Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1885-06-06
SUsP ENSIGN OF WORK On THE CASCADE
BRANC II.
Yakima Signal

lOlI, tcleSIdii was iN,N'NNs w '''S
point which brought news OF the gr eatest
Importance to Yakima and the wholeinorth
west country The dispatch was from
the chiet engineer of the Northern Pacl-
fic, Gen. A. Anderson, to chief engineer OF
the division, II. S. Huson, and was an or
der to discharge the engineering force
in the canyon and on the mountains and
all the men that can be spared on the lii
vision in order to reduce the monthly ex-
penses to $4,000 Messengers were i'm
mediately sent along the line to carry the
news, and Thursday work on the long
Natchez bridge was suspended and the
sub contract tors, under Nelson Bennett,
with camps between North Yakima and a
point twelve miles beyond Ellensburg,
were notified of the order from headquar-
ters, and, with the exception of Contrac>
tor Fern, with a force of about sixty men,
dropped work al nightfall.
The monthly expenditure for labor be-
tween North Yakima and the mountains
was between $4,000 and $4,000 pre-
vious to the first of May, but orders were
then received to reduce the force so as to
come within the estimate of $4,000
monthly. This was done, and at the time
of the last reduction aboot $50 men were
employed on the grade this side OF the
mon tains.
There are now seven parties OF engn-
GERS in the Stampede Pass of the Cas-
cades, making force of fifty men, and
a messenger has been dispatched to them
to drop work and come in. So meager
IS the appropriation for the future that 1t
has been decided to discharge the force OF
engineers and other department superin~
tepdents, with the exception of engineers
Hudson, Donovan, and Barlow, Superin>
tendent OF Material George Donald, Chief
Clerk Munley and Draughtsman Ware.
In the language of Mr.. Hudson, "tbe
work under the new order will go on so
slowly that we won't see it move"
Thursday dispatch was received to
sell all of the stock owned by the North
can Pacific and used on division work
about 20 head of horses.
Speculation is rife as to the effect the
stoppage OF work will have on North
! Yakima. That it will be detrimental to
the country at large there is no question,
but for this immediate point many we'll
informed people claim it will be beneficial.
| The situation is this: Until the work is
again resumed North Yakima will he the
| terminus of the division and the road.
1t will be the distributing point for the
country north and west including num-
Der of most fertile and productive valleys
1t will be the shipping point for the pro-
duce of these valleys and tor the large
cattle interests of the hill lands Had
work continued the road would have
| soon been built on and some other point
temporarily reached the benefit OF the
laborers' wages. The most serious draw
back will be the large body of men
thrown out OF employment, many of
whom have not sufficient money to take
them to other points. Some of these
men, naturally, are of a disreputable char
acter anG they will prey upon our citi-
zens until the marshal gives them march,
ing orders.
Of the cause of the changed program
little is known but much guessing is
done AT last report the lease OF o. r. 81
N. by the Northern Pacific or by the
Northern aud Union Pacifics, had not ma
teria!ized, and the prospect tor such
lease had become very dubious. The
cause is then evidently a financial one.
Since the Willard regime il has been an
open secret that the road WAS badly
cramped for funds and the dilatonness in
paying for work on the Cascade division
and the evident anxiety not to go ahead
too fast has demonstrated this fact. Par
ties closely identified with the company
advance this theory in explanation and
say that the stoppage is only temporary
and that active work will he resumed In
the fall.
The railroad from Pasco to the S5th
mile post, situate just this side of the old
town crossing, will be turned over to the
operating department on the first of June.
There are now about 800 men employed
| in ballasting and otherwise improving
his stretch of road, and the command,
! off with their heads" will take effect at