The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1881-09-01
The Next Decade ON tho Pacific Coast.
ISan Francisco Bulletin.l


The next ten years will witness an
extraordinary development on the Pa
cific coast. Nearly all the great rail-
road enterprises which are now prose-
cuted are west Of the Missouri river,
and they include consultations or
direct lines which reach to the Pacific
coast. 1t is said that Jay Gould's pro-
gramme embraces about 1900 miles Of
railroad west Of the Missouri river.
The Northern Pacific embraces with
branches about 1000 miles. The
Southern Pacific with branches nearly
as much more. The Atchison, Topeka
and Santa Fe, with its western eXten-
sion under the name of the Atlantic
and Pacific, not less than 1900 miles.
These roads, with the numerous short
ones, including the narrow gauges,
will gird iron the whole country.
How does 1t happen that all the great
railroad enterprises of the day are
looking to this coast for termini? The
fact is there is an undeveloped coun-
try. There is vast natural wealth
here which railroads will make ac-
cessible. The new west Is between
the Rocky mountains and the Pacific
coast. This is the empire which is
just beginning to feel the thrill of a
new life.
1t has been rumored within few
days that the Oregon Steam Naviga-
tion Company (the Willard combina-
tion) will put on two steamships to
China, sailing from Portland. A plan
of this kind has been talked of for
some time. II 1t is about to be con-
summated there will be new era in
the commerce of Oregon. Then, the
people Of San Diego are moving for a
steamship line between that port and
Honolulu, with the plan of u sugar re-
finery at the former place. Time will
determine whether anything comes of
this project. But just now there Is n
new inception Of business enterprises.
Capitalists are traversing the whole
vast region, from Mexico to Alaska.
There is no lack Of money. OF course
railroad building Is now an attractive
business. A late railroad advertise
ment calls for 1000 men No
other part of the country to-day pre-
sents such grand opportunities for en-
terprise as the territory known as the
Pacific coast-the long belt which Is
between the Sierra range and the
ocean, stretching from Mexico to Pu-
get Sound. That is the country Of the
future-of railroads, of fleets Of mer-
chant ships, of vast wheat production,
OF a mining development immensely
greater than has ever been known.
This Is the country, too, which has
lost nothing by a decade Of quiet
years, during which time the preva-
lent expression has been that business
was dull. There is no "boom" to-day,
only the healthy signs of the new life.
A country large enough to support
thirty million people Is comparatively
empty with less than two million in
it. The mere fact that there IL so
much room Is an attraction. It is
only little while ago since semi
monthly steamer brought the news
from the Atlantic states. Then came
came the pony express, afterwards
the telegraph, and then the great con-
tinental railroad. And now u railroad
scheme embracing three or four thous-
and miles Is hardly more than the
wonder Of q single day. The new
steamship lines are talked on change,
perhaps, and everybody goes about his
business, expecting all these things as
q matter Of course. The new empire
Is one of development.