Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1871-02-16
The Northern Pacific Railroad.

were let for the building of the East
ern division, reaching across the
| State of Minnesota from Duluth, at
the head Of Lake Superior, 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
ticn, and the iron is being laid at the
rate of one to two miles a day. In
the meantime engineers are locating
the line westward through central
Dakota; preparations are completed
for the commencement of work at the
Pacific end next spring. and there
after the work of construction will
be prosecuted from both extremities
toward the center.
In addition to this, the Northern
Pacific Company have recently pur-
chasd and practically consolidated
with their own line the st. Paul and
Pacific Railroad, embracing some
800 miles of finished road IN Mime
sofa on which a prosperous business
is already doing. This purchase re-
moves all rivalry between conflicting
interests, and practically makes St.
Paul one terminus of the great
Northern road. The Northern Pacific
Railroad system is certainly assum-
ing business-like form, and compre
hensive proportions. Obviously its
projectors do not intend to build
simple trunk road from East to West
and then wait for profitable traffic
to come to it. On the contrary, they
are at the outset securing such con-
nections and alliances with the chief
lines of water communication. and
with the railroad system of the At
lantic and Pacific States, as cannot
fail to bring to it, in addition to its
lacal business, a large and increasing
share of the carrying trade petween
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 tributaries, and with the
railroads of the central and eastern
States, concentrating at Chicago.
These two arms will unite in West
ern Minnesota. From the point of
junction a third branch will extend
to Pembina on the British border,
and the trunk lire will traverse Gen.
trail Dakota, and follow the now fam |
Gus Yellowstone valley through Mon
tana. Near the boundary Of Idaho
the road will again branch-one arm
following down the valley of the
Columbia to tide water at Portland,
Oregon: the striking directly across
the cascade range to the main termi-
nus on Puget Sound. A North and
South branch will also connect the
Puget Sound terminus with that at
Portland. At the latter point con-
nection is made with the coast lines
of road now building southwark
Oregon and Califo: MIA.
Both at Portland and Puget Sound
the road will tap the coastwise and
foreign trade of the Pacific Ocean.
The chief advan ages peculiar to
the Northern Pac, fic r)ute are be-
lieved to be these: L. 1t reduces the
distance between the Lakes and the
Pacific Ocean some 600 miles. 2.
It lessons the distance between New
York and the Pacific by water and
rail to the same extent. 3. 1t lessers
the distance between London and
Chinese ports by the trans conlin n
tai route at least 400 miles. 4. 1t
averses a belt Of States and Te:-
ritories admirably adapted by fcrtiI-
y fsoil, mildness of temperturc,
and equal distribution of moisture, 10
profitable agriculture. 5. It's eleva
lion in the mountain region is 5000
feet less than that of other lines, re-
sulting in a diminished snow fail, a
mild climate, and far easier gradients.
}. At convenient intervals it inter-
sects numerous navigable streams
such as the Columbia, the Cowlitz,
The Yellowstone, the Missouri, the +
Red, and the Mississippi-which
drain vast REGION, and will serve as
feeders to the road. Z. 1t will par
take of the charactet of an interna-
tional route, permanently controlling
the carrying trade of British America,
and rendering the important colonies
north of the boundary, and west of
LakeSuperior, r,commercially tributary
to our Northwestern States
Already it is stated that settlers
are rapidly crowding to the line OF
the Northern Pacific Road in the
New Northwest, and judging from
what is known of the plans adopted
for promoting of the settlement and
development, through emigration
and colonization, of the belt of State
and Territories tributary to the line
there would seem to be no doubt
that the corporation upon which the
Government has conferred this great
trust, is determined to make the en-
5erprise not only financially sound,
but greatly and permantly beneficial
to the whole country. With its
endowment of fertile lands,
with the natural advantages this
route undoubtedly enjoys, and with
the far sighted policy already inau-
great commercial project
could hardly start under better au-
spices or with greater assurance of
success.
The New York World predicts that
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