Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1879-11-28
The Northern Pacific Railroad.

ruptcy OF Jay Cooke q 20, Ito iiiah-
cial agents, on the 18th of September,
1873. Tie company's floating debt on
that day was four and a half millions
of dollars It's mortgage bond issue
was thirty-one and a half millions.
The suspension of interest on these
bonds looked to be durable. Their
price fell in the open market by rapid
tumbles from par to 10. The popular
enterprise to build second trans-con-
tinental railway on the shortest, the
northern, route, was felt to be ire
coverably bankrupt. The Northern
Pacific was jecred, and its bonds and
jay Cooke, their sanguine seller, was
alternately cursed and laughed at.
The gathering of the wreck under
the safeguard of a receivership and
the reorganization of the company in
1875 are well known history. To-day
the condition and prospects of the
Northern Pacific are as follows:
OF its chartered line there are com
pleted and in daily operation 1856
miles on the Pacific side of the CONT
nent and 424 miles in Minnesota and
Dakota, in all $50 miles.
The company owns tho undivided
half of and operates the st. Paul and
Duluth railroad from Thompson to
Duluth, Minnesota, twenty miles
long. 1t owns the controlling interest
in and operates the completed road
from Brainerd, on its main line, to
Sank Rapids, Minnesota, q distance of
sixty and a half miles. It owns the
perpetual right to use and operate the
complete road from Sank Rapids to
st. Paul, seventy five and q half miles
long.
The length of completed road, ex-
elusive Of sidings, now operated by the
company is 720 miles
In November there will be 100 miles
more Of its main line in operation
west of the Missouri river. In the
Autumn of 1880 the entire Missouri
division of the road, 90 miles long,
from the Missouri to the Yellowstone,
will be completed.
On The Pacific side work has begun
on the Pen d'Oreille division, from the
Columbia river ct the mouth of the
Snake to Lake Pen dOrcille, 209
miles long The company viii he
its own contractor on this division.
Twenty five hundred tons Of steel
rails were shipped for it around Cape
Horn in May last, and $4,000 tons
more have contracted for, deliverable
at tide water in December, January
and February next. Four hundred
Cinnamon will be grading on the di
vision in this month of October.
On the west side Of the Red river
in Dakota, thirty niles Of spur road
have been put under contract, from
Casselton on the main line northward
through the company's land grant
Tho ultimate extension of this spu,
will be Canadian road, to run north
ward from the boundary land through
wheat fields of the Saskatchewan val
ley. And here it is germane to say
that, under the Northern Pacific plar
Of reorganization the right to extent
spurs forty miles either side Of thu
main line in the territories and twent,
miles in the states (the limit of it,
land grant, has been declared and vii
he exercised
West Of the Missouri division Their,
are four divisions to be constructed
before the Columbia river is reached
] When the westerly one of these, tn,
Missouri division, is finished to tn,
Yellowstone, there will remain ga,
Of about 800 miles. A line Of six
horse coaches will operate this inter
val; but the length Of this mail rout
viii shorten weekly. It is the declar
ed purpose Of the directors of tn
company to rum trains through to tn
Columbia river in good deal less thar
five years The best line of steamer
in the world operates that great strean
to Portland, in Oregon, and to tn
Pacific ocean. Nor will these steam
ers long hold the Northern Pacific il
the subordinate relation of feeder
The westerly division Of the road i
that called the Pacific. II extend
from the west bank of the Columbi
up the Yakima valley, over the Cas-
cade mountains, through the Cowlit
pass to Tacoma, the terminus, and til
companys seaport ON the PaoiH,
There awaits it traffic practically III
limited, in timber lumber, and Goa
eastward, and wheat westward II
inconceivable that the Pen d'Oreill
division shall gather up the enormou
wheat product of eastern Washington
TO take to the Oregon Steamship am
Railroad Company to be carried dow
tho Columbia river TO be shipped a
Portland for England. Some coercion
will compel the Northern Pacific t
retain this freight and carry il to it
own seaport, Tacoma. We therefor,
look to the construction of the westcr,
division Of tho road commenced I'M