Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1888-11-30
LEWISTON NOTES.
RdilrDUd NeWs From the Met
rOpOiis- Lirety Times : Court
Ne,cs, de-, dc.

Lewiston presented an unusually ami
mated appearance during the continue
ton OF the term Of United States court.
Parties are here from all the five coun-
ties which comprise the First Judicial
District, and as natural consequence
there is great activity in every depart
ment of business. The saloons in par
ticular are minting money, and gam
bling games are running every night
an unerring indication of flush times
and ready money.
There is great deal of talk about
railroad building in the spring, and all
hands are confidently expecting to take
a ride 10 Camas prairie on the cars next
fall-only II months ahead. 1t seems
certain that next year both the O. X. X
N. Co., and the Idaho Rapid Transit Co.
will be striving to make railroad con-
nection with our Camas prairie. The
O. r. and N. will adopt the Clearwater
river route and will branch off and
reach the prairie by way of Lawyers
ctnyon, which aforas.easier grades and
less heavy building than by way of Cot
tonwood or Butcher creeks. | also have
definite information that the 0. r. and
N. Co. expect to continue their main
road up the Clearwater and over into
the Bitter Root valley, there to connect
with the Manitoba system. This how
ever is future contingency for which
we can well afford to wait. with the GER
tainty of n local road being built from
Lewiston to the prairie.
The Idaho Transit Company is an or
ganzation effected partly by Lewiston
Il x.tl boil xru Nf
the Northern Pacific railroad. 1t is
therefore independent of the Northern
Pacific, but will be operated as part of
its system. John p Vollmer is presi-
dent and being DESTROYS of gaining in
formation from the fountain head /
called on him for such information as
he cared to divulge. Mr.. Vollmer has
been very sick man of late, and is 50
far recovered from severe attack of
acute rheumatism as to be able to sit
up, but his appearance in convalescence
is sufficient to indicate the severity of
his recent illness. He is wasted almost
to a shadow of his former self, but re.
ceived me with his accustomed cordial
ity, and frankly told me that the plans
and intentions ofthe company depended
upon the result fthe surveys which are
now being made. If the grades are
practicable and the work not too heavy,
then we are .bIolutely certain of having
the road. Mr. Volmer stated that the
Transit company was organized largely
thrt u h his lnhIerce, aid that North.
ern Pacific Stockholders were interested
in it. They organized under the laws
of Washington Territory with head
quarters at Asotin, as the laws of that
territory were more favorable TO corpo-
rations than the laws of Idaho. The
intention is to connect with the Spokane
and Palouse railroad at Genesee, come
down Potlatch creek to Lewiston. Il ence
mp Snake river TO Asotn, and ther by
way of Tammany, Waha Lake and
Craig's mountain to Camas prairie. This
may SO an rather 10 lndabout way Of
getting there, but these plans. of curse,
are SUBJECT to modification in order to
conform to the surveys. My own idea
is that the same object can be accon =
plished, and the whole of the low, r
Snake river n Clearwater basin toru-
try made tributary to the Northern Pa
cific system by line of steamers run.
ming from Ainsworth to Lewiston and
Fir Bluff, and an indepel mt road from
Lewiston to the prairie. The Transit
company have large corps of surveyors
stalking the grade from Lewiston to-
Continued on LIST page)