, 1889-11-07
Tlte Reutenu.
srOKANE rlALs. NOC :, 1850
THE RAILROAD SITUATION.

The attractive resources of the North
west have induced the great railroad cor
porations to extend their lines from
various sides with hope Of securing Il
larger part of the traffic of this country.
At present the new state of Washington
IL the railroad chess board on which the
great railroad mugnatcs are making the
moves. Chief among the players are
found the Northern Pacific, Union Pa
cilic, Southern Pacific, Canadian Pacific
and the Great Northern, heretofore
known as the Manitoba road. Each day
discloses some new move among these
mighty corporate powers which brings us
In closer relations with the commercial
centers of trade throughout the United
States. Thus far all these companies
with the exception of the Southern
Pacific have either extended their lines
to this city or have made arrangements
to do so within Il few months. The re-
cent combination of the Seattle Il East
ern with the Manitoba system, now
known as the Great Northern, assumes
new proportions when viewed IN the
light of recent developments. The new
company, called e.Portland, Seattle d
Northern, which is to absorb and COM
plete the Seattle, Lake shore Il East
ern, the Columbia d Puget Sound, the
Seattle d Northern, the Port Townsend
d Southern, the Olympia & Gray's Har-
Dor, and the Bellingham Bay d British
Columbia railroads will, undoubtedly
IaA Axfn Af .ha
system. This formidable array
when completed and added
10 continental system, will make
q strong competitor for the trade of the
Northwest. At present ii is understood
that the Portland Seattle u Northern
will be an independent system, over
which all the continental lines will have
equal facilities. This arrangement can
not last very long. Conflicting rate
and unequal cost of transportation are
usually grounds for warfare. Already
the Manitoba has received notice from
the Union Pacific that all through rates
to Portland will be withdrawn. This is
likely result of the combination
throughout Washington which the Mani
toba has made.
The Manitoba is now pushing the con-
struction of its road toward this city as
rapidly as possible. The construction OF
the Seattle a. Eastern and other roads in
the combine will be continued and the
roads completed as soon as capital and
labor under skillful management will
permit. There will be more railroads
built in connection with this system
than have ever been constructed in
Washington in any former year.
The Union Pacific has also made u
combination with tho Chicago Il North
western which will greatly benefit the
interests of this city. This gives us
through connections on one of the most
extensive roads in the Upper Mississippi
valley, having through connections on
the great Vanderbilt line to the sea.
This aggregation OF railroads will
bring this city i'll close connection with
all the commercial centers from Kansas
City TO Lake Superior, through TO Chi
cago and ON to the Atlantic coast.
No other city in the Union, either
East or West, has so many continental
lines as has Spokane Falls. The bust
ness of the railroads alone is of enough
importance to maintain city of this
size, and when taken in connection with
the vast resources which now cause these
roads to seek this inland center, a popu-
lation of at least 10000 is assured in the
near future. Our population has doubled
in the past two years, and Judging from
the experience and our future prospects
it is net unreasonable to suppose that it
will b, quadrupled in the next five years.