Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-02-16
The Northern Pacific Railroad.

| llUcnl ID now III luli process OF COOslrWC'
ton. Last July contracts were let for
the building Of the Eastern division,
reaching across the State Of Minnesota
from Duluth, at the head Of lake Supe
rior, 240 miles to the crossing of the
Red River Of the North. With several
thousand men employed, the grading Of
this section is fast approaching compile,
ton, and the iron is being laid at the
rate of one or two miles a day. In the
meantime engineers are locating the
line westward through central Dacota /;
preparations are completed for the
commencement Of work at the Pacific
end next spring, and thereafter the work
Of construction will be prosecuted from
both eXtremitics toward the centre.
In addition to this, the Northern Pa
cifc Company have recently purchased
and practically consolidated with their
own liue the St. Paul and Pacific Rail-
road, embracing some 300 miles of fin
ished road in Minnesota on which u
prosperous business is already doing.
This purchase removes all rivalry be-
tween conflicting interests and practi.
cally makes St. Paul one terminus of
the great Northern road. The North
ern Pacific Railroad system is certainly
assuming a buSincss-like form, and COM
prehenslve proportions. Obviously its
projectors do not inlcnd TO build SIM
pie trunk road from East 10 West and
then wait for profitable traffic to come
to it. On the contrary, they are at the
outset securing such connections and
alliances with the chief lines of water
communication, and with the railroad
system ofthe Atlantic and Pacific States,
as cannot fail to bring TO It in addition
to its local business, large and increas-
ing share Of the carrying trade between
ocean and ocean, At Duluth one arm
meets the commerce of the Lakes and
the ST. Lawrence at St. Paul the other
eastern arm connects with the commerce
of the Mississippi river and its tributa-
ries, and with the railroads of the cen.
ira and eastern States, concentrating at
Chicago. These two arms will unite
in W estern Minnesota. From the point
Of junction third branch will extend
to Pembna Oh the British border, and
the trunk line will traverse central Da-
kota, follow the now famous Yellowstone
valley through Montana. Near the
boundary Of Idaho the road will again
branch-onc arm following down the
valley Of the Columbia to tde-waicr at
Portland, Oregon the other striking
directly across the Cascade range to the
main terminus on Puget Sound. A
North and South branch will also con-
meet the Puget Sound terminus with
that at Portland. At the latter point
connection is made with the coast lines
Of road now building 9outhward through
Oregon and California. Both at Port
land and Puget Sound the road will tap
the coastwise aud foreign trade of the
Pacific Ocean.
The chief advantages peculiar to the
Northern Pacific route are believed to
be these 1. 1t reduces the distance be-
tween the Lakes and the Pacific Ocean
some COO miles. .. 1t lessons the dis
lance between New York and the Pa
cifc by water and rail to the same ex-
teu,. 3.It lessons the distance between
London and Chinese ports by the trans
continental route at least 400 miles
4. 1t traverses belt of States and Ter
ritories admirably adapted by fertility
Of soil, mildness of temperature, and
equal distribution of moisture, to profit.
able agriculture. ). Its elevation in
the mountain region is 5000 feet less
than that Of other lines, resulting in a
diminished snow fall, mild climate,
and far easier gradients. 6, At conven-
lent intervals it intersects numerous
navigable streams-such as the Column
bia, the Cowltz, the Yellowstone, the
Missouri, the Red and the Mississippi,
which drain vast region, and will
serve as feeders to the road. Z. 1t will
partake of the character Of an interna.
tional route, permanently controlling
carrying trade of British America, and
rendering the important colonies north
of the boundary, and west of Lake SUI
perior, commercially tributary to our
Northwestern States.
Already it is stated that settlers are
rapidly crowdiug to the line of the
Northern Pacific Road in the New North
west, and judging from what is known
of the plans adopted for promoting the