Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-08-27
DAILY -INTEllIGENCER.


Il puzzles us just little 10 keep
track Of the positions and performances
of our friends. the Northern Paeiae ON
cials. We put our index finger upon
particular point urged BY these Rsntie-
uen. oplv 70 find that its position has
.uddeulv changed. Long ago the North
ern Pacific Railroad managers USED GER
tain of the company's funds to buiio
coal road up the Puysllop valley from
Tacoma. They said IL was local r"ao
and was built for the especial purpose
NJ settino coal 10 market. No one de-
MED IL. Last winter this company con-
oluded that this local road could pe
made more profitable as a land Rrabber
than az a coal transporter, whereupon
Il was formally announced and claimed
that IL never was q local railroad, bat
had been built and was always intended
M a section of the Cascade branch OF
the Northern Pacific. and as snen ''s
owners were entitled to forty square
miles Of public land for every mile OF
the road. Objection being made 10
this claim, those who opposed It we're
triumphantly told that the Puyailnp
coal road must be q part OF the NORTH
srn Pacific, because that company had
no right under It's charter 10 build local
railroads, and of course II could do
nothing wherein it was legally incompe-
tent. This was regarded as little
ouser. inssmuch 40 only n VI the 81
miles of that local road was urged upon
the President and his Commissioners a.
part of the alleged Cascade division.
Passing that, however, We come to
another puzzlsr. The Northern Pacinc
Railroad Company last year built eight
miles of railroad from Puyallup 10 Stuck
Junction. 1t was officially announced
that this was TO be part Of the Cascade
division. But when the Commissioners
ware over here this section was not
shown nor examined, nor was II claimed
as part of said line over the mountains
On the contrary, the old coal road up
the Puyallup valley was designated and
inspected al a portion of sach line.
This briHgs us TO problem. Ia the Puy-
allup-Stuok -eight-mile section a part OF
the Northern Pacific? IL so, what partf
In IL local roadl II so, under what
Law or charter was 1t constructedf Does
the company intend to claim lands for
building it7 II 30, how and how muchf
Has the Northern Pacific Railroad Com
pany any right under its charter to
build local or branch roadsf Has II
any authority 10 build any line OF rail
road not specified in the act OF 1864 and
subsequent resslutisnsf II not, and II
the Puyallup Stuck railroad is not a
part of the Cascade division, but purely
local, can il sell II and give good title
How did II legally acquire right OF
way? IL this piece of railroad Is part
OF the Northern Pacific, can that CON-
pany sell 1t at all? Isn't the situation
Just little complicated? We read in a
Tacoma paper that two new railroad
companies have Just been formed, one
OF which is TO operate lines of railroad
from Tacoma and other points along
the shores of Puget Sound. and the
other one 10 build and operate coal
roads 10 South Prairie, Carbonate. etc.
Are these new companies going to pur-
chase from the Northern Pacific the
several sections of local road we have
notedf Has that company any local
roads to sell? Does il own any local
roadsS Can IL sell part Of its main line
and convey thereby its alleged legisla-
tive title to lands earned by Its con-
struction? Who owns the balance of
the coal road not included in the %
mile section inspected by the Presiden-
tial Commission Are they parts Of
the main liner How was the right of
way acquiredf Under what title is it
held? We are In an inquisitive mood
today. Are these several bits Of rail
road also orphansf