Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1879-03-07
OvRRsIHE4 CASCADES.
Report Of Chief Engineer Roberta.

CAsSAD
Report Of Chief Engineer Roberts.
To the President and Board Of Dr.
rectgs4ss Of hef Northerss Racife
Railroad Company; .sx.e
GENTLEMEr:--In accordance With
the resolution Of the board dated july
/, 1878, and pursuanr to instructions
FROM the president and vice president q
the company to mske San 'ins,fumeStsl
survey Of. route, for the branch BY
way Or Oowl7fk Pass, esc, of the Chs.
oa1e rshfs,s 1 hsss the honor TO report
rs follows:
On the 18th Of July. 1873. I arrived
at new Tacoma, the terminus of the
main and branch railroads on Puget
sound. and immediately organized q full
party OF engineers and placed it 10
charge Of Mr.. d. D. Clarke, assistant
eneiSsss. Thu party began Geld work
on the a3iyof July, st Ortioe. on the
branch read, Is miles from New Ia
IT, a L -
Shortly after l organized a second
party, under the charge Of Mr.. Chas.
A. White, assistant engineer. aud after
sons psikniissy work Mr. sWhileto <
the field with full party. and marched
from Yeiss prairie. BY way Of the Mis-
qually valley. Bear Prairie and the upper
Cowlisz river TO the main summit st
Cowlifz pass for the purpose Of survey.
ing the line down the western slopes OF
the Cascade fangs, u meet the survey
then in progress under Mr.. Clarke, who
was surveying eastward.
perdAlny sxadhisdt ake Fine sur
veyed by, Mr. Clarke as far as the
southern end 81 Kipowsin lake. and 10
the vicinity Of Mishail ford, and then
accompanied Mr.. Whites party in it's
march from Yelm prairie along the val.
llsyofashe Niq6allga Bssrt praifis and
the Cowlits river to the Cowlitz pass,
passing over the general ronte upon
which Mr., Chrke'sa party was advanc.
ing, taking careful notes all the wav.
This occupied. nine days Of toilsome
work. VI u TIC 1. Z Il sl4a \ 4 Il r
On arriving at the summit Of the
range We devoted several days to exam
inatiops Of the crest 81 the mountain.
both northvsrd and southward Of Cow
li,z pass, preliminary to starting tho
survey westward down the mountain. I
then instructed Mr.. White to be2in his
survey At Cowlits pass and make an in-
strumental survey down the left slope
Of Summit creek and around into the
valley &c the Clear fork Of the Cowlits
to test the value Of that route and to
connect 10 the Cowli,s valley with the
upward survey Of Mr.. Clarke. This
connection was msde IN the valley Of
Squaitz creek, tributary Of the Cow
lits. partly BY barometer observations,
10 the latter part Of September
After starting the survey westward
AtM tAs Go lils passI proceeded With
our pack train down the head waters Of
the Tietan, a branch Of the Nachess,
thence across the divide TO the valley
of-the Cowychee. anofhsr< tributary Of
the Nachess, and thence along and over
the divide bctw,en the Cowychee aud
the Atshnum river. aad auvn tnat
valley to Yakima City, Situated ii the
forks Of the Atshnum and Yakima
rivers.
With Yakima City AZ l convenient
cegtrels point, then made careful ex /.
aminAiqn. afg the Wsnass, The Selah
the Atnhnum. the Simcoe and the
l4Tapisssh valleys, IN ,tributsries Of the
Yakima valley aud good agricultural
regienas Il Aftafward I 'trsvetaed the
main Yakima valley from above the
mouth of the Nachess to the mouth Of
the Yakima river. and proceeded thence
aleng the Columbia 70 the mouth Of
SpAha biver, where / csule upon our
main line survey Of 187I-72, which
runs from Lake Pen d'Oreillc across the
Dopmkt thins Id nSSr thd noutt Of
snl 1si And thspeb down. the b.
Thus I lave obtained cesr kncyWl.
edge Of the characteristics Of the co.
tisp repsaA elKessI N.Y. Iaesi,s bpa t.,e
mouth Of Snake river. across the Cas-.
cade range, from pereopal ahseryations
made during the seasoa IT 1874.
The survey pfs0Ass IilAa in 1870,
made under the direction of yonr for,
mer chief engi1Ssfs Nda7hFs johnson,
developed 4 practical Inns from Olym.
! pta.s~s The aculhefS extra a;sS of paset
sound. passing the range south Of
Mount Ia0SMd, ~ way Of Cowli,,
mass. aud down. The. waters Of the
Nachcss t. the Yakima valley, At the
mouth ef tho NpAheas river; and the
surveYa Of 1871-'72 made under my
aqpesisNpaSAce fromahe iuss,hfof shs
kNaehess dawn No N1kinA Ia Ia taAc
tion with the Columbia resulted in e.
tablishine. ssyery faiorsble line alons
the Yakima valley. Il remained Il
ascertain the practicdbilify cf a route
from Nep TacQyx rthe sRsaet sound
snru.snn. 49, ~ = Yxo.aIsY~ s.x.ea ~ IL.