Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1886-02-02
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The Dires.ors Of the Oregon Railway
4 Navigation Compsny have decided on
90 ming up . country OF more magni-
tide and Of greater richness than be-
fore touched This new land ia land
Of geld and land IF grain; 1t is land
Of promise and sure fuliIlment. 1t is
the country tast boonds the Columbia
River from Passo TO the Sespilsm RIv-
er. distance of nearly 450 miles.
Eastern capital is looking in this d.
rsetion, and representatives of various
syrdicates Of moneyed men are c0ntin-
oslly coming. isvrs'ig ating and making
reports Tie 6eid is . broad one, and
there 10 al assurance Of large returns
on investment. This the Oregon Rail
vsy Il Navigation Company appreciate,
and IN order 10 fo:estall any effort 9th
er corporations might make to enter q
field shich they consider practices ally
their owl. they are pevius in all avail
able directions. Wi liam ). Lsdd, the
Portland banker and Wee President Of
the company. has always been fascins-
ted bv thu glories and possibilities Of
toe Big Bend country. Ii has been his
hobby that sith an outlet this vast body
of land voaid blossom into fr1itfuiness
exceeded by no country IN the world Of
equal extent. Mr.. L4dd's enth ssi Asm
Ia this direction has been grad 1slly as
simulated by MS coilsae ues, resulting 10
tue summoninR 10 Portland of veil in
formed parties living IN the various dis
tricts and sections along the proposed
route, and soliciting their views and
gaining sseh data as they were possess
ed of.
So impressed we're the OH ,ers of the
company With the information given.
which Verified the reports of their en-
eineers, that they determined spon put
ting on line of steamers to traverse
the river as far north az the mooth Of
the Sespilem river, a point about thirty
1iles fron Fort Spokane. Tso port
ages are 10 be built; one arouHd Priests
Rapids. and the other twenty miles
above, around Island Rapids. Manager
Prescott will send he steamers deter
mined upon for the route up the river
early in April, when il 10 thoQQht they
can be warped over the rapids, a. the
sater 10 then very high. IL u believed
that there will be great rush into the
Big Bend country, and the various min
log districts adjacent to the 18th par
pallet, In the spring, and this 10 one of
the main Incentives that spurred the
Oregon Railway and Navigation Com
pany to reach a conclusion which on the
face 10 apparently hasty.
There are DOW about $500 miners in
the Granite creek. Colville and Simii-
kameen districts, and it is confidently
expected that this number will be in
creased TO 10000 before the middle of
summer. While the mines to the north
are rich in minerals. there will never DO
the output Of wealth from them that
there will be from the agricultural
lands of tbs Big Bend Of the Colum-
bis, when once shat favored section 10
settled and put under cultivation. This
belt Of wheat land 10 tributary to the
Columbia for distance of thirty miles
back and embraces q stretch Of country
as vast az the wheat producing dis
trists Of Walla Walla, Whitman and
Spokane counties. The soil 10 Q loan
OF remarkable fertility and great depth,
aud is composed Of slluvIal deposits
and decomposea bssalt everything Q clay
subssil.