The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-04-10
The Northern Pacific Railroad.
ny scurYLER coLyAx, vIcE:PREIDEST
OF THE UNITED STATES.

"a hundred miles west OF the lOnglIuueOl
ST. Louis or Galena-is the young city Of
Duluth, the initial point Of the Northern
Pacific Railroad. That great work, so
magnihcently endowed by the Govern.
ment, is already being pushed rapidly
westward, under is energetic controllers;
and before the snow flies next fall, i viii
be completed to the western line Of Min;
uesota, where it crosses the Red RIVER Of
the North-which runs northward 10
Lake Winnipez-and one-eighth Of It's
distance TO the Pacific Ocean will have
been accomplished. Commencing, too,
this season on its western line, the work
will be prosecuted from both directions,
and long before the nation celebrates its
Centennial Anniversary oil Independence,
the Lakes viii be united by iron bands
with that Mediterranean OF our North
west, Puget Sound.
OF the auspiciOus influence Of this en-
terprise, which but few years ago would
have been considered so daring, the most
sanpulne of It's friends have scarcely yet
a fiil realization. Even taking Chicago
rs the starting point, Il will be (ViG St
Paul, where IN arm Of the Northern Pa
cifc railroad is reached) two hundred
miles less distance to Puget Sound than
10 San Francisco. Besides this, vessels
from the Golden Gate 10 China sail on
what Is called the grand circle, instead Of
In straight line, and any one testing this
by q string on the globe will be surprised
Of the result, il they have not previously
za.,lG.l al. nH,ns ~ she rofrtu1ifxy nj tho
earth, and its diminished protuberance as
you 20 northward toward the Pole.
Hence, when they have sailed eight hun
dred miles from San francisco, they are
only one hundred miles from the entrance
10 Puget Sound; and this striking fact
shows the advantages this route will have
in commanding the through traffic 10 Asia
with our Atlantic States, or that portion
OF II which will pass over the soil OF this
nation on its road to Europe.
Nor Is this all. Development Is the
great duty Of the Republic, afleT all It's
recent trials. Resources are the gin Of
the Creator. Developing them depends
on the work Of man. Along the line Of
ID eNorthern Pacific Railroad, as II TO-
lows up the water.courses, the Missouri
and the Yellowstone on this side, and de-
sCends by the Valley Of the Columbia on
the other, q vast body Of agricultural
land Is waiting Tor the plough, with
climate almost exactly the same as that
of New York, except that, with less snow,
cattle, in the larger portion Of it, can sub
sist on the open range in winter. Here,
II climate and fertility OF soil produce
their natural result, when railroad facIli.
ties open this now isolated region 10 set.
Element, will soon he seen waving grain
fields, and happy homes, and growing
towns; while ultimately Gordon Of pros
porous States, teeming with population,
and rich In industry and consequent
wealth, will occupy that now undeyel-
oped and almost inaccessible portion Of
our continental area, 4
But this road Is fortunate also In It's
pathway across the two ranges Of noun
tains which tested so severely the Pacific
Railroads built on the central line, and
the overcoming Of which reflected such
well deserved honor on their energetic
builders. At the Deer Lodge Pass, in
Montana, where II crosses the Rocky
Mountains, It's altitude above the sea Is
$500 feet less than the Union Pacific Rail.
road at Sherman, which Is said 10 be the
highest point at which locomotive can
be found in the world. And on the Pa
cifC side Of the Continent II Is even more
fortunate. From Arizona up to the Arc
tic Circle the Columbia Is the only river
which hns tern lis way through that
mighty range, the Andes Of North
America, which 10 California Is known as
the Sierras, but which in Oregon changes
its name 10 the Cascades. Nature has
thus provided a pathway for the North
ern Pacific Road through these mountains,
the scaling of which, on tie other line, al
an elevation of over seven thousand feet
! Ia most wonderful triumph Of engineer
ing), cost the Central Pacific company
millions OF dollars, and compelled them,
for seventy miles, 10 maintain grade Of
over one hundred feet to the mile-twice
the maximum Of the Northern Pacific at
the most difficult point on It's entire route.
II Is iortunate, also, in It's terminus on
the Pacific coast. No one who has not
been there can realize the beauty Of Puget
Sound and It's surroundings One hun.
dred miles long, but so lull of inleis and
straits that its naVigable shore-line meas
urcs seventeen hundred and sixty miles,
dotted with lovely islets, with gigantic
trees almost to the waters edge, with safe
anchorage everywhere, and stretching
southwark, without shoals or bars, from
the Straits Of Fuca TO the capital and
centre of Washington Territory il will be q
magnificent ehtrepot for the commerce Of
that grandest ocean Of the world, the Pa
cifc.
80 The land grant Of the
United States, exceeding fifty millions Of
acres in the winter wheat region Of our
nation ten times as large as the area OF
Massachusetts,, Is doubtless sufficient ioI
the completion Of tho road; but, besides
this, millions Of private means are already
invested in It The bonds based on the
land grant, and mortgage on the road
itself In addition, arc being sold as rapidly
as the money Is needed; and, as an invest.
ment, yielding about eight per cent per
year in currency, rank already with the
best class Of railroad securities And
thus the good work will 90 on with un.
checked step to its final contamination
carrying the blessings Of settlement, de
velopmant, civilization and Christianity
with Il In It's progress, and literally eans
ing the wilderness to blossom as the rose
New PAPER-Dr. o. G. CHASE, for
nerlv nj prtnan county. has started q