The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-08-23
TO PORTLAND NEXT.
The Great Northern to Begin
Work This Fall.
IN TWO DIRECTIONS AT ONCE
Engineer Becker Talks Of His Road
New Pullman service-North-
ern Pacinc Earnings.


Fairhaven to make some final arrange
menrs for the co6pletion of the Fairhaven
& Southern railroad to New Westminster.
Speaking TO a PosT-INTELLIGEYcER re-
porter, Mr.. Becker said:
Work is progressing well along the
road, and we shall have q splendid road
with very light grades. Most of the way it
runs along the shore and the highest point
above the Sound is 1l9 feet. while most of
the way 1t is only ten feet above. We shall
be able to run trains of fifty cars over this
road and can make fifty miles an
hour. The Fairhaven & Southern Com
pany has contracted to have con-
nection made with the Canadian
Pacific by December l, so that we
can bring our rails and track-laying ma
chimes out over that road. There is twenty
six miles to be built on the Canadian side.
We shall have the grading on our end of
the road finished by that date, and shall
have the track laid by January Is. The
machines lay track at the rate of fifty
miles in a month and cannot exceed one
and one-half miles day. They do not lay
the track as fast as it can be done in the
ordinary way: their merit consists in econ
omy. as they employ very few men,"
How is work on the extension to the
Rocky mountains progressing?"
1T is going along very we'll, and we ex-
pect to have It's miles built to the foot of
the mountains by January /. We shall
work in the mountains in the winter, that
season being as good as any other for
heavy work, and shall have track laid to
the summit by spring. Next summer we
shall be at work on the plains of the Col
Umbia and expect to make as good time
there as on the division east of the Rock
les. The latter is easy and rapid work. as
it is all on high prairie"
Have you heard from the engineers in
the Cascades 2"
"Yes, We have heard frequently from
them"
Which pass do you think the road will
come over"
81 cannot answer that question. The
engineers have surveyed every pass north
of the Snoqualmie-the Skagit. Sank, Sky
komish, Indian, Cady and Wenatchee, but
cannot say where we shall cross The
Northern Pacific has the best pass through
the mountains and had to cut long tun-
mel through it.
what is the objection tc the Snoqual-
mic pass?'
ut is too near the Northern Pacific, as
we should have to parallel that road for a
considerable distance if we chose that
route"
"You would naturally choose the Cady
pass, as that would give you the traffic
from the mines on Silver creek and SUIT
ton river, +" was suggested.
There are just as good reasons for
choosing the Skagit pass, as there are good
mir thn IS Re -. !
there are many prospectors up there. We
shall take the pass which makes the easiest
grades, fer we intend to have q road on
which we can haul trains of forty or at
least thirty cars, while the Northern Pa
cific, ! believe. cannot haul more than
fifteen. That is where We expect to save
money"
when do you expect to begin building
to Portland?"
1--WE shall probably begin this fall and
build that road simultaneously with the
one to the north. We are making surveys
and securing right-of-way as fast as posi-
BILE. We shall cross the Columbus either at
Vancouver or Kalama. We shall parallel
the Northern Pacific pretty closely, as
there is really only one route to Portland
down the Cowlitz river
The possibility of the road opening new
territory by going further west through
Pacific and Wahkiakum counties and thus
opening undeveloped territory was sug-
gested. but Mr.. Becker respond ed:
There is no inducement to go there.
What we want is the nearest route from
Portland to Seattle and we leave intermedi-
ate points to take care of themselves
There is nothing in that direction to induce
us to go there"
who. do you think, is behind Hunt in
his Gray's harbor road"
Il suppose they are Portland capitalists.
But Gray's harbor and Shoalwater bay will
never be more than merely local points.
They have no such extensive and
rich territory behind them as
Seattle and Tacoma, especially Seattle and
transcontinental business coming to the
Coast will naturally strike tide water at
the nearest point. Then those harbors are
shallow and inconvenient for large ships.
They will be good local ports and til at
is ALL"
In an interview in st. Paul q Northern
Pacific official says: 1.-The gross earnings
of the company for the fiscal year Just
closed were $22,600,000. After paying all
liked charges, rentals and 4 per cent. on
the preferred stock, there will be surplus
between $500, 600 and 81. 900 900. Next year
we will have fully 100000 bushels OF
wheat to carry to Puget sound, on the
west end of the road, and about %, OO0. 900
bushels to Duluth or Chicago on the east
end OF the line. This will provide a ton
mage fully 80 per cent greater than that
from grain last year. We are also having
handsome increase in general p,archan.
disc and other traffic. 1 expect the gross
earnings OF the present year will increase
fully S3,0o0,G00 over last wears,
and the net earnings will be fully
100000 more than in the
year just past. As an illustration of the
improved condition of the affairs of the
farmers. l can say that shipments of
threshing machines into Dakota and to the
West coast aggregate more in number tn is
year than for three previous years. Before
winter we will have laid 800 miles of new
61-pound steel rails and put in is. OOO, 600
new ties. All this improvement has been
made this year. We have added to our
equipment ., 500 box RS, 1,5OO freight cars
OF other kinds. and 100 locomotives. The
approximate gross earnings of the COM
pany for July, 1890. were 81, 9S7. 361. against
81 ,S25 1874 in the same month last wear. be-
ing an increase of s6l.967 The mileage in
1880 was 1878 miles, l6l miles greater than
that OF the previous year"
Beginning on September /, all milk ship
ments to Seattle over the Northern Paci-
nc railroad will be handled by the North
ern Pacific Express Company. instead of
by the railroad company, as at present. ar