Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-09-15
arHvBiA ANO PGeBr soVND
RAILRoA0.
Aee>ups Of It's orxaaizaffsa and His
s.~v Dovn 20 the Present T1me.

A.ee,ps or Its 0rKaaizaffsa and HIS
Il tsry Down 20 the Present rime.
In 1873, the Northern Pacific Railroad
Company sent out commission to Be-
last suitable location for the western
tarminus of their road on Puget Sound.
OF all the points examined. Seattle was
deelared to be the most eligibly situat-
Cd, and possessing the finest harbor
and best natural advantages for q great
CITY. Big offers had been made the
company at Olympia, Sssilaooom, Ia
coma, and other points. So, notvith-
standing the very superior natural ad-
vantaees possessed By this city. 1t vas
necessary for our psop!e to do some
thing handsome for the company that
seemed 20 friendly dilposed toward
them, and accordingly . public meet
ING Of citizens Of King county was held
On the 18th Of Juns, 1873, at which
money and lands 10 the amount Of
O,000vers subsoribed TO the Northern
Pacific Railroad, provided the company
would terminate il road at Seattle.
The offer was accepted by the terminus
commission, and twelve miles of road
we're graded from Lake View station to-
ward Seattle, giving Tscoma the go
by Unfortunately for the whole
country, about this time, Jay Cooke,
financial agent Of the company, failed.
and through the force of circumstances
and msnipulstions Of the Lake Superb
or and Puget Sound land ring, which
had made @ corner on property on
Commeucement Bay, the road was run
down the hill, over grade of Us feet to
, the mile, to salt water, and the point
reached was called New Tacoma. and
declared to be, like Duluth, the termi-
nus of the Northern Pacific Railroad.
Soon after this action on the part of
the land ring and manipulators of the
Nofthern Pacific Railroad at that time,
q mass meeting was held in Seattle and
a company formed for the purpose of
building road across the mountains 20
the Columbia River, at or near Walla
Walla, thereby connecting Eastern and
Western Washington Territory, and on
July 18th, 1873. articles Of inoorpora-
ton for the Seattle q Walla Waila Rail
road were filed. placing the capital
stock at 100000 divided into 100, 0OC
shares of 500 each. The following Off
GERS were then elected: Hon. A. A. Den
ny, President; Roswell Scott, Secretary;
BENZ. +. Briggs, Treasurer. December
9Th T. b. Morris was engaged as Chief
Engineer, and the survey ordered made.
Al the same meeting resolutions were
adopted, to be presented TO the Legisla-
ture, asking them to confirm the title TO
about l2O0 acres Of tide Hats which were
given to the company by the city. They
did so. providing the company should
build fifteen miles OF railroad within
three years from that time. The road
was built within the specified time, and
the company thep came into possession
Of this valuable property, so far as any
rights vested in the Territory are con-
cerned. This. without doubt, will SOME
day contain the principal foundries,
machine shops and manufactures Of
seattle.
A general picuio was held on the lst
Of Nav. 1874. to insuourate the break
inc Of land for the new railroad. which
VA ooneiderefi but the beoinuino of the
road that would in a few years spau
thie continent and connect Us with the
sastern. NORTHERN and southern portione
Of this great country. The Sound And
thu Pacific Ocean would give us connec-
ton With the rest of the world. MANY
persous who had never Used any kind
of a pick and shovel except toothpick
ana Ere shovel turned out and worked
rioht manfollv until their banda were
Differed and THAR knees aohed fron,
the heroulean efforts mt forth To prv mn
and swing the sand. he Is said, 70 the
credit Of tie citizens, that ct this and
ons other picnic the grade was CON-
pletsd for about one and q half miles Of
ths road.
Outside assistance had been asked,
- parties had besn cant to New York
and Washington 70 solicit aid from the
eovsrnment, az we'll as from capitalists,
bat they did mot succeed in getting
what they considered themselves emit
titled TO. Meetings were again held,
whom james =. Colman. the lAte Assist.
ant superintendent, made q proposition
TO furnish 10NO and take sscck foi
said amount II the citizens would fur.
nish xD.OO0 and take nrss mortgage
bonds a. security. The proposition was
accepted. ana tne ROAD vas completes
70 Renton about the LIST OF October
1915. ,.,u
castle was made ON the llsh of June
1871, the work being poseed 20 compile
ton, and IN February following tnsy
commenced hauling coal from the latter
place.
The savmill and machine shops were
January 1881. They have since been