Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-08-31
FROM OREGON.
The Northern Pacific RailrOad-Oreg0H
and its Advantages and Wonders.
joyneDt.

FOREST GROVE, Oregon, Aug TO- 1888.
To the Editor OF the Free Press and Times
The line of the Northern Pacific railroad
is rapidly approaching completion, and early
in September we may hope to learn that
President Willard has driven the golden spike
the finishing touch to this new steel band
across the continent. The Pacific Northwest
expects great things of this road. The long
isolation which Oregon and Washington have
endured will become thing of the past, and
they become as closely connected with the
Union as California has been. The entire
country as well is interested in its completion
since by it extensive areas of fertile land will
be opened to settlement all the way from St.
Paul to Puget Sound. Moreover, New York
will find in it her shortest route to China and
Japan.
| Have the readers of the FREE Press, ever
noticed from globe how near to Alaska the
shortest line bet Teen them and China runs
The vessels crossing the Pacific in the China
trade to San Francisco run very far north,
almost sklrting the Alaskan coast, in order 10
follow the great circle arcs, and at the same
time get into the great ocean currents, which
set in upon this coast much as the gulf stream
does that Of Great Britain. We may be
very certain that the Northern Pacific
railroad will get full share of the transcon-
linental traffic, and that Portland, or some
point on Puget Sound will actively compete
with San Francisco as a shipping port to
China and Japan. Vermont through some
of her sons, has been directly interested in
this great road. A grea. deal of stock has
been, and is yet held by them, and two at
least have been Presidents Of the company
Ex-Gov Gregory Smith and Hon. Frederick
Billings. To Mr.. Billings indeed, the
Northern Pacific railroad company is in
debted, more than to any other man, for its
present prosperous condition and the reslora-
ZION OF its good name and credit after the
disastrous financial overthrow of Jay Cooke
& Co. ten years ago. The State may be
proud of the son who by his own financial
ability rescued from ruin 80 gigantic an en-.
terprise as the building of a transconlinental
railway. The scheming German who is now
at the head of the company has not deprived
it entirely of Mr. Billings interest and influ.
ence since 1t is understood that the latter is
still large stakeholder in it.
/ The original grant to the road included a
way across the mountains from the Upper
Columbia to Puget Sound direct, and 1t is
the intention Of the company to build the line
there at some time but for the present il
will use the line of the Oregon railway and
Navigation company down the Columbia tc
Portland thence farther down the river &c
connect at kalama with the branch running
to Puget Sound, built some years ago.
The Columbia River Pass through The
Cascade Range, has long been famous for the
J beauty and grandeur of its scenery. Ir
some respects not equal to the far-famed
Colorado Canon, it certainly surpasses it il
massiveness and variety. Senator Edmunds
during his recent trip through Oregon anC
Washington, expressed unbouIded en-
thusiasm over the wonders that he saw, ant
not least among these was the scenery Of thu
Columbia.
A two months jaunt IN the summer vaca
ton with an engineers party engaged Il
revision work along the line of the o. X
u N, from The Dalles to Portland, hal
brought the writer directly into the midst o.
the finest of this, and some account of i
may not be without interest 10 readers of tbt
Free PRESS.
The passage of the Columbia through thu
mountains forms an irregular canon twenty
five or thirty miles long and varying in widll
from one-eigth to One-half mile. There ID
evidence that large tract of country east o
the mountains, now arolingprairie anu known
as the finland Empire" was once the bee
OF an extensive inland sea, separated from
the. ocean by the Cascade range. The
Columbia is the outlet toathis body Of water
and has cut its way through the mountains tc
the sea.
The bluffs skirting the river are in many
places perpendicular walls OF basalt much
resembling the Palisades of the Hudson, and