Owyhee semi-weekly tidal wave. [volume] (Silver City, Owyhee County, Idaho Territory) 1868-1869, 1869-09-03
The Northern Pacific Railroad.

broken for the construction of the
Northern Pacific Railroad, which is
to extend from Duluth, at the head |
of Lake Superior, lT74 miles to Se-
attic on Puget Sound, thus forming
the shortest possible link between
the waters of the Pacific Ocean and
those of our Northern Lakes. The |
Northern Pacific Railroad Company |
was chartered by Congress during |
the administration of President Polk,
and the leading spirits in the enter
prise were Southern politicians and
capitalists, John c. Breckenridge,
Beriah Magoffin and several other
members of the kentucky political
ring" being among the projectors.
Before the outbreak of The rebellion,
the franchise of the coIhpany passed
into northern and loyal hands. Gov.
James Gregory Smith, of Vermont,
is President of the company. The
Northern Pacific Railroad has mn-
nilicent land endowment, but, thus
far. no loan of Government credit.
No Government bond subsidy, such
as that granted to the Central and
Union Pacific, will be asked for the
Northern line. The grant of Govern
ment lands already made by Con-
gress to the Northern Pacific road
consists OF 10 alternate odd num-
bered sections, or 1880 acres, per
mile through the States of Wiscon-
sin and Minnesota, and 20 alternate
sections, or Is, 600 acres, per mile
| through the Territories. Along the
main line and IFS branches this grant
embraces nearly 50,e00,00O acres of
untouched soil, stretching in belt
! 50 miles wide from Lake Superior
TO tide-water on the Pacific slope.
| For the first hundred miles west of
the eastern terminus the road will
pass through an almost unbroken
pine and hardwood forest, and for
| 700 miles more it will traverse re-
gion of rolling prairie interspersed
with timber, which is the very home
of winter wheat, and which will, be-
fore many years, furnish bread to
millions of people living in more
southern latitudes.
Then comes the mountain region
OF Montana and Idaho, with its min
eral wealth and grazing lands. Cross
| ing the Rocky Mountain range at a
| point where it is so broken down in
| TO scattered elevations as to hardly
deserve the name, the road will en-
ter the fertile valley Of the Columbia
river, and thence through pass in
| the Cascade range TO tidewater on
Puget Sound. Unlike the Union Pa
cifc, the proposed Northern route
passes through few waste lands and
plains, sage deserts and alkaline val
| ieys. With our superficial geograph-
ical education, we have been in the
hadit of regarding our extreme
northwest Territories as hardly less
frozen and uninviting than Labrador
On the contrary, one leading advan,
tage the Northern Pacific road will
have over the present completed
line will consist in the fact that, al
though located six degrees further
north, it will be easily kept free O
snow the year round. The climate
difference in favor of the Northern
line is due mainly to the difference
in altitude. For instance, along thu
whole length of the Northern Pacific
line not more than 250 miles will
have an elevation exceeding 300
feet above the sea, while HOO mile
of the present Pacific road are NOR
than 1000 feet above the same SCI
level. and more than 500 miles o
the Union Pacific have an altitude
of 1900 feet. While the highes
point on the present line is 8,262 #
above tide-water, the highest poin
: on the Northern Pacific will be les
than 1000 feet above tide-water. ia.
: Cooke a. Co. will be the fiscal agent
!, of the enterprise. The contract i
: | already closed, with this exception
}, that the former insist upon making
! personal inspection Of the propose
route before entering actively upo
n the work. Accordingly, two parties
starting respectively at Puget Scum
and Lake Superior, begin this wee
the survey, the fiscal agents OF tn
company being represented IN eac
!. expedition. This preliminary ez
It animation Of the line will probabl
y be completed by the first Of Octobe
next, at which time the two partie
will come together. compare note
and submit their report.
The road is expected to be CON