The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-07-09
ANOTHER BIG DEAL.
Northern Pacific Buys the Road
to Gray's Harbor.
THE o. /. COMPANY WANTED IT..
Transfer Of Puget sound and Gray's Hsr-
bon Road ~ Good ~ Made.
Railroad News.


Railroad Company, has. b, purchase;
acquired control of the Puget Sound d
Gray's Harbor railroad, running from
Kamilche to Montesano.
A reporter OF the PosT-fYTELLIGEScER
for several days past has been watching
closely the movements of the Northern Pa
cific and the Oregon Improvement Com
pany, and he has obtained from
such observation the fact that
the control OF the road has passed to the
Northern Pacific.
The road was owned by the Port Blake
lev Mill Company. On July James Nc
Naught. general counsel, and J. W. Ken
drick. chief engineer of the Northern Pa
cific. visited Port Blakeley, evidently on
business connected with the road, but on
their return declined to give any informa-
ton. Immediately following their return
to Seattle, Manager McNeiIl of the Oregon
improvement Company. and Captain J. B.
Libby, of Tacoma, visited Port Blakeley,
but on their return were as mum as
oysters Day before yesterday Man.
ager Mcneil was accompanied to
Port Biakeley by President Elijah
Smith. with the avowed determination Of
purchasing the road, and again yesterday
general manager of the Oregon Improve
ment Company, visited Port Blakeley with
the same design. All of the parties con-
nected with the transaction refuse to give
any information; but from appearances it
is safe 10 say that the Northern Pacific has
purchased the road. 1t is evidently the de-
sign of the Northern Pacihc to build from
Olympia to Kamilche, and thus have two
- - 1~-I
and another from Olympia.
Eighteen carloads Of railroad equipment
for the Seattle Terminal railway, which
left Scranton, Pa, June %, are expected
to arrive today, and as many more car
loads are on the way, making thirty-six
carloads in all of rails. spikes and fasten-
ings.
General Contracting Agent G. L. Ham,
ilton, of the American Construction Com
pany, arrived here Sunday. and intends
starting branch warehouse in Seattle for
the supply OF the western coast. This
warehouse will be stocked with all kinds of
railway supplies to the amount of 500, 900
or more, including rails, cars. fittings, etc.,
both new and secondhand.
Mr.. Hamilton said yesterday to q Posi-
INTEILIGENcER reporter that he would start
branches ell over the Coast The company
calculated to do only about $250,00O on the
Coast this year, but so far they have done
100000 worth of business. Already
they have sold sixty miles of street railway
in Washington. Oregon. Idaho and Cali
fornia. The business in Seattle has proved
SO good that this city will be made the sup
ply point.
The company claims new system of
sectricity for street railway that is posi-
lively noiseless, has no overhead wires and
no storage system. There is only little
cell battery. operated by the discharge of q
very small quantity of gasoline each revo-
luton of the car wheel.
The supply and provision of railway
equipment will not be all the business of
the company, as it is the intention to take
the bonds of constructed lines in payment
for the building of the roads.
Mr.. Hamilton intends leaving here Sat-
urday to visit New York and other East
ern states to arrange for the shipment of
railway equipments from several points.
including England.
The RAILROAD Gazette of July publishes
q table giving a complete list of the rail.
roads that have built new main line track
in the first half of 1890. also the amount of
track built, the amount under contract or
construction. and the amount projected or
surveyed. The track built up to July in
the United States is !, 900 miles as compared
with 1850 miles in the first half of
1885, The total built for 1889 was
$500 miles, and it is estimated that the
amount built this year will probably ex-
coed 5000. This figure is given. however,
with great caution as being an extremely
difficult one to predict with certainty. The
Southern states east of the Mississippi lead
in new construction, as they have done for
the last two years. The new road built in
those states so far is 81 per cent of the
whole. In the year 1889 they built So per
cent of all. The Southwestern states and
territories have this year built 16 per
cent Of the total road built.
The Northwestern states. in which for a
number of years the greatest activity has
prevailed, have built but 10 per sent of
the total mileage for the first half of 1890
and built but 10 per cent of the total tor
1885, Georgia leads all the states in the
amount of road built so far this year, with
1s2 miles. The chief characteristic is STILL
as it has been for many months, short ex-
tensions of old lines. The entire amount
built so far has been by ninety-six COM
panies, averaging less than twenty miles
each, but five of those have built over fftv
miles each. The struggle to occupy new
territory is chiefly in the state OF Wash
ington.
The Aberdeen correspondent of the Posi-.
fSrErIrcEscER writes: 1.-THE Northern
Pacific Railroad company has 100 men at
work on their grade about seven miles east
OF Aberdeen on the bank of the Chehalis
river. Work is being done here 10 fore
stall Hunt. there being only room for one
track around the high banl, next to the
water. When Hunt comes he will be
Obliged to either use the Northern's track
or build back some distance over high
ground, and therefore at u greater cost
The Northern's graders are following this
policy all along the line. and have already
occupied dozen such places. Mr. Griggs.
one of the contractors, says he will be
ready for the iron before October 1.
Mr.. Walter Laidlaw says arrangements
have been perfected for the immediate con.
struction of narrow-guage road between
the town OF Laidlaw. on the south side Of
Gray's harbor. 10 North Cove, on willana
harbor. q distance of about twelve miles
The route is entirely practical for the pur.
pose.
Resident Engineer G. W. HAYES. of the
Northern Pacific. has a camp located about
ahaf mile from Newcastle. and the men
are working on the Lake washing ton Belt
Line railroad
A passenger coach for the Seattle A
Northern railroad arrivcd here over the
Northern Pacific Yesterday from the Fast