, 1873-10-02

RAILROAD FREIGHTs.-The Portland
.Ne,cs of Sept. %. says: The railroad
business is very brisk at present, owing
to the great rush of grain. The o. L q.
Railroad receipts are really immense,
amounting to about 100000 month" :"
This railroad is just 200 E.iles in
length, from Portland to Roseburg, and
for 100 miles of this distance ru2s par
sllel with the navagable waters of the
Willamette river, upon which there are
two steamboat lines running in opposi-
tion to each other end both competing
with the railroad for the carrying busi-
ness. From these facts some reasonable
estimate can be made of the probable
business of the Seattle and Walla Rail
road when completed, promising that
the running expenses of narrow gauge
road is never estimated by competent
Judges at more than one half the cost of
running the broad gauge. The length
of the two roads is about the same. In
regard to the country to be drained by
these two lines of railroad, the advanta.
ges in quantity, quality, and variety of
production, are more than two to one in
favor of the Seattle and Walla Walla
road. Mr.. Philip Ritz, in paper con-
ributed to the n. P. Railroad Compa-
ny,ssays: I'D ..
1.-THE great Columbia Plains, lying
eest of the Cascade Mountains and west
ofthe Blue and Bitter Root ranges, and
parallel with them, and parallel with and
about 800 miles east of the Pacific coast,
constitute one immense grazing ground,
stretching from mountain to mountain,
about 150 miles in width. and from the
klamath Lake on the southern bounda-
~ of Oregon in the south, far into Brit
ish Columbia IN the North, moro than
400 miles in length, covered with the
finest grass in the world, well watered
in many places with rivers and streams
making down from the heavily timbered
JnOuuIdlIlE, luIOuBA tuc lAoAAs, eAASA
draiued by the noble Columbia.
Horses and cattle are seldom fed
here during the winter. even a. far
north as the 49th parallel, but Craze all
winter on this dry grass which through
the dry fall has become cured standing,
so-that it is nearly equal to timothy hay.
1.-The atmosphere is salubrious and
remarkably free from miasmic impurl-
ties.
"Wheat, rye, oats and barley grow
finely without irrigation. in all our soils
which contain clay aud loan, and can
be raised on the sandy portion of thu
valley with irrigation. Four or five
years ago, when our valley contained
population of less than 5000 souls, all
old, We raised about 1000, 600 bushels
of grain, 700, 900 of which was wheat. ;"
Here We have q country embracing
shout 10000 square miles of farming
snds as rich in agricultural products as
any in the world, all of which would be
tributary to the Seattle and Walla Walla
Nailroad. All the available agricultural
Kuds in the Willamette valley will not
amount to over $4,000 square miles.
By this estimate we have 3S, 400, 600
acres of agricultural lands east of tie
Cascade. 20 100000 in the Willamette
valley. 1t has been demonstrated that
the'average yield of wheat per acre is
twice as much in the Walla Walla valley
as in the Willamette valley. -. -+....-
Il In the interchange of commodities the
Seattle and Walla Walla road would
lave an immense advantage over the
Oregon road. The Columbia Plains are
nearly destitute of timber and this end
Of the route has inexhaustible supplies.
which would furnish abundant business
ia, the railroad in return freights, in
supplying that country with building
ind fencing material and fuel.
eiiAs shipping port for foreign trade
Seattle has greatly the advantage over
Portland, the freights between this place
and San Francisco being third less
thAn between Portland and San Francis
70. This place affords q very large
home market for farm products for the
supply of the large milling establish
ments upon the Sound and the mining
settlements of British Columbia.