Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-10-22
History of o Live Enterprise.
A Brief Account OF tho Progress Made
BY the Seattle and Walla Railroad
Project.

A Brief Account OF tho Progress Made
BY the Seattle and Walls Railroad
Project.
Seattle Iutelligencer.
After the location Of tho terminus
OF the Northern Pacific Railroad at
Tacoma, the people at Seattle saw
that in order to have connection with
the Eastern portion of the Territory,
Eand TO share in the benefits to be lie.
rived from the interchange OF COM
mot.ities, they must go to work to
build road themselves, and at once
set to work agitating the question; /;
but no active steps were taken till an
enterprising attorney of this city
commenced building the road on his
own account, aud drove that portion
of the trestle now outside OF Hall &
Paulson's mill, causing great excite
mont at the time, and giving ON i'm
petus to business, that nerved the
people up to the great work before
them, and ,instilled confidence in
every mind.
The Seattle & Walla-walla Railroad
Company was organized and incorpo-
rated on the 10Th of July, 1873, with
subscribed and paid up stock to the
amount of $40, 900, chiefly paid in
lands at appraised values.
In the Spring of 1874 the idea of
volunteer labor was acted on, and
citizens turned out indiscriminately,
judges, doctors, preachers. lawyers,
merchants, printers and laborers,
and all who felt an interest in the
town.. By this means three miles of
the road were slashed and graded
from the head of the bay to the race
track. ~
This lnovementinspired confidence
in the people, and by their united
effort work was commenced in earn.
est.
The Talbot and Renton mines, 13
miles from Seattle, on the line of the
road were then producing about
100 tons of coal daily, and deter
mined effort was made to put the
road sthrough to those mines. The
work progressed favorably, and the
zssnss ~wsfg reac1edd 10 the Fall OF
1875 : This furnished the read some
thing to do, and made quite snug
little income for the new enterprise.
The Newcastle Coal Company's
means of transportation at this time
Was by way Of Lake Washington,
across the portage, and then across
Lake Union to this city, and about
400 tons of coal daily was thus sent
to market. The cost of transporta-
ton over this circuitous route was
S69 cents per ton.
The Seattle & Walla-walla Railroad
Company made proposition to them
to carry their coal from the mines,
and deliver it into the hold of their
ships at 55 cents per ton for 400
tons per day, and less figures for
greater quantities, provided the New
castle Company would assist it in
the construction of the road from
Renton to Newcastle.
The construction of this piece of
road passing through an extremely
rough and mountainous piece of
country, was an awful undertaking
and required the outlay of vast sums
of money. Cuts 100 feet deep were
to be made, and wide gulches, rang
ing from 80 to 100 feet deep and
from 20 to 500 feet long, were to be
bridged with substantial trestle
work. The grade was necessarily
very steep, as the mine is situated
over 600 feet above the level of the
sea.
This line, however, was completed
in April, 1877, and the coal produc-
ton of the mine run up from 400
tons per day to $50 tons. Cheap
freights placed the coal company in
a position to control the San Fran
cisco markets, and gave an impetus
to business generally.
The company have frequently con-
templated an extension of third
line to what is known as the Cedar
river coal mines, on direct line of
the proposed road across the noun
tains, but did not get around to it,
till parties with unlimited resources
commenced negotiating for the pur-
chase of the road. 1t has at last
been sold to an enterprising man
and great railroad builder-Henry
Willard, of New York, who believes
i'll first being right, and then going
ahead. He has competent agents
here, who will post him fully upon
the great results to be derived from
extending the road across the noun
tains, through the rich valleys of the
Kittitas, Yakima, Klickitat and
Walla-walla, affording the people ol
that vast agricultural region safe
and speedy outlet for their unlimited
products.
In viewing these facts, and Others
which we cannot here mention, We
feel assured that work on the line
toward the Snoqualmie Pass will be
commenced early in the Spring, and