St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-12-29
TIE CASCADE TUNNEL,
Some of the Largest Tunnel Contractors in
the Country Submitting Bids for
the Work.
Two Firms in st. Paul Awaiting the Time
When the Contract for the Work
Will be Let.
Boston Rates via Grand Trunk From
st. Paul to be Met by the
Lake Shore.
Fight Between the Burlington and
Illinois Central For Piece of
Land--Notes.
The Cascade Tunnel.

The Cascade Tunnel.
The interest in the bids for the most i'm
| pOrtant tunnel in the Northern Pacific SyS-
tenn for within a fraction of two miles of
| solid underground rock work on what is
known as the Cascade division, in COM
pliance with the terms of the company
charter, which provides for line of rail-
way from the head of navigation on Lake
Superior to tide water on Puget Sound, was
intensified yesterday by the arrival from the
West of Nelson Bennett Of Montana and
Washington territory, and a confer
| ence between him and James Muir
of the well known firm of
Muir Bros, contractors on the North ern
and Canadian Pacfics. These gentlemen
are the beSt-knOwn contractors for tunnel
work on the Pacific coast. What trans
pired between these two gentlemen in this
conference is beyond the reportorial ken,
but it is safe to say that the performance of
this great work lies between these two out
fits. There are, OF course, other bidders
for this work, including the firms of Steel.
Jeffreys & Thompson of Portland, Or,
who are backed by the consolidated banks
of Portland, and Ferguson IL Co., of San
Francisco. The bids will be submitted
Jan. 1, at the general Of
fees in st. Paul, and the
contract let between the LIST and 5th of
January, the company, of course, reserving
the right to reject all bids, and advertise
for reletting at its pleasure. The work
may not go to the lowest bidder, for the
express terms of the advertisement provide
that the work may be let to the lowest and
best bidder. The company is familiar with
fl,ax Il
Co. The Muir Brothers did the work OIL
the Bozeman and Mullen tunnels, and the
tunnels ON the Oregon Railway and Naviga-
ton, and their performance is well known.
Likewise the work of Bennett & Co., who
have done all the work. so far,
on the Cascade division, all of which
$50 miles in extent, has been promptly ac-
cepted by the commissioners on the part of
the government. under the terms of the
charter, which provides for such inspection
and acceptance. Gen. Anderson is now on
the Pacific coast inspecting the work to be
done in the way OF a personal examination
| and careful review OF the profiles submit
| ted by his sub-engineer. The work will be
| promptly let and vigorously prosecuted to
| an early completion. 1t is estimated that
| the work on the tunnel will require two
years and cost from $780, 900 to 81, 900, 900.
| In the meantime the construction work on
| the line from the sound to a connection with
the Northern Pacific and on the other side
of the mountain will be continued with
| more rapidity, so as to be ready for opera
ton the moment the tunnel is completed,
and if it shall be decided by the engineers
to be practicable to lay switch back across
| the range, the Cascade division will be OPP
| Grated even before the tunnel is completed.
Adding to Their Equipments.
! Special to the GLOBE.
CHICAGO, Dec. 2s.-The railroads ter
minating in Chicago are adding largely to
their passenger and freight equipment. The
Chicago & Northwestern has Just awarded
an order to an Eastern mandatory for
| thirty passenger locomotives, and other Or
ders to Western manufacturers for twelve
coaches, twelve parlor cars and 1. 600 freight
cars. The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul
| has just ordered forty locomotives and 1000
| freight cars. An order for 700 freight cars
has recently been placed by the Louisville,
New Albany & Chicago, while the new road
| diana coal fields at Brazie has
| arranged for the purchase of
| twenty freight locomotives and 500 coal
| cars. The Wisconsin Central, which is
| pushing the construction of it's Chicago ex-
| tension. is adding 80 locomotives, so
coaches and 1000 freight cars to it's equip
ments. Several new sleeping cars. a num-
| Der of locomotives and several hundred
| freight cars are in process OF construction at
the shops of the Chicago Rock Island &
| Pacific. Large additions to the equipment
of the Illinois Central, the Chicago & Alton,
the Wabash and the Burlington roads have
been contracted for. The Wagner Sleeping
Car company has contracted with Chicago
| manufacturers for about forty new
cars. The Union Pacific company
! is also in the market for large
number of coaches. 1t is said in
we'll formed circles that the company
proposes making an outlay of $3.50. 900
| during the year 1856 for new equipment.
| In addition to the enormous expenditures
for cars and locomotives, many of the Chi
cage railway companies have contracted
| for future deliveries of railway supplies,
| amounting in the aggregate to many mill
| ions OF dollars. This has been done in an
| ticipation of considerable advance in the
| prices of all manufactures with the OPEN
| ing of the new year. In the case of most
articles this advance has already taken
| place. This activity in railway circles is
| an augury of greatly enlarged CONNIE, cial
and manufacturing operations during the
ensuing year.