Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-09-17
.,p, PACIFIC CONSTRUCTION
..t from ex.President VII
- 90 the stockholders OF the
Company.

lard 10 tn0
Company.
,:....;on of your affairs becam'
ny ~. of much unjust criticism, anC
ahnse toward its close. deemed
FsD u vour interest, and most In ae
tD lance with self-respect. to say no
further upon my retirement iron
hIpg.ss;dency, in justification OF m,
as pnent. than what had alread'
nsnS';d 10 YOU in my annual report
Sssn az Ssars l8Sl-82 and 1928. The
MWo lime seems now To have arrived
fsP.s for submitting to you another
ss, nv lapors in your behalf, to
rs 18th some special explanations oi
rses sDe that led TO the disappoint
~ nv administration.
S,s Snnoo nv accession te the preside cy
soencv and every resource at ms
Farsnd we're at once employed Il
out with the utmost energy and
~ p0ss. loss of time, the general pro
n nursuance Of which had sought
~ Iohtsined a controlling interest in
stook of the company. This pr ,
gan was; .,o ai, line aorosa ~
IT, aOmUtfL6 tAlAO t1OEOHh viz
.,;nsnt 10 the Columbia river with all
sssble dispatch.
- sscnre .or the company the exclu-
.ommand of the traffic of the north
VA. coast-that is, of Oregon, Wash
D..nn Is Territory, Puget Sound. British
SIumbia and Alaska.
~ insure the quick development OF
a. tsyrjtory tributary to the Northern
40 10 build up local traffic, prevent
.srosehments upon 1T by rival inter
"a and promote the sale and settlement
s,bs com pany's lands by the constrHc-
In a we'll devised system Of branch
Toobtain for the company the advan-
.assof independent lines from the main
4 sss INTO the citiss of Minneapolis and
b !: psul. and from these cities to Mil
4 nskse and Chicago.
4 n proyide proper terminal facilities,
,mnls 70 meet present and future traffic
.souirements at the eastern as well IA
A. western end of the new transcOnti-
tuisl system.
Tbe task imposed upon me under this
4 sooram was vast and most difficult
~ II meant for me load of respon-
shlitv. care and anxiety such as be
1--we few men have ever borne in this
sontry. Il involved the building OF an
,UVrepate of 1000 miles of railroad, with
n he appurtenances, carried on stimuli
apsously in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Da-
Iots. Montana, Oregon and Washington
territory, and of large fleet of ocean
ssamers. Ii necessitated the raising of
pOt far from one hundred and twenty
i've million dollars Of actual money.
Ibere was work enough for a genera
peu, but, with the aid of my able and
4 hithful assistants, it WAS accomplished
/ ,ssrly all IN less than four years. Twill
summarize how the work was done in
/ he given order.
COMPLETION OF THE MAIN LINE--coN
srRUoIIoS AND EQUIPMENT.
was elected president OF the compa-
~ in September, 1881. There remained
! Ihen still gap of over 700 miles to be
filed, in order to complete the main
4 Inc 10 the point of junction with the
oregon Railway and Navigation Com
pnys Columbia river line. The gap
comprised the most difficult and expen-
ave work by far of the whole line, in
The valleys of the Yellowstone and of
Clark's fork Of the Columbia, including
lhe two large tunnels through the Belt
nnge and the principal range of the
ROcky Mountains. The order was given
10 push construction with the utmost
Hgor on all the unfinished divisions
On the Wisconsin, Yellowstone and
Rocky Mountain divisions the work WAS
tone by contractors; on the Clark's Fork
aiYiaion by the company itself. Armies
d laborers were employed, aggregatinp
lsarly twenty thousand men. 1t may
veil be doubted whether greater results
sere ever accomplished in any public OF
Eivate undertaking in the same period
d time than on these middle divisions
"a 1882 and 1888.
On July l, 1881, the ends of track were
VI miles apart. Up To the correspond
ing day in 1889, 297 additional miles
sere completed. so thst but 564 miles
nmained to be- finished. During the
year ending July l, 1888, no less than
@H miles Of track were laid from the
east, and 1861 miles from the west
making total of 450 miles, or nearly
one and one-half miles for each and
Every working day of the year. The
remaining Ia miles were completed be-
tween July LIST and August 22d, on
which day the memorable event of join
my the two ends of track took place. In
addition, forty miles of track were flu
ished between Portland and kaiama.
Besides the construction of the road
Itself, an enormous amount of add
lionel work was carried on simultan-
eously-suoh as the erection of the great
bridges over the Missouri and Snake
rivers, Of the main shops at Brainerd
Of shops for every division. station
buildings all along the new portion OF
the line, and of other essential appur-
teuances.
Soon after assuming the direction OF
Tue company, il was found that in order
TO ooperate the main line in its entirety y
With safety and regularity, = great deal
would have to be done by way of re-
newals and repairs upon the Minnesota
and Dakota divisions, and even upon
loe newly finished Missouri division
Beyond the renewal of track, many
dher improvements and betterments
we're found to be needed on the old di-
VISIONS, and actually provided.
ample provision was likewise made
sasonably for all the requirements OF
ne road in the way of additional mo.
i've power and rolling stock. During
'ne iiscal years 1sSl-S2, and lsS2-S3 the
purchases of the company included PA
;'Ocomotiyes, 10 passenger cars, Ii din
'ae ears, 10 baggage, mail and express
urs, either actually delivered or under
contract.
Proper reference will be made in an
oeher place 20 the financial operations
cA,ried on during my administration. IN
osder 70 provide for the large expendi
lures for these various purposes.
lak TRAFFIC. OF THE ENTIRE NORTH PA.
clflc COAST SECURED FOR THE NORTH.
kRs PACIFIC.
before i became interested in your
.ompany ! was the executive head si
sue several corporations that practically
.mmaBded all the coastwise ocean
s.aoe from the northern boundary OF
nexico TO Alaska, rs we'll As all the
aansportation business on land and by
sa,e, In Oregon, Washington territory
and British Columbia.
These corporations were:
n l The Oregon Railway & Navigation
w,smpany, owning and operating 2A
nlles OF standard gage railroad in Or
Son AMI Washington Territory, ant
eneaIed IN a carrying trade extending
gp.sf ofe miles of ocean lines from Sat
francisco TO Portland. Oreeon) and 66
. alies OF river lines. the latter embracing
sne navigation of the Columbia, Viii
annette and Snake rivers.
T. The Oregon & California Railrnas