The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-09-28
THEGIGANTIC BRIDGE
How the Union Pacific Will
Cross the Columbia.
WORK ON THE BELT LINE ROAD.
An Interesting Bit Of Railroad History
New Location OF the Belt Line
Gray's Harbor Lines.

Louis Sohns. of Vancouver, WASH, who is at
the Rainier. sad in conversation with Posi-
iNTELLIGENcER reporter yesterday that a further
extension OF the Vancouver, Kiickitat q Yakima
railroad Is under construction to the head OF
The Lewis river This IL the second twelve mile
section, and it will not be completed until
spring. Mr.. Sohns says that the contract for
5,0O0OOO feet OF lumber for the Union Pacific
bridge at Vancouver has been let and 100000
feet have been delivered. including beams
twelve and seventeen inches square, and an
other LOCO. 600 feet is soon TO be delivered. The
caissons Tor the foundations Of the piers are
now being built The great timbers ordered are
only for the false work, the bridge itself is to
be of sseel
An interesting piece of railroad history was
recalled by Mr. sohns. The Union Pacific road
to the Sound will follow the route originally
surveyed for the Northern Pacific. 1t was to
have cut across from Portland to Colum bia
City, on the route now covered by the Portland
d Vancouver railroad. But the Northern Pacific
wanted an extension OF time for the completion
Of the road, land had to get the aid of the Ore.
gon senators in securing it. Portland wanted
the road TO run as far possible through Ore
gon, aud SO the influence of the Oregon sena-
tors was thought to bear On the railroad officials
10 change the route. The result wss the road TO
Hunters point, with the ferry to K4lama, lesv-
Ing vancouver twenty-four miles one side.
Inc people OF Vancouver now have to go
through Greg to get to the Sound, for they
cross the Columbia, go by the Portland & Van
couver road to Portland, and there buy tickets
on the Northern Pacific for their destination.
They, therefore. view with satisfaction the
prospect of icing able to travel direct from
vancouver In q straight line to the Sound.
MI sohns says that engineers have recently
been working in the Klckitat pass and along
the north bank OF the Columbia river, but for
what roads he does not know.
The new location OF the Belt Line railroad be-
tween Forbes lake ard Mercer slough is com.
pieted, and il now remains to decide between
the OLD and the new. 1t has been decided to ad-
here to the old line from Forbes lake TO point
ABOUT two miles south of Houghton, the total
distance being about four miles, and the work
oi Clearing and grading will begin on Monday.
The question in regard 10 the rest OF the route,
inciuoing the crossing of Mercer slough, is
whether the slough shall be crossed by q trestle
QUO feet long and seventy feet nigh, or by one
Just above the level of the lake and 5000 feet
long. The tools for tracklaying have arrived
and the laying Of about LOGO feet of track from
Black River junction t. Cedar river, begins on
Monday. the object OF hurryiug this part of the
work being to get in the timbers for the supsr-
structure OF the Cedar river bridge and Black
river irestle. BY the time this track is laid and
the timber is in the pling will be completed.
There is gap in the right-of-way for about
Messrs. Walworth and Smithers, southeast from
Renton towards the Junction, and condemna-
ton suits have been entered for this part of the
line. Clearing is nearly finished from FORBES
lake to the junction with the Lake Shore road
and grading has begun. 1t is estimated that the
grading along the whole road will be completed
by January l, 1891, and cars will be running by
April |.
The Gray s Harbor Times says: Hunts grade
Is now below Oakville, twenty miles from Cen
tIalia 1t is said to be very much finer than the
Northern Pacific. The IT ason probably is that
the latter is done by contract, and in scattered
sections OF a few miles each; while the former
is Constructed by Hunts outfit aud ia con-
tNuous from Centralia. A careful summary of
Ihe situation discloses that the two roads have
Hsbout the same number of men at work, but
that Hunts outfit is very much superior. This
advantage is coenterbalanced by the twelve
miles OF old road between Elma and Montesano
purchased by the Northern Pacific. Hunt has
two sawmills. employing large number of
men each, at work below Oakville. They are
turning out ties and bridge timbers at rapid
rate.
Collector Bradshaw was in town yesterday
trying to secure special rates for twenty. five
Chinese who are TO be sent back 10 China at the
expense of the government. He is said to nave
applied to d. E. Brown, assistant general pas
seuSer agent Oh tue Cau6Oldn RACINE, VINO IN.
sisted that Uncle Sam could afford to pay the
full fare, $5l, and positively refused to come
down to- $40 at Mr.. Biadshaws request. Mr.
Brown regarded il as good joke to have the
United States government applying to a Cana
dian corporation for special rate.
The draw span of the Lake Shore bridge at
Sedr0 was to be swung yesterday or today
There is a gap in the track of eleven miles from
the Skagit river south tawards Lake McMurray
This is chiefly due to the slow arrivals OF rails
one shipment which left the mills in Pennsyi-
vania on March hsving only arrived at Port
land yesterday. They appear to have been side.
tracked somewhere along the road.
The track of the Commercial Street Motor
railway has been extended two miles from the
coal bunkers, and the tresle is still being built
southwark. The construction Of the second
track has not yet begun.
8. G. Fulton, assistan: general freight agent
and G. G. Chandler, gener al agent of the North
ern Pacific railroad. were III the city for few
hours yesterday.
W. p Watson, principal assistant engineer of
the Great Northern railroad, returned up the
road yesterday.
Seven carloads of wheat came in Yesterday
three from Athena and four from Ritzyille
Fell Into a Street Hole.
team belonging to A. Brooks. and attached
to the race track hack, being driven down Mad.
ison street yesterday afternoon, fell into hole
in the street. Guo nv kinynau Eropt