The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-11-28
WHAT WILL GOULDDO7
He Now Controls the Railroad
Future Of Washington.
WILL THE UNION BUILD oNwARDa
Probable Erect Of the New Conblnation
on the Coming Roads Hill Hay
Force Goald's Hand.

ton of Western Washington. Controlling.
as he does. the Northern Pacifc. Union
Pacific and Pacific Mail, and being in alll-
ance with G.. p. Huntington. president OF
the Southern Pacific and the Central Pa
cific, he can dictate the action of every
great transcontinental road in existence.
The only hostile element he will have TO
contend with will be the Great Northern,
which is now hurrying to Seattle IS fast IS
graders can throw dirt and machines can
lay track, and the Canadian Pacific, which
is in alllance with the Great Northern and
will be connected with it in = month or
two by the Fairhaven q Southern and the
Seattle Il Montana roads.
It is we'll known to be Gould's policy not
to build an extension until the country
which 1t will traverse is already sufficiently
developed to make it q paying investment.
If the experience of the Seattle. Lake Shore
4 Eastern is to be taken as criterion, the
development of any section Of Western
Washington follows 90 rapidly on the con-
struction of railroad as to make it pay
operating expenses from the outset. From
the time it was opened in its two directions,
northward to Snohomish and eastward to
Snoqualmie, the Lake Shore has always
grown so rapidly on the extension to the
boundary that the same rule is likely to
hold good. Consequently railroad men in
this section advocate building roads In adj
vance of development. with the confidence
that the roads will 80 hasten development
rs to create business sufficient to paw oper-
ating expenses the FIRST year. This Is the
policy which is being followed in the con-
- ~ Tns< all linz fP<NrV
Portland to Seattle. of the Northern Pacific
ines to Raging river and Gray's harbor.
and of Hunts line to Gray's harbcr.
The opinion is expressed by some local
railroad men that Gould's ascendsncy
means reversal of the present policy and
cessation of work on the Union Pacific's
Seattle extension. Orders have already
been received not to crowd work on the
Seattle depot grounds. and there 10 no in
tention of beginning work on the line be-
tween Seattle and Tacoma until spring.
The main object Of building this extension
was to compete with the Northern Pacific
for the Sound business and be revenged on
it for refusing to give the Union traffic
rights over its Portland-Sound line. Now
that both roads are in Gould's hands, he
may, and probably will. make such an ar
rangement for division OF business and
granting Of traffic rights as will make the
building of the Union Pacific useless, from
his conservative standpoint. In this con-
nection the following remarks made by
Gould in the interview published in the
Posr-IErELLIG ENcER are significant:
Whist we want is new, strong association
superseding the present various Western rail-
road association and the making of rates and
<wst ~ofto ara hat
citation in which each road ID represented. The
stockholders must assert themselveG Il ID Ill
right when dividends are paid. Then the stock.
holders are quiet. but when financial returns
are not forthcoming there will be an over.urn,
just ~ In national election. There railroads
enough in the Western country Tor the next five
years We want now to intclligently develop
the country and have il grow up to the capacity
of the roads without running shareholders by
competitive rates, which are Of advantage to mo-
body.
The one consideration which 10 likely to
force Gould to adopt an aggressive in
preference to this conservative policy Is the
invasion of the Pacific Northwest by the
Great Northern. There is no hope of his
making terms with Hill, for the latter is
opposed to combinations and keeps the
Great Northern stock in the hands of his
own relatives and intimates, with careful
provision against its passing into the
possession of persons hostile to himself.
He is the great free lance of the railroad
business. Gould cannot force him into the
proposed combination by rate wars, for
Hill can afford to operate at one-half the
rates necessary to pay expenses on other
roads. as he has no water in the Great
Northern stock, while the average railroad
has to earn dividends on large percentage
of water As well as on the cash actually in.
vested or represented by the property.
Thus Hill can fight as long as Gould.
Hill is building across the continent to
Seattle and has declared his intention
of building from Seattle to Portland. The
location is already made and the right-of-
way partially secured. Gould knows that
Hill is not in the habit of declaring his in
tentions of doing anything until he has al
ready begun to do it. The question will
therefore be: How are We to prevent
Hill from building to Portland3" With
the prospect of only one competing road,
he would certainly do it, but two roads
acting in harmony may make him hesitate
The opinien has been expressed that his
proposed Portland road is only bluff,
though the prospect has hitherto been that
another. When it appears certain that
these competitors will unite against him,
he may give up his bluff of building to
Portland. Thus Hill may force Gould's
hand. The latter may push the Onion Pa.
ci6c through to Seattle in order to shut
Hill out from the prospect of securing
enough business to induce him to extend to
Portland, and thus prevent him from max
ing good his bluff The Union Pacific has
already spent much money on its Sound
line. The Columbia river bridge
is under construction, the grade along that
river from Kalama TO Vancouver is nearly
finished. and much work has been done
along the line as far north as Olympia.
The local business between Seattle and
Tacoma Is so heavy that it will support
two lines, and thus offer temptations for
the proposed Union Pacific shore line. If
the road were completed TO Seattle, it would
shut out Hill. and hold out prospects of
paying expenses at an early date without
taking away business from the Northern
Pacific
These are the considerations which are
considered by practical men TO be likely to
weigh for and against the Union Pacific
extension TO the Sound. 1t rests with Jaw
Gould TO soivg the problem. which is enc
OF great moment to the Sound country in
general and Seattle in particular.
The Whatcom Express says: The engine
and cars of the b. B. d B. C. r. r can
now cross the Nooksack over the new
bridge. One thousand and fifty feet OF APP
proach has 70 be built on the other side be-