St. Paul daily globe., 1888-07-09
A BIG TUNNEL COMPLETED
On the Line Of the Northern Pacific at
Switchback Pass.
AN ELECTRIC LIGHT VIEW
Return Of the Commission Appointed by
President Cleveland to Make the
Final Examination.

The three commissioners appointed
by President Cleveland to inspect the
Northern Pacific tunnel at Switchback
pass, ON the Cascade division, are hO1sse-
ward bound. 1t comprises Judge HIS.
Van Eaton, of Woodville, Miss, Who
represented the ''Sea Shore" dIstrictROf
Mississippi in congress from 1882 to 1885;
Nj. l.. Hinman, of Dunkirk, n. Y, and
VIC. Graves, of Viroqua, Wis. Messrs.
Van Eaton and Hinman are accompanied
by their wives, and Miss Carrie Blount
and Miss Hinman are also with the
party, who are stopping at the Ryan.
The commissioners left Chicago June
81, and st. Paul the following day. The
inspection of the tunnel was made on
the night of the 18th of June, by the
company's electric light.
Judge Van Eaton, last evening, pro-
nounced the tunnel entirely satisfac-
tory. 1t is nearly two miles long, about
twenty feet high, and about fifteen feet
wide.
ENOUGH FOR TWO TRACKS.
The commission examined it on one
of the platform cars of the company,
going through at the rate of about a
mile and half an hour, everything
being plainly visible by the range of
electric lights along the right side.
Where the rock is not solid the tunnel
roof is substantially supported by heavy
timbers. There are only two leaks in
it, and it is said to be the driest tunnel
in the world. 1t is longer than any
tunnel on this continent, except the
Hoosac. The dynamos for the electric
lights are run by water fall near the
entrance. This stupendous piece of
engineering was accomplished at
uoae cost .1 of F1tan nearly wsS 10000 ysrn
enthusiastic in his praise of the North
ern Pacific company and its last great
feat of railroad building. The tunnel
obviates the necessity for going around
and across the Cascade range by the
celebrated Switchback pass. After
leaving the tunnel the commission went
to Tacoma and spent
TWO DAYS LOOKING AROUND.
Judge Van Eaton saw great future
opening up before Tacoma as CONNER
cial gateway for the trade of Asia. A
visit of two days was also paid to Vic
toria, B. G..
This work completes the examination
of all the lines of the Northern Pacific.
as required by the land grant act, and
it gives the Northern Pacific all its land
grants except those along the Columbia
river from Wallula to Portland, Or.
When Judge Van Eaton was in con-
greSS he was member of the house
committee which favored forfeiture of
all the Northern Pacific lands west of
Bismarck, but he was one of those who
presented a minority report favoring
only the forfeiture of the lands FROM
Wallula to Portland and the lands con-
tiguous and along the Cascade division.
The Northern Pacific land grant act
gave the road until July 4, 1876. to build
the line to Portland, Or, and an 6Xten-
sion until July 4, 1879, was afterWard
allowed. At the latter date ~
BISMARCK WAS THE TERMINUS.
That was the reason the ultraS in the
house wanted to pass the bill forfeiting
all the lands west of Bismarck. The
senate amended it so as to forfeit only
the lands from Wallula on and contig-
uOus to the Cascade division. A COM
mittee of conference was appointed,
and Judge Van Eaton was one of that
committee. He still held to his views,
agreeing with the members from
the senate. The consequence was
that the committee reported back
that it could not agree, and no forfeit
ure bill was passed. That was two
years ago. Meanwhile the Northern
Pacific has pushed through the Cascade
division, and according to Judge Van
Eaton's opinion, based upon the deci-
sion of the courts and his own conStruc-
ton of law in such cases. the company
is now entitled to all its land grants, eX-
cept those along the Columbia river,
the title to which is still in suspense.