, 1874-05-07
EDuoR

\ I RAILROAD "REMINISCENCES. -Nearl
Nhree years ago. two full companies o
railroad surveyors. officered by compe
tent engineers. landed in this city I,
commence surveys for the Norther,
Pacific Railroad, making this the in,tia
point for the branch lines, one by tn,
way of Portland and the Columbi,
River, and the other on the most direc
route across the Cascade Mountains b,
the way of the Snoqualmie Pass. Thes,
surveys were made, and the report d
Ar. Maxwell, who had charge of tn.
eastern route, demonstrated the practi-
eablisy Of the passage of the Cascades
At lower grade, with less distractions
t overcome than had ever before been
anticipated. At that time and subse-
quently, all the maps issued by, or in
the interest off, the Railroad Company,
represented the junction of the two
lines at Seattle. All surveys, all intel
hgent observation of disinterested par
ties and the personal admissions of all
the Directors. conceded that this place
possessed advantages over all others for
the western terminus of the road, and
nothing could divert it from this point
but speculative considerations in which
the public interests and the interests OF
the railroad would not be taken into the
accourt Immediately preceding the
commencement of the railroad surveys,
men acting in the double capacity of
agents of the Railroad Company and
agents of an organized and incorporated
ring of land spectators composed al
most exclusively of Directors of the
Railroad, were for months employed in
examining and entering at the Govern>
nsnt Land Office. thousands of acres
Of the best and most available lands
contiguous to the Sound, exclusively for
speculative purposes, intending to use
their power in the control of the railroad
TO make it subordinate to their own
private interests; and they have pursued
that policy ever since, to the embargo
Of immigration and settlement. the dis
couragement of all private enterprise,
in active hostility to all the established
routes, settlements and centres of trade,
and the utter destruction of the credit
Of the Railroad Company. At that time
there we're parties upon the Sound rep
resenting millions of dollars of cash
capital, ready to engage in active busi-
ness employments, only waiting for the
route and terminus of the railroad to be
determined by the Company, which for
all the interests of the road and the
Company could be better determined
then than at any subsequent period.
giving an impetus to business and en-
terprise which would have largely in
creased the resources of the road and
immensely benefited the country. But
this did not suit the selfish purposes of
the Land Ring, whose policy was to
keep everything in doubt and suspense
until their plans were SO perfected that
they might aggregate to themselves all
the profits and advantages accruing from
railroad locations.
After doing all in their power to re-
tard the growth and prosperity of The
country for two years more. the Railroad
Directors enacted the miserable fraud
and farce of appointing Commissioners
to locate the terminus at that point
which offered the largest subsidy and
best advantages for large commercial
city. The superior advantages of Seat
tie were conceded by all. and our citi-
zsns were assured by leading Directors.
that it was only q question of subsidy.
To the Commissions who asked for pro- |
posals, our citizens offered more in
amount and value than was suggested,
asked, or anticipated, and far more than
they had been assured would be neces-
sary to secure the location. To the as
tonishment of everybody not in the So
crets of the ring. the proffer of Seattle
was rejected, and the location was made
at point which had been examined
BY authority of the Railroad Company
and reported against as having neither
Aarbor nor anchorage, and utterly i'm.
practicable as the site of q commercial
city. This was the report Of Thomas
II. Garfield, acting Director of the N.
P. Railroad snd President of the Lake
Superior and Puget Sound Land Co.,
and is confirmed by Government sur.
veys and all intelligent observation. 1t
subsequently transpired that this loca.
tion was made in the interest of a Land
Company organized under charter by
the Legislature of Pennsylvania. under
the auspices Of Jay Cooke & Co., and
was determined upon months prior to
the appointment Of the Locating Com
0llo6lOuclSs 600 tuAb lilo xhd1lkO8U 70.
and its resources are only used to build
up speculative town upon the proper
~ and for the exclusive benefit of this
foreign Land Company. without any
profit in return; and the public recorde
within the last ten days have disclosed
the fact that the Pennsylvania Tacoma
Land Company has conveyed to the
Maine Lake Superior and Puget Sound
Land Company one-half interest in the
Tacoma town site, Notwithstanding the
public announcement that the latter
company had sold its property and sur
rendered its franchises to the N. P.
Railroad Co.; which turns out to be
another false pretense with fraudulent
purpose. RIO be continued
RAILROAD hEMINIscENcEs.-The re-
suits of three years operations OF the
Northern Pacific Railroad Company