Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1880-08-13
Agents for the "Teller."
Jaw Gould to the Pacific.

The telegraph announces wi, h mucl
assurance that Jay Gould has projec
ted new railroad to Puget Sound
diverging from the Union Pacific a
Cheyenne, northwest to the Nationa
Park, thence westerly by the hes
practicable route to Puget Sound
This is claimed to be blow aimed a.
the Northern Pacific, either for the
purpose Of crippling their prospects OIL
to play bluff upon that company to
induce them to make some concession
that maybe taken advantage Of by
Gould so as to give him greater con-
troll over railroads then he now posses
SEES. 1t is announced that he proposes
to have 100 miles of this new road
from Cheyenne, constructed before the
the LIST of January 1881 and to project
it through to the Sound before any
other road will be completed. We
suppose he can command the means
for construction as fast as the work can
be performed, and the route he con-
templates is the shortest that can be
found from the starting point to the
Sound and if he takes the Big Hole
pass of the Rockies and the Clearwat-
err pass Of the Bitter Root mountains,
he will find better average grade and
a better average agricultural country
the whole line of the route than is
found in the same distance along any
one of the Pacific lines across the
continent. If from the National
Park he proceeds TO the Big Hole pass
his road will approximate very near to
the Northern Pacific road at the
southern bend Of the Big Hole river in
latitude ll2, 45 west from Greenwich,
at which point the N. P. turns north
and makes for the Deer Lodge pass.
If the Northern Pacific had continued
its westerly coure from that point and
proceeded through the Big Hole pass
and crossed the head Of Bitter Root
valley, thence across the Bitter Root
mountains to the Clearwater, it would
have completely shut out Gould from
this new contemplated road and given
the N. P. road the command of all the
country north of it to the British
line, which is by far the best section
of the whole northwest coast. But
the Northern Pacific were not willing
to delay long enough to make a
thorough examination of the Clear
water poss to fully determine its prac-
ticability before fastening forward in
the construction of the Pen d'Orielle
road and thus they have left themselves
open to be greatly damaged in their
prospects by the construction of roads
by other companies who stood ready
and willing to project other roads,
The Taxas ferry and Union Fiat read,
which will be constructed this Fall.
tapping the best part of the country
north of Snake river is a part of the
rivalry TO the North Pacific and If
Gould takes the route, which we now
think he will do, he in conjunction
with the 0. r. Il N. Co., will virtually
divest the Northern Pacific of the
trade of nearly all the best part of the
great valley of the Columbia BASIN
We cannot be induced to believe that
Gould will diverge his line south again
from the National Park SO as to follow
down the barren plains of Snake river,
thus frightening his line several hun
dred miles and embracing only the
sage brush plains where dense popu-
lation will never be found while with
so little exertion he cali secure the al.
vastages Of the Clearwater route,
which are far superior and reach the
Sound by much shorter route. Now
is an opportune time for the people
living along the Clearwater to demon
strate what they may know about the
Clearwater pass of the Bitter Root
mountains. A months time of a small
party and few hundred dollars can
demonstrate the entire practicability
of That pass for railroad and repre-
sent the facts to Gould and the road
will come in this direction if it comes
at all