Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1885-09-27

: EVe' a. nsd oeen charged, responsible
Tor IT'S idleness- TIE idea had prossbly
Rrown oot OF the fact that Mr.. Elijah
smith. cpon becoming President of the
oregsn Il Transcontinental Coz pany.
seeing It's oepiorabie financial condition.
ordered all salary snd other expenses 10
oe ~ once stopIed, AID being President
OF toe oregon Improvement Company,
requested Its effiosals to look after ths
property in this locality. The Oregon
improvement Company had not only
NOS bees adverse 10 the opening Of the
road, bat favored toe contract that Vas
made in the sammsr of 1884 and vhy
the Northern P4citi, Railroad termi.
Hsted the contract by q vithdrsval OF
It's trains, vas a mystery to the officers
here, as well a. 10 President Smith. In
addition to this. during the past spring
he had the idea that t. satisfy the
eismor H might be possible, until other
ana osttsr Arrangements we're made. to
make tse rails narrow gage and operate
u as such from Seattle: bu. after q
careful calculation, be had reached the
eoneinsion that the amount of local
business trtbutary 20 the road north of
stuck function would not Jay the 90
Grating expenses, to say nothing Of the
costs OF repairs and renewals, and thai
u vas possible to make IT self-snstain-
Ing only by the consignment over this
road of all the through freight and pas
sepgsrs destined not only for Seattle.
but also 10 points beyond, 80 that this |
road would get either Its proportion OF |
the through mileage or satisfactory
arbitrary allowance pr ton and Der |
passenger. He said that he was not an |
officer Of any of the corporations a. |
Issue, bdt be Was intimately acquainted |
with the views OF President Smith, who |
vas, and had always been, anxious to |
put the property into service, bat that /
MS stockholders would Hot justify hIm /
IN doing 50 in tie face of inevitable loss,
and no proposition had yet been pre,
sented to him ander which be could see
that his company would come out with
out losing money, aBd as much a. he
regretted the ioleness OF this property.
ne could not add TO the already heavy
burdens OF the Oregon d Iransconti
mental Company. 1t vas not a question
with him OF making profit he would be
entirely satisfied with any scheme that
would save the Oregon d Tranconti-
mental oWpany from further loss of
money. Mr.. Howard closed his remarks
by reading telegram from President
smith. dated New York. September 25,h.
to the effect that negotiations were than
IN progress there, and that there vas A
favorable outlook for q prompt settle
meut.
JudRe Jacobs being called upon made
some telling and witty rejoinders 10 Mr..
McNaueht, which that gentleman and
the audience seemed to keenly appre-
ciate. The Judges remarks were auits
temperate and well chosen. He invited
the people 20 a sober discussion of the
questions al issue. and felt very hope
fui, from the assurances that were given I
by the railroad representatives. that a | ,
satisfactory solution Of the difficalties I
would soon be feached. The Judge is {
not himself without an anecdote, and !
Win MS usual aptuess and felicity Of {
expression, he relsted the story of c
COW getting through n knot hole and r
sticking fast at the tail. The stery ran
something like this: A philosopher once
visited tannery, and while booking
about the place, noticed q cows tail
sticking through knet hols. He stop.
ped and Razsd attentively at the spec 9
tacls for some time. The tanner no
ticed this. and asked, "What is il that
interests you 90 muchY" The man re-
piled, Il am q philosopher. have
spent many years in the study and in g
vestiRation OK the occult sciences; |
have dove into the very depths Of hu- r
man wisdom, but it passes my compre. ..
kension to understand how a COW ever
went through that hole and then got
caught by the tail" This was yery 6
apropos and put the audience in a good :
humor with the Judge, the railroad aud 4
the world in general. !
At this juncture Mr. Howard was seen
to arise and claim the attention Of the
Chair, who accorded him the floor to ,
read the following telegram that had
been received at Seattle, forwarded by
train TO Black River function and
thence by pony express to the meeting:
"NEw YoRx. Sept. 26.-Neeotiation re. Z
ferred TO yesterday resulted in arrange. I
ment that viii enable rs to open road
about October 1st. ELIJAH SMITH."
Immediately there was applause. and
At once a feeling prevailed among the
audience that nothing more was to be q
said or desired. Judge Jac obs was
prompt 70 move an adjournment, which
was as promptly put and carried, and =
the assemblage dispersed with satisfac- 4
lion upon the faces of the inhabitants !
of White River and q possible shadow
Of disappointment upon the faces of
those orators OF the day whose speeches
we're made unnecessary BY this very
happy termination.
Ii 10 not known what the terms of the g
operating contract are, bot 10 may be !
concluded that President Smith has at (
last succeeded in getting an arrange
ment for employing his company's
large investment to bis satisfaction. aud
we feel that il will prove equally sails
factory to the other parties TO the ar