The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1871-06-01
The Read.

I The route of the Northern Pacific
Railroad is as follows: LSee map. +
| Starting from Duluth, Minnesota, at
the head of Lake Superior, and from
st. Paul and Minneapolis on the Miss
/ issippi river, the two Eastern arms
unite in central Minnesota from the
point of junction the trunk line ex-
tends Westward through central Da-
kOta and central Montana. At a con-
venient point in Montana the Road
will again branch [see mapl one arm
passing through central Washington
TO the main Ocean Terminus on Pu-
get SOund-the other following down
the valley of the Columbia through
Southern Washington and Northern
Oregon to Portland, at tide water on
the Columbia river. A shore line
now building-willlunite the two Wes-
tern termini. Still another branch will
leave main the line in Western Min
nesOtai and extend North through the
Red River Valley to Pembina on the
border of British America. Nature
has leveled n pathway for the North
tTR Pacific Railroad from the Lakes to
the Ocean. All through the Rocky
Mountain region the elevation is some
$500 feet less on the Northern line
than on the Central route. The Cas-
cade or Sierra range which, on the
Central, is scaled at a height OF 1912
feet, is crossed by the Northern Paci-
fic nearly at the sea IeyeI-thrOugh
the channel cut by the Columbia riv-
er. On the Northern Pacific line
no tunnels will be needed, and prOba-
bly, no grade to exceed 80 feet to the
mile. 1t is claimed that the cOnstruc-
ton of the Northern Pacific Road
shOrtens the distance by rail between
the Lakes and the Pacific Ocean near
ly 600 miles, and that it shortens the
distance by water and rail between
New York or Liverpool and the ports
of Asia some 400 miles.
CONNECTIONs.-At st. Paul and
Minneapolis the Northern Pacific Rail-
road system connects with the various
lines of Railroad extending through
Chicago to the Atlantic coast; at Du-
luth with the commerce of the Great
Lakes end the st. Lawrence; at Penn
bina with a thousand miles of river
and Lake navigation in British Amer
lea; at Puget Sound, when cOmplet-
ed, with the commerce of the Pacific
Ocean and the trade of Asia; at Port
1Si''f 1f a. L flagon, with the cOastwise trade
siISfs I4.uSl sols across the cOnti-
nent the Road intersects many navi-
gable streams, such as the Mississippi,
the Red, the Missouri, the Yellow
stone, the Clark, the Snake, the Co
lumbia, and the COwlitZ-all of which
will serve as feeders, or branch lines
for the Road. bringing to it the trade
of a vast and fertile country on both
sides of the line.
RAPID PROGRESS OF CONsTRUC-
TION.-Ground was broken in July,
1870. Several thousand men have
since been constantly employed on the
line. At this time (April, 1s71,) the
grading for 266 miles from Lake Su-
periOr to the Eastern border of
Dakota, trains are running over
125 miles of completed track
the Mississippi river is bridged at
Brainard and once more joined
to the Lakes by rail, and track
laying is rapidly progressing West
ward. By September next, trains
will run to the Red river, and the
grading will probably be far advanced
toward the Great Bend of the Mis-
souri, river in Central Dakota.
In the meantime, work has been
commenced the present season on the
Pacific coast; force of men is al
ready employed in the valley of the
Columbia river, and hereafter the
work of construction will be pushed
both Eastward and Westward toward
the center with such rapidity as the
best interests of the Road may justify.
Including its purchase of the St.
Paul and Pacific Road, the Northern
Pacific Railroad Company has Alb
miles of road now in operation, and
before the close of the present season
the length of finished track will be at
least $50 miles.