Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1883-02-22
THE OREGON SHORT LINE AND
PROSPECTS.

is the Oregon Short Line going to do,
and where will it RUM Just as though
we knew all about the plans and pur-
poses of that company, when in fact
they should know that we are not in
the councils Of that company, and we
can only judge from signs and iudics.,
the same as tie public can. The rub
he who read and observe will natural.
ly form their own conclusions and those
may be different from ours and they
may be right and we wrong But We
never entertain an opinion upon ques
ton of public importance that we are
ashamed to express, and hence we give
our opinion upon this question and the
reasons for this opinion. We think
tho O.S.L. Company's road will come
down Snake river to Lewiston, thence
will proceed to Puget Sound by the
most practicable route, and VIC further
think that another road will ultimate
ly he built uuder the auspices of the
Union Pacific, from the present Utah
Northern through the Bitter Root
mountsins down the Clearwater to con-
meet with the O.S.L road at Lewiston.
Our reas ms for these opinions are that
the line Of both these roads will have
the best grades of any roads of the
same length. They will have less al
titude to overcome and consequently
be less liable to blotkades from snow in
winter, they will pass through for a
greater portion Of the way the best
producing country on the Pacific Slope.
They will be the farthest removed from
other competing lines. The Clearwater
road will open rich and extensive tim
Der country, whose products will be
readily utilized along other portions of
these roads These advantages have
within the past IL or Is months been
made. known to the m,gnates of the
Union Pacific and they have authorized
investigations into tho character of
these routes, aud found it far better
than had been reported, they have found
the character of the route from the
mouth of Burnt river via. Baker City,
Powder river and Grand Ronde valleys
thence to the Columbia far inferior to
what had been reported and the coun.
try of less value for the support of
road, even if it were not already claim.
ed by another company. They have
Withdrawn their engineers from fur.
Their examinations Of that route, and
continued the surveys down Snake riv.
err to point far below where any egress
from said river can be had to reach
the Powder river and are still continu
ing their surveys down said river, while
they have another party of engineers
surveying from Lewiston up the Snake
to meet those coming down, with in
structions to push the work with vigor
when the weather will permit. Again
the following recent dispatch from
Chicago shows the o. s. L. will stop in
its westword course at Snake river in.
stead of proceeding to Baker City and
westward on that line. Here is the
dispatch:
CHICAGO, Feb. l6-J. W. Morse.
general passenger agent Of the Union
Pacific railroad, is in the city. The
company will open the OS.L. to Sho.
shone, which is the junction with the
Wood River branch, March LIST, the
distance being 32l miles from the juno
ton OF the Short Line with the main
line at Granger, Wyoming Territory.
Stage lines into the Southern Idaho
mining regions, which now run from
Kelton, Utah and Blackfoot, Idaho
| will then run from Shoshone. Work
will be pushed westward from Shoshone
towards Boise and Baker cities. 1t IS
expected, however, that the UP. will
stop short some so miler this side of
Baker City, at Snake river, at which
point connection will DO made with the
Oregon system of roads.
This means that the O.S.L company
have abandoned all other connections
with the Oregon system, save what
may be found at that point, and leav-
ing the Greg system to take care Of
itself, while in the further course Of the
0 81. it will seek new field of oper-
atoms 10 its course towards Puge,
Sound. Again we find that the prin
cipal engineers in the field, including
the chief of location Of tho OS.L. for
the west, have determined to recon-
mend the Snake river route as the best,
as reported to John Haley, Jr. and
furnished by him to and published in
the Statesman at Walla Walla in the