Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-06-26
THE RAILROAD To THE SkEks
RIVER MINES.

Extent OF work Dsae-Whaf Remains
10 be Completed Cost. Necessity and
Eeuef,isEThe subsidy Question.
As is known to most OF our readers
little over a year ago the citizens Of Sc
attic subscribed the sum of $50 600 as
a subsidy to be given for the binding O.
a standard gage railroad from this city 70
the Green River coal fields, and event
ually TO connect uith the Cascade
Branch OF the Northern Pacific Rail
road at point still farther east. The
N ,ney was all pledged. contracts made
AID the road was TO have been COM
pleted by May l, 1884. It 10 unnecessa-
nv to recapitulate the causes which re-
suited in failure to complete the road
in the time stipulated. Work thereon
was suspended several moaths ago. and
has not since been resumed. In Feb
ruary of this year Mr.. John L. Howard,
representing the constructing company,
endeavored to obtain from the suoscrib-
ers to the subsidy an advance payment
Of percentage OF their several sub
scriptions, in which effort he was IN
successful. He is now in Seattle, and
has made a proposition to the people of
this city worthy of careful oonsidera-
ton, and, az We believe, one which
should at once be accepted. II coupled
With proper guarantees. The PROPOSE
ton is, in brief, to complete the road and
put IL in oper ation to the Green River
mines by the 1st day of NoveFAber next,
IN receipt Of aid 10 the extent of $780,
600, TO be paid by subscribers in install
ments rs the work progresses. In order
70 write understandinRly upon this sub
iect We have made q sOrnsHha. careful
study OF the stu alton, the result OF
which il given below.
DISTANCES.
The total length of the proposed road
to the Franklin mine. from Commercial
street, in this city, II 81 lI-lU miles, sub
divided as follows:
Seattle TO Black River junction.. $50
b. X. Junction to Renton. ...... 26d
Renton to McAllister Mine -. 6 A
McAIlister TO Black Diamond Mine II IL
Black Diamond Mine To Franklin. pa
Total, miles, ........... ......... 80 IL
The road 10 completed for operation
as standard gage railroad as far az
| RentOu, ~ Is 100 ,siles. From thence,
standard gage rails are laid in narrow
| gage style, {. e., one rail laid permanent
| Iy and fully spiked, the other at narrow
| gage distance, and half spiked" for
SIX miles further, and fully ballasted and
| loose rails enough are on hand for about
| az miles beyond the end of tbs track
| now laid, and the road bed Is ready for
the ties and rails. There are enough
ties on hand to complete the whole line
TO the farthest mine. rhe end of the
present track is about 1900 feet from
the Colman or McAllister niue, and
there are on hand rails enough TO CON-
| plete il to that point, the first thing after
work is resumed. Grading is oom pleted
to point in section ., township ~
range 6, and partially 30 for three miles
| further. Bot 81 miles of grading re-
mains to To done to reach the Black
| Diamond mines, to which point the
right Of way is cleared, with the excep-
ton Of about II miles. Ii is less than
| ~ tullCh tAO btathOuu W
the Franklin mine, of which distance
about half the way has been cleared.
COST OF COMPLETING.
The expenditures thus far have ag
gregated not far from $500, 900, and the
estimated cost of completing the road
TO the Franklin mine, as standard
gage road with equipment, will reach
$35O,OOO. The proposition now Is, by
adopting an original and eminently
practical expedient to avoid the ex-
pense of new standard gage equip
meut. This 10 to be done by laying
temporarily the track Oh a narrow
gage and utilizing the present rolling
stock Of the Columbia and Puget Sound
Railroad. BY this arrangement it will
be- possible TO begin hauling coal from
the MoAllister mine Immediately, and
also from the Others as fast as they are
reached by the rails, and in addition to
employ the same rolling stock IN the
construction of the uncomplsted por-
ton of the road. In short, on account
of tho present stringency in money mat
ters the idea is to complete and oper-
ate IL temporarily as narrow gage
road for the purpose of reducing the
Oust hS tuf ab pttotiCdOlo dt pftSeut.
The road bed Is thus far, and will be,
wide enough for a standard gage, and
the ties are all on hand and are cut of
proper length for that purpose. In brief
II will be 30 constructed that an expen-
diture of $50 per mile will serve to
change the rails from present to stand
ard gage, the present object being ia
postpone purchase of about $4,000
worth VI rolling stock and the expendi-
ture of about $4,000 additional in
changes to bankers, buildings, etc. The
highest grade on the road is Go feet 10
the mile. and IL is very important fact
TO note that the heavy freighting Ut the
road will be all on down grade.
MINES TO BE REACHED.
The mines TO be reached by this rail-
road are the McAllister, Black Diamond
franklin and Syndicate, all of which
have been prospected and more or less
developed, and some of which could be.
gin taking ont coal at once. A fair es
innate Of what these mines should be
taking out and shipping by the LIST of
January next, per diem, IL:
McAllistef ......... ..........2 30 tons.
oyndioate. ................... 10
slack Diamond. .......... 100
Franklin ............... 400
totA $500. ........s......,.l SuU tens.
This, allowing for delays, breaks and
casualties. would average. say $1,000
tons per month, or about $50, 900 tons