New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-09-08

| IS high. grassy PLAIN, containing eAcee"sy
fertile wheat lands and extends south into oregon
aud west to the Cascade Mountains. Then the ROAD
follows the Columbia River. skrtlng Northern
Oregon to Portland. whence tho Pacific DIVISION
runs northward to Tacoma. on Puget Sound
TERMINAL POINTS.
Tbe road has two lake ports at its eastern term
inns Duluth and Superior. Its principal eastern
depot however. will be at the twin cities OF MIN
neapoiis aud St. Paul. where it connects with three
trunk lines to Chicago. third port on Lake
Superior will be had at Ashland when the Wiscon-
| sin division Is finished.
At the Pacific coast tidewaer is reached at Port
| land Oregon-near tie junction of the willamette
| aud Columbia Iivers-and at Tacoma on fuget
sonnd. Both these ports are easily accessible oY
! ocean steamers of the largest sze
TECH ICAL FEATURES.
| On tho entire route, the hardest construction
work WAS done IN the valley OF Clark FORK OF tho
| Columbia River for n hundred miles from Lake
Pend dOrcillc. tho river there running through q
narrow gorge. Ganked by pIecpitous mountains.
There was also very hard work done in making
roadway along the faces OF high biuhs OF disinte-
| grating rock in the Yeowstone reeion
! There arc two tunnels OH tho line worth mention
| One q 600 feet long at BozemaD Pass in the Belt
| Nouutaius and one $3.50 feet long at Mnllan
Pass In the Rocky Mountains proper. no ' DOS
| man tunnel is 55iS feet al owe tdewnter anu ~
| rhr highest poiut on the road. The Mullan tunnel
| ls seventeen feet lower The tunnels are hot yet
| finished. and steep surface lines have 0eeh ouiit
| oy.rheod for temporary use with grades OF Z2O
| feet To the mile. In crossing the monnlSlns .ho
grade of the permanent roabcd never eNcreus .no
nrrscribed limit of l6 feet to the mile. he sum
| ~ tbeso maximnm grades ascending and descend
ing i, about thirty miles. Elsew here on tie route
| the grades are generally easy; p,,.
| The road has two great bridges; at bismsIcA,
across tho Missouri-so h gh as TO require no dran
| and at AInsworth. Washington Territory. across
Snake River. These bridges are OF stone, IRON anu
| lhe Yellowstone a
| Inner Missouri once, aud Clarks FORK OF tne
Columbia thee times. There are TWO PIE oiinges p
! .acb a mile long, across arms oil Lake Iehd
dOreille aud a tre-ts in Marent Gulch III the Cor
iacan Defle, 22G feet high
THE NORTHERN TRANsCoNTINENTAL
SURVEY.
| WORK OF THE VARIOUS DIvisIoNs-PRtPARArloN
| OF MAPS AND CHARTS.
The territory tributary to the Northern Pacific
Railroad and Its branches is bounded on the south
Inv what may bs called the freight divide between
the Northern Pacific aud the Central Pacific rail
roads on the north by the freight divide between
| IN, Northern Pacific and the Canadian Pacific rail-
| roads and OK tends from Lake Superior to Alaska
region covering nearly one-iiih OF the area OF the
| United States, and yet comparatively ne" ana uh-
known. The Northern Pacific Railroad Company
| IN order 10 obtain accurate knowledge Oh its re-
sources organized q great economic survey under
| the general direction Of Professor Raphael rum
| pelly. n.
| Tue organization embraces tho following divi-
sions: On A Division OF Climates and RIVERS IN
charge of f. S. Holden, director OF "ashourn oo-
scrvatorv Tor the observation of temperature, ram
fail and other features OF local climates, for the
| oauoino of streams and the study OF the wafer
supply in connection with the question OF irrlgating
difersnt valleys: (2) DIVISION OF Soil, IN charge
of Professor Hllgard OF the University OF Cahior-
nia for classifying soils by analysis and obserya-
| tim and determining areas of different varieties;
C3l a Division OF Forests IN charge OF PROFESSOR "
s Sargent of Harvard University, for determining
the distribution of various trees with the amount
and quality of TIMBER for investigating the possi-
Liltes of sylvculture. especially on the treeleSs
| nloins for studying the relation between forests
and river sources and advising the general lores1
policy of the road; tD Division OF Economic Do1-
( any. in charge of w. NJ. Candy, OF Wilmington,
DEL for investigating the range ana character oi
the various indigenous forage plants ana GRASSES
and the adyisabihty of introducing new species
and for studvinp all points upon which depend sue
cess or failure in the stock industry; 5l Division
| of Mineral Resources, for tracing rock
| formation studyIng the supply OF
| valuable minerals especially OF coal
and iron and exploring the subterraheah water
supply This department has three geographical
divisions: The Rocky Mountain DIVISION In
charge of George Ii. Eldridge; the DIVISION Oh
West Montana and Idaho, IN charge OF D. '' fu'-
nam: and the Division of the Pacific Coast IN
charge of Bailey Willis well-equipped laoora'
tory "a used by tho survey for analysis and expert
| ment - ,,,,r,v
Three Typographical parties in tue field are map
ping the territory IN 200-feet contour lines ihese
maps will be valuable not only as indicating DRAM
age areas, possibilities of water storage ana otner
data for comprehensive irrgating operations, oue
thew will also furnish the basis which the facts
acsrtained NV ali the divisions are TO be repre-
sented. The physical facts gathered tho dislii-