Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1882-05-18


moved forward in the matter they could
ultimately be able to obtain the means
of building to the Columbia river from
some quarter and that when the road
was mpleted il would be the best pay
ing road of the whole Northwest. Our
conversation upon the subject was then
interrupted by others who had business
with him, and | saw him no more.
The Commercial Reporter, of this city,
of last week, conidentially declared
Jay Gould was at the bottom of this
Seattle movement to cross the Cascades.
But We imagine the editor knows no
more about the mater than We d..
The same paper announces upon the
authority of the Railroad Gazette that
work on the Oregon Short Line has
been suspended. But from tn Sc here
learn that such is not the fact, but
that the road will be pushed forward
as fast as possible towards Baker City.
An old sea captain, stopping temper
ariIy in the city and who claims to
know the movement of vessels from the
East for this coast, informed me that
not less than twelve ships, loaded with
railroad iron, would reach the Sound
with their cargoes, mostly for the North.
ern Pacific, which would indicate that
either that company purposed to take
that iron over their road to the Colum-
ia for use along the Columbia and
perhaps beyond the Pen d'Oreille, or
that they intended to project the road
east ward from the Sound across the
Cascades. I learn that the survey of a
railroad from Tacoma along the Sound
to Seattle is now being made, and some
suppose that Willard is determined to
make full connection between Port
land and Seattle via. Tacoma long be-
fore any branch is constructed across
the Cascades to that point. 1t is quite
evident from the movements that the
northern terminus of his system on the
Sound will not be below Seattle and
that he intends to take frcights down
the Columbia from Eastern Oregon
and Washington and North Idaho
around to Seattle for shipment and
perhaps, also from the Willamette Val
ley, and accepting the estimate that he
once gave to the public, he will do this
at less cost than they can be taken
across the Cascade mountains by any
railroad that can he constructed there.
But so far as | am able to learn he has
never been able to convince any great
number of the people on the Sound or
in Eastern Washington that his csti
mates are correct. The majority Of
intelligent men outside of Portland are
inclined to believe that his estimate is
only given to make the people satisfied
with the delay iu the attempted con.
struction of the Northern Pacific branch
line across the mountains TO the Sound
and to intimidatc any other company
who otherwise might be inclined to
move in that direction. In either case
.he grant of land along that branch to
the Northern Pacific company should
at once be declared forfeited and the
land be thrown open to settlement un
der the presumption and homestead
laws, unless the company Immediately
commence the construction and prose
cute the work Of building till completed
to the Sound. If this grant were de
clared forfeited, several other com
panies would be glad to build acros
the Cascades, whether the grant wer'
transferred to them or not, and taxi
their chances in competing with Mr.
Wizards theory in regard to relative
cost Of shipment over the two routes
Real estate has recently advanced
largely in Seattle, as I an told, from
the prospects Of having railroad connec
ton at an early day, and, as ! said il
q former letter, the fame is true j,
Portland. Whether this advance il
either case is upon fictitious theories re
mains to he seen hereafter. l am frml,
of the opinion that out # some of tn
movements of railroad meo, boom O
prosperity will soon come to Lewiston
and the whole Of Nez Perez, Idaho an,
Shoshone counties, in Idaho. thin
l have good reasons for SO believin
which l am not able to give ut tn
present. Meantime let our people b
ready to aid every possible way to brin
about a condition Of prosperity con