Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-01-26

fort in behalf OF his own town, He first
gives space TO clippings concerning the
road, and thsn proceeds With the argu-
ment biased largely upon fallasies) in
in favor OF his own town:
"Ths above and similar items are
daily appearing, the geneeal puHport
being that the Oregon Short Line wants
an outlet 10 tide water, and the Rener-
ally accepted impression being that the
road is going 70 the Sound. Yet Is u
an open question il the managers could
not do better BY coming 70 Astoria for
their ocean terminus.
Don't talk to % about q railroad
coming into our country, recently
wrote q stock man of southeastern Ore
Qon, it would ruin our business. We
have beon driven with our stock from
one place TO another 70 soek . range
that u not inteTfered With BY grain
farmers, and now II We have TO give up
this country, We cannot 20 anywhere
And 90 We should have heard more
of Southeastern Oregon - farming
country il il were not for this effort to
dispara9e 1t a. . country well suited
for tho small farmer. This u the
country that the Oregon Short Line
would traverse il It were built 10
Astoria and Portland. Il has an sx-
oellent soil, prairies and platsaus simi-
lar in general characteristics TO thdes
which may Be SEEN along the Columbia
between tho Deschates and John Day
country. That region lying between
the Snake River ON the East, Klamath
on the south, and tho Cascades, will
support, in our opinion, very nearly -
large q population - the Walls Walla
country does. IL needs . railroad, how.
ever, TO give the incoming ssttlsr . mar
kst.
ut IL in order here TO compare briefly
the two routes by which the Oregon
Short Line or Union Pacific Railroad
have under consideration, in their
scheme Of reaching deep water termi-
nus. One route leads from the mouth
Of the Galheur ON Snake River. down
tho Snake 70 Lewiston; thence $50 miles
to the mouth Of that river; thence up
tho Yakima and across the Cascades to
Seattle. The total distance 10 about go
miles. For the first 1870 miles there will
be found very great engineering diff
culties. The cliffs along Snake River
are precipitOus, and entail costly grad
ing and tunneling. In our opinion that
part of the route will cost double what
tho Same distance would in an open
country. There would not, however, be
any competition with any ether road,
for that distance, and the local traffic
might yield q moderate income. The
next section Of 200 miles, reaching to
the foot of the Cascades will average q
cost Of ga, 900 to tho mile, and will DO
in competition with the N. p. and O. b.
d N. companies every mile of its length.
The last section of the road 10 through
the Cascades and into seattle. It will
cost 5000, 900 or more. Coal and tim
Der will form the local trafac Of this
part of tho proposed road, that buainess
being likewise subject to restriction ON
account Of the land grant TO the North
ern Pacific Railroad, which line will
probably run through the only pass
available for both roads, and will entail
the koenest competition.
Should the Astoria route b chosen
tho course Of the railroad could follow
MP the Nalheus to Lake Harvey and
across the head waters ofEhs Deschutos
TO the eastern slope Of the Cascades.
= ooA0 WOAA0 ~ ~ Vo0OS k0AAkV00 W
interfere and there would he an album.
dance Of rich, tillAhle land, ready for
the pillow Of the settler. Going On 70 the
west the traok could GROSS either the
Mackenzie or the Mimic paas into the
Willamette Valley through Q country
fair amount Of business
without any competition. From there
the railroad oonld reach Astoria BY way
Of Salem and Forest Grove. The total
cost of suoh road from the mouth Of
the Malheur TO Astoria, would b from
four million 10 elk million dollars Len
than 70 Seattle from The same point,
the distance would b about
the Same. There would b no compe-
tition with any other railroad ON The
Astoria route in local buaineas. while on
the Seattle route thers would b compe-
titiOn all along the lins, except from
4alhsur to LEWISTON.
Az An ocean terminus for Q great line
Of railway, AstoRia's advantages q loaa-
ton arc too manifost % ned recital.
while in actual cost Of carriage, the
fact 10 also evidsnt that ~ are here
nearer TO every country that trades With
the Columbia river o. The Sound.