter doubtless at Seattle,
on Admiralty Inlet. The tract of land traversed
contains half-a-million square miles of territory
and it is emphatically the winter-wheat region
of this continent. 1t is varied with alternating
praries and pine forests; it is rich in coal iron,
gold, silver, and copper that have not yet been
fairly developed. 1t has timber, water-power,
and stone, unlike the sterile tracts that lie more
to the southwark. The climate is so salubrious
that consumptives from your Atlantic coast now
seek it in preference to the enervating air of the
South; and so mild is the temperature that | am
told countless herds of cattle roam and fatten
through the winter upon the natural grasses
within ten miles of the summit of the Rocky
Mountains, which at the north are so broken
down as to be passabe by loaded ponies. The
buffalo, the elk, and the antelope make it their
home throughout the whole year; and in its
beautiful valleys peaches apples, pears plums,
cherries, grapes, and sweet potatoes come to
perfect maturity. This district, containing Min
nesota, Dakotah, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, and
Washington, has every element of wealth. every
condition of social growth and prosperity, in
superabundance and beyond exhaustion.
The feeling amoug the people here on the
Northwest coast that the North is entitled to a
Pacific Railroad is honest earnest, and alien
crossing. They object, with good reason, to
going 700 miles south in order to get 100 miles
east and they claim share in the commercial
profits of the trade that is to be diverted from
the Cape of Good Hope across the United States
They say that from IIadodadi, of the Japan
Islands, to Puget Sound is only 400 miles, AGO
less than the direct route to San Francisco; to
Shanghai, China, is 57l6 miles, 400 miles less.
From Pugets Sound to Stka is only no miles,
saving of 700 miles, that in the utilization of our
new polar territory is a matter of great moment
And this route also seems to have been created
as the natural line of communication between
the waters of the two oceans At the east the
st. Lawrence river and the great lakes reach
half way across the continent, while the Pacific
here on the west stretches an arm away inward
into Oregon in the Puget Sound, leaving a dis
tance of only 1775 miles between the navigable
waters of the two oceans. By the Central route
the distance from ocean to lake from San Fran
cisco to Chicago is not less than 2400 miles,
difference in favor of the Northern route of $50
miles.
In fact, so many navigable streams will be in
tersected by this road, that if S25 miles were
constructed ut various points, complete steam
routes could be established and maintained
from ocean to ocean. The Mississippi will be
CrOSSCu NJ OF near SJ. ClOuu, MINNESOTA, l ne
Red river of the North next will connect with
the navigation of Lake Winnipeg and the Sas-
katchewan ard Assnibone rivers and their tri-
butaries opening 5000 miles Of navigablc
waters and draining 900 square miles of
valuable territory. The Missouri river will be
reached at a point 4S5 miles distant from the
| head of Lake Superior and will be followed
| 500 miles to the Great Falls, near Fort Benton.
A stretch of 200 miles will tap Flatheod and
Clarks rivers, and the nayigable waters of the
| latter will be skirted for 175 miles
| Thence the road will run to Lewis river, at
| the mouth of the Paluse 40 miles, and thence
| down the valleys of the Lewis and Columbia to
| Portland Thus the construction of the North
| ern Pacific can be worked simultaneously from
| four different divisions, the extremity of each
resting on water lines, thus allowing the road to
| move on simultaneously on eight different diyi-
| sions Fort Benton to Columbia would be the
| longest division and 800 miles would be the
longest distance of road from single point,
accessible by water.
In addition to the vast development of the
resources of the district traversed, the enhance
ment in value of the adjacent lands and the
great increase of population sure to result, one
OF the most important considerations to the peo-
pie of the whole country in this connection is
the commercial an political effects that would
ensue throughout British Columbia Several
years since the inhabitants of Vancouver's
Island and British Columbia petitioned that they
either might be relieved from the expense
of an excessive staff of officials, and be assisted
in establishing a British steam line to Panama
TO increase emigration, or that they might
| he permitted to become portion of the United
| States with which their commercial and busi-
. | we intimatn