Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-03-08
suLssAO across TIE "S'S
TAINS.

.he ". ". Union We take the
Md. following giving 1t our 00'0'A'
0a0a n-osa connecting Walla Walla
insnt narst Sound has long been the
~ ..;,e Of great many OF tue Iesldents
ess .ss two regions to De paltlcuialiy
a'sStad by its construction. Ouf iei-
eineI;n na;.;zsns of Seattle have striven, IN
pu-ays. to attain the construction
psny .d road. Using the title Seattle
q nws nw.lia Walla Railroad Company"
90 Wy hv great efforts, constructed
ny ~ y.oe road, about thirty miles
llIos sron their city to the Newcastle
bgI;Osa a portion of which is laid in
81 In; Ia:.sct;on of Walla Walla. This
y onerated for several years and
~. scId 10 the Oregon Improvement
nv nsny Since then the Seattieites
ConPca o,canized another corporation,
hn .hs Seattle. Walla Walla d. Baker
s,r Railroad Company, Tor the purpose
H.sSa,ldinc * railroad from seattle 10
s.h@ City, via Walia "aila.
=. Seattle papers used 70 IRE
.1.sctly mention the plans, operataons,
qasr qrscts. and hopes Of this company,
l.""s the work of building the rail-
IA hstveen Seattle and New Tacoma
I y. .cmmenced, they seem 10 have lost
~ N M;...rect ia the S., w. w. d b. G. Il.
: r. since the announcement OF the
.smant between the Union and
ap'+hsrn Pacifios and tho .. 4. d N.
- she citizens of Walla Walla have
- ss..msnoed 70 talk about railroad to
6oettle. u -.
aone for this and other countries, that
II proposed road would prove OF al
mos incaloulabls benefit to tho country
sIonc its route and at both OF It's ends.
n ~nnld stimulate Walla Walla and So
.t.is TO renewed and rapid growth, it
-cnld cause the rapid settlement and
SsveIopmeut Of tho Yakima country,
ssction abounding in good farming
lsnds. and rich in timber and minerals.
IA believe a narrow-gage road can be
peediiy built ON the proposed route by
Is united efforts Of the people inhabit-
a. tie country to be benefited by its
eonstruction.
IN 1874 Thos. b. Morris, civil engi-
naer Of note, made preliminary survey
a the route for the old Seattle and
Walla Walla Railroad and Transporta-
ton Company." In his report he esti-
mated the tsfal cost Of narrOw-gage
railroad from Seattle to Walla Walla,
through the Snoqualmie Pass "by the
line following the Yakima river to the
Horse Shoe Bend passing the summit
With an inclined plane, and using
isrry boat at the crossing of the COlum-
bia,h at $,186, $40. This route is 2o9155
miles in length. The ''inclined plane"
mentioned in the report is temporary
dsvice for crossing the summit OF the
Cascade range of mountains, with sta.
ionary engines used TO haul oars up and
kt them down inclined planes on each
Iide Of the summit. A tunnel 1900 feet
long, TO cost $5l8.644, would have TO bo
built to obviate the use of the inclined
Planes. The estimates were made BY
NJ. Morris when rails were selling for
30 per ton. Az rails are now selling
Tor SO per ton, and AZ all 0ther rail-
road material is proportionately cheap
u, it is evident that tho cost Of the
road would now be much less. II il
very probable that a narrow gage road,
the tunnel. could now be built
md equipped between Walla Walla and
Bsattle for $500, 600.
In a communication, Dan Stewart
laks: "Would 1t not pay every farmer
10 this valley to tax themselves sufficient
% become stockholders to an amount
lat will give us raj road facilities to
he S0und?" We believe 1t Would.
Whether they are wiling to do so or
not cannot be tested by newspaper ar
isles. The only wny to ascertain
uhether the people OF Walla Walla, va
lima, and King counties ''are willing to
AZ themselves" to build a road from
Walla Walla to Seattle, is FOR Dan
Dtewart and other rich farmers and
buaineas men to organize q company
Tor that purpose and open subscription
knnku