The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-04-10
From thsSsv York Iadspendsatl
The Northern Pacific Railroad.
By SCHUYLER coLFAx, yICE-PREsIDESr OF
THE UNITED STATES. Il

By SCHUYLER coLFAx, vIcE-PREsIDEST OF
THE UNITED STATES.
Midway across the continental the
head Of twelve hundred miles OF Lake
navigation "a thousand miles from
Buffalo, the western terminus OF the
Erie Canal, and as near to it by water
as Chicago hundred miles west OF
the longitude Of st. Louis or Galena-ls
the Young city Of Duluth, the initial
point OF the Northern Pacific Railroad.
That great work, so magnifcently en-
dowed by the Government, is already
being pushed rapidly westward. under
its energetic controllers and before the
snow flies next Fall, it will be completed
to the western line of Minnesota, where
it crosses the Red River OF the North
which runs northward to Lake Winnipeg
and one-eighth OF its distance to the
Pacific Ocean Will have been accomplish
ed. Commencing too, this season on
Its western line, the work will be prose
cuted from both directions, and long
before the nation celebrates Its Centen-
NAL Anniversary OF Independence, the
Lakes will be united by iron bands with
that Mediterranean of our Northwest,
Puget Sound.
OF the suspicious influence OF this
enterprise, which but few years ago
would have been considered so daring,
the most sanguine of its friends have
scarcely yet q full realization. Even
taking Chicago rs starting point 1t
Will be (rid St. Paul, where an arm OF
the Northern Pacific Railroad is reached
two hundred miles less to Puget Sound
than to San Francisco. Besides this,
vessels from the Golden Gate to China
saul on what is called the grand circle,
instead OF in straight line and any one
testing this by string on globe will
be surprised at the result, if they have
not previously studied the effect of the
rotundIty OF the earth, and its diminish
ed protuberance as you go northward
towards the Pole. Hence, when they
have sailed eight hundred miles from
San Francisco they are only one hun
dred miles from the entrance to Puger
Sound and this striking fact shows thu
advantages this route will have in com
manding the through traffic OF Asia with
our Atlantic States, OF that portion OF il
which will pass over the soil OF tina
nation on the road to Europe.
/ Nor is this all. Development is tht
great duty of the Republic, after all it
recent trials. Resources are the gift o
the Creator. Developing them depend.
on the work OF man. Along the line o
the Northern Pacific Railroad, as it fol
lows up the water-courses, the Missouri
and the Yellowstone on this side, ant
descends by the valley Of the Columbil
on the other, o vast body OF agriculture
land is waiting for the plough, with I
, climate almost exactly the same as tina
OF New York, except that, with less snow
: cattle, in the larger portion OF it, cal
subsist on the open range in winter
, Here, if climate and fertility of soil pro
duce their natural result, when railroad
, facilities open this now isolated region
to settlement, will soon be seen waving
grain-felds, and happy homes, and grow
ing towns; while ultimately Gordon o
prosperous states, teeming with popula
ton, and rich in industry and conse
, quent wealth, will occupy that now I'm
! developed and almost inaccessible portion
OF our continental area.
But this road is fortunate also in it
pathway across the two ranges OF noun
tains which tested so severely the Paciti
Railroads built on the central line, ant
,, the overcoming of which reflected sucl
well-deseryed honor on their energetic
builders. At the Deer Lodge Pass, il
Montana, where it crosses the Rock,
Mountains, its altitude above the sea i
$500 feet less than the Union Pacifi
Railroad at Sherman, which is said to b
J the highest point at which locomotiv
can be found in the world. And on tn
| Pacific side of the continent it is ever
more fortunate. From Arizona up t,
the Arctic Circle the Columbia is tn
, only river which has torn its way through
that mighty range, the Andes of Nortl
America, which in California is know
as the Sierras, but which in Oregon
changes its name to the Cascades. Ma
ture has thus provided q pathway for tn,
Northern Pacific Road through thes,
mountains, the scaling OF which, on til,
other line, at an elevation of over sever
thousand feet 10 most wonderful triumph
OF engineering), cost the Central Pacific
company millions OF dollars, and com
PEELED them, for seventy miles, to main
tain a grade of over one hundred feet t.
the mile-twice the maximum of the
Northern Pacific at the most Difficult
point In its entire route.
1t is fortunate, also, in its terminus OF
the Pacific coast. No one who has no
been there can realize the beauty o
Puget Sound and its surroundings. One
hundred miles long, but so full OF inlet
and straits that its navigable shore-lin,
measures seventeen hundred and sixty
miles, dotted with lovely islets, with 81
gantic trees almost to the waters edge
with safe anchorage every where, anC
stretching southwark, without shoals OIL
bars, from the Straits OF Fuca to the
capital and center of Washington Terri
tory, it will be magnificent enfrepot fol
the commerce of the grandest ocean il
the world, the Pacific. The
Land Grant OF the United States, exceed
ing Fifty Millions OF acres in the winter