St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-07-05
A GREAT SCHEME.
The Significance OF the Sault st
Marie q Southwestern ProieC

Marie q Southwestern Project.
Special to the Globe.
= EAU CLAIRE, July 3.-The compile
ton of transcontinental route for the
Union Pacific, a vast extension of the
held OF the Canadian Pacific, and, in
cidentally, the opening of "a new and
kets for the lumber of Central and
Western Wisconsin-this is the signifi-
tance of the Sault Ste. Marie Sc South
western railway scheme, row On the
verge of development into the active
work OF construction. The project was
conceived over three years ago, and it
has passed through all the phases of
railroad evolution, including the enlist
ment OF abundant capital, up to the or
ganization of construction COM
spany, which will be effected
before August 1. The disposition of
100000 of bonds out of $4,000, coo has
q been arranged for in the, East: The
enterprise is essentially Canadian and
: Eastern affair, the capital coming
largely from one of the heaviest finan-
cial corporations and one of the princi-
pal banking firms of New York city
and from Montreal. The principal
Western men who thus far appear in
the enterprise are n. G. Foster, the
: Fairchild lumberman and millionaire,
who is president of the Sault Ste. Marie
d. Southwestern, and James McIntire,
OF this city, who will have general
management of the work of the con-
structiOn company. Surveying parties
are still at work in Southern Minnesota
and Northern Iowa, but the survey has
been practically completed. The road
Will run from Rhinelander to
lorr
ton of the Wisconsin river
lumber district; thence through Mara
thOn and Clark counties, crossing the
Wisconsin Central near Abbotsford, and
striking the Chicago, st. Paul, Mime
apOlis IL Omaha at Fairfield, this county;
from Fairchild through Trempeauleau
and Buffalo counties, with a branch
from Osseo, for Chicago, to Eau Clare,
and crossing the Mississippi few miles
above Alma; from the Mississippi to
Ey0ta, Mimi, whence two routes have
been surveyed, one line going to Sioux
City and the other to Council Bluffs,
where it joins the Union Pacific and
gives the latter road route from the
Missouri river. by way of the new road,
the Sault Ste Marie IL Atlantic and the
Canadian Pacific, to the seaboard, be-
tween zoo and 500 miles shorter than
any other line. The Union Pacific
and the Canadian Pacific (the latter
already controlling the Sault Ste Marie
Il Atiantlc) will then combine for the
exchange of through business. 1t is
more than likely that the Canadian Pa
clfic will bear about the same relation
to the new road as it bears to the Sault
Ste. Marie Il Atlantic, and the new road
will be i'll shape, with the backing it
will have, to make its own freight rates,
while the Union Pacific will get well to
windward of the interstate commerce
law by the alliance with the Canadian
Pacific, with the new road as link of
the route to the eastern seaboard. The
new road will also give a route for
Chippewa river lumber to the
Missouri river, 100 miles shorter
than any line from Chicago to
the Missouri, and will revolutiOnize the
lumber industry of this section by en-
aiding all the manufacturers to cut
their lumber on this river and ship by
rail to the Southwest, instead of rafting
it or running half the annual cut of logs
by water TO Mississippi river mills to be
sawed. The outlines here given of the
status of the enterprise are obtained
from absolutely reliable authority. The
names of the New York corporation and
, firm which are in the enterprise were
also given, but OH the pledge that
they should not be published at present.
Nearly 100000 has been expended in
surveys, negotiations for right of way,
obtaining statistics of business. and
other preliminary work.