The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1873-12-18
NO. 80.

Gently called Mount Rnn,er. whose snow
| clad summit stauds uh"ut fourteen thou
sand feet above the sea
Tacoma is one hundred aud FIVE miles
| by rail irom kalama on the Columbia
| river. 1t is about seven hundred miles
hy sea north of San Franc;seu. aud upop
the cowpletoD of the Nnrihern Pacific
Railroad, bringing Puget Sound in direct
communication Ly the shoriest route. with
Chicago. Milwaukee. st Paul, Duluth.
and all points eastward alnng the Atlantic
coast. il must command "A hand .ume share
OF the new commerce now just -prnging
into existence between China, Japan, etc,
aud the United States
Puget Sound is soon to become the
great ship building place far the worlds
commerce The advantages are wonder
fui There i. here a chnice OF the finest
ship timber. growing down to the waters
edge, aud there are already In operation
On the sound mills saving over two hun
dred millions Of feet annually The
wluters are so mild thar out door work
continues al! the year 1t is very healthy.
| There can be no rival city along the
j
miles. for the reason that there is no
sufficient harbor from Puget Sound TO
San francisco, which sity l. too Tar of to
| be rival for anything hut the foreign
commerce already referred to Such
rivalry is unavoidable, jn,t as The eom-
mercal rivalry between New York and
Orleans Is unnvoidab!e; Jet New Yusk
would not be benefited hy the destruc-
tion of New Orleans GA the contrary,
there are large commercial Interests be-
tween them
1t would he a very short sighted view
that could take in but one great city on
the Pacific Coast, on the whole Of ia
| United States front.
Nothing eau teui to the Development cf
the northwestern portion OF the United
| States much as direct railroad com-
mnnicaton across the continent At
present it is comparatively tedious aud
too expensive To pass from Chicago to
| Puget Sound-six days to San Francisco,
thence four days to Puget Souud-ren
days. the leas, possible time With the
Northern Pacific Railroad completed, Eve
days only need be occupied between
Chicago and Tacoma. nn Puget Sound,
with but little over half The cost. Then
emigration will receive an impetus, aud
the proynosticatinns at Governor Stevens
and other lar seeing minds of twenty years
ago will be realized
Is it not, then, an object of vital import
ance to the Government of the United
States that this Continental line should be
completed at the earliest practicable
period Think. for moment. of the
power that il viii give aver all the Indian
nations aud tribes north of the Union and
Central Pacific Railroads, and the
facilities it will afford Tor the transporta-
tion ut troops and army stores, and the
Imneuse saving To our people OF annual
cost. Many Of our older armv officers
have at some period ni their service been
engaged on duty In Washington Territory
and Oregon woull appeal TO their
experience TO say whether the openn. of
this line will not at once place IA most
powerful military arm at the service of
the Government whose noral and
pecuniary value eau scarcely be overcsti.
mated
Among all the uncnmpleted works o.
} ackunw dsed national imroranre which
, have been hegun ip the United States.
doubt whether there is Que. which In
intrinsic national value can eomnare
favorahly with the Northern Pacific Rail
road Such work ot real merit should
not be suffered to langui>h Nsw dnancia
arrangements must Of course he inaugural
ed as soon as the present monetary
4 L.. l. l. 4
their normal and stable coni;tiou-a hrie
period only, it is to be hoped. Very
truly yours.
". MILNoR ROBERTS, Chief Engineer