Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1889-09-06
THE MIDLAND PACIFIC.
The Great Railroad Company
which will Build Through
idaho pid Salmon River.
TIE SALMON RIVER ROUTE.
TIC Surveyors are Shipwreckcd,
Eut They Report Easy Grades
And a Favorable Route.

AS we published last week,
a party of Midland Pacific rail-
road surveyors have been en-
gagged on Salmon river for
some time taking attitudes and
other observations along the
river with a view to the early
construction of q railroad
along the entire course of that
stream. They were brought
here from White Bird by Fla.
Fem, and Sunday they weat
to Lewiston, where they will
90 to the coast, and return in
the spring with a complete
surveying outfit to locate the
route on which the railroad is
to be built. The party were
shipwrecked on Salmon river,
and lost their boat and every
thing they had, rs miles above
the Wire Bridge, and for four
days they lived on the fish they
caught in the river, until they
got to the bridge, where they
hired horses and came through
to White Bird. Another party
of the same company arrived
here the same day from over
the Elk city trail, which they
had been instructed to view,
and all hands went to Lewis
ton together.
Bothparties expressed them
selves as well satisfied with the
nature Of the country they
travelled over, ard report no
thing in the way of difficult
engineering obstacles on either
route. The Salmon rive party
report grade OF only thirteen
feet to the mile, from Salmon
city down to White Bird, and
that it is a highly practicable
route for a railroad and they
will recommend It's adoption,
as it is of a uniform and easy
grade, runs through new and
undeveloped country which
has plenty of resources, and
unlimited quantities of timber
Tor construction purposes and
fuel for the whole distance.
The Salmon river route was
the first one selected by the
Northern Pacific directors, and
it was surveyed for that COM
pany by Col. DeLacy in 1872,
who made such a glowing re-
port of the wonderful mineral
wealth of that region that the
road would undoubtedly have
been built this way, only it so
happened that those who con-
trolled the destinies of the
Northern Pacific after the Jay
Cooke failure were determined
upon the Clark fork and Pen
dOrellle route. and so the
Salmon river country with all
its boundless resources and
great possibilities has remain
ed practically under lock and
key from that day to this, and
we hope that the Midland Pa
.cific will unlock the treasure
vaults which are Waiting its
advent.
The Midland Pacific railroad
company, which is inaugara-
ting these surveys, is an out
growth of the great Chicago &
Northwestern railroad system,
which already has 5000 miles
of railroad in operation in the
Atlantic and western states.
Its immense and growing traf-
die demands an Independent
outlet Of its own on the Pacific
tides, and therefore the Mid
land Pacific company has been
organized to make it a trans
continental railroad Tho =,
tention is to build from Sioux
Falls, Dakota, westward via the
Pipestone Pass and Fort Fet-
terman, crossing the Utah &
Northern at Market Lake, and
striking Salmon river at Sal
mon city and continuing down
the river to White Bird, thence
II Camas prairie and Lewiston,
and thence to the seaboard by