Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-10-16

ssRTuwEsT uETssSsAsA
n. ssv.s rsws. = wasAs.sss. SO
opeEes.
E.P. Mansfield, of fhs New York ssss,
Who vas member Of the Willard sxeus
sion party, writes to has paper from Vic
toria, B. c., under date Of September
18th, a. follows:
A neuerai city in British territory
seems to be the appropFiats and per
haus, the safest point from which b
urysy the contest now vsRiuz among
three very interesting tovas at the
western snd of the Northern Pacific
line. We So something Of the same
sort at the other end Of tbs railroad, ~
between Minneapolis snd Sc. Pant
That, however, vas mild 10 comparison.
and the ci1isf QUESTION involved Vas one
Of local pride. Here ID q question 10
dead earnest, il NOS for sxissence itself.
at least for the richest pr'ze that the
future has for the Northwest
while not geographically correct the
following diagram shows the strategic
: s.sss's' -Dsl..A
s.p.Ra- MINNIE
Tacoma .......-~.s.......,--. suolia.
Portpd. 80. Paui
Thsuuehout the STATE Of Oregon and
Washington Territory terminus - at this
time she most popular word IN tbs lex.
icon, and peehahly the harde2 worked.
Mr.. Hensy Wizard has dealt adfostly
with the delicate question during hts
recent visit He II said To have remind
cd the people OF Portland that they al
ready soscupy ths commefsial lnetrop
oils OF the entire region, and that the
railroad COMES merely to mses an g.
tabiished trade; the people Of Tacoma
that their city 10 the charter terminus
Of the Iiue, fixed forever by the lang
uaQe of the act, and the first point at
which the railroad touches PugesSound;
the people Of Ssatkie, thas at their
wharyes she sailroGd will actually snsi.
AndinQ thsEs q mag nidcens haybor with
a uu0bsiructsd way to the Pacific.
A matter Of fact the real terminus
Of the Northern Pscide railroad prs,psr,
nov opGn and IN opsrution, il &C place
called WalIula QUESTION, On the Column
bin river, more than 800 miles from ia
mouth. Thence to Portland, the rails
ussd are those laid by tho Oregon Rail
vay and Navigation Company. They
are IN Oregon, and along the soutk
Of the Columbia. The charter line of
the N0gthern Pacific down she Cotuna-
bin II on the north bank, "A Waahiu9-
ton. II this ether wise supertin0us go
tion 10 ever complsted. 10 will - fox the
puTpoee Of securing the land Grant that
ecss with IL and Of keeping cot empe-
titiOu. The Oregon Railway tFnek on
tho south bank, and the Northern Pa
eide On the north hank, viii oonseisu1e Q
double track tne, with - Coiumbis
betweou, ona aide at the 1iver fr up-
trains, the othsr side for down trains.
The direct route 20 Runet Soued will
be over what Ii kn0wn ~ the Cascade
division, running from Ainswor&h, nsar
Walluia, northwest, through Washing
ton Territory, 10 the Sound. With the
sxosptiou Of o pieos on the east end,
along the Yakima, and at the west end,
shout % miles, reaching from Tacoma,
On ths 6ourd, through tho hop country,
In PuyAIlup valley. 10 the productive
coal mines Of Wilkessn and Carbsnado,
the Cascade division 10 yet b bulId.
Tho engineering difhcuities are con
sidesnble In the uountains which aiye
the division il name. Thsrs nust Be q
tunnel three miles Iang and pefhapa
twenty nil0 efsnoW- shodn The diyi-
SION will undoubtedly be completed;
lust how soon, ID 10 not easy to say.
ThSes years or sooner IL tho estimate
bassd ON the hopes of Tacoma and Sc
attls; ten years or never II you believe
Portland.
Meanwhile iess direct access is had 10
Ruass Aonnd by ueans Of the Pacific
division. which runs about north from
Portland, crossing the Columbia by
ferry q kalazna, and completing the
loop BY joining the Cascades division nc
tbs bad OF Puget sound. In forty -fve
days ID viii b spen 10 Seattle, il Vii
lard's pR01ins 70 the inhabitants of THAI
lively town ID kept.
u viii b seen. therefore, that the ter
minal system Of the N. r at the west il
9 loop. not . single point. The lo.p
falls nifty miles Short Of the ocean, bat
e Iansues q vast amount Of desirable
territory. and faatens spon both OF the
great eAtswxysof Warrington and tire
gon-PuRet Sound and tho Columbia
River.
In al probability one Of these three
places viii spms day be the New York
Of the wese, indeed. In Seattle they ars
almost ready 10 speak Of New York a.
the Seattle Of the east. To which point
dosa destiny p0inta You ara sure 20
ase thrse different answers il you pnr-
sue the investigation But think il
were coming west Of the Missouri river
tosn9nRs u any ether business than
agriculture, ] veuia not stop short OF
the Puget So2nd region.