The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-12-15
DIVIDING THE CAKE.
Gould and Hill May Unite in
Building a Portland Road.
NEGOTIATIONS IN PROGRESS.
why the Union Is Only Building to
Olympia and Hill Has Done No Con-
struction--A Combine in Prospect

There has been a sudden cessation of
| work on the Portland branch of the Great
Northern railroad, and those who are
keeping close watch on the railroad stu
alton wonder what it means. The location
has been made, the right-of-way has been
partly secured, and it was announced with
great emphasis by some of the officials
month or two ago that this work would go
right ahead, and that construction would
begin before winter set in. But nothing
more has been done since then. The
securing of the right-of-way has not been
completed, and absolutely nothing has
been done in the way of construction.
| When inquiries as to this branch are adj
dressed to the Great Northern officials
they are mum as oysters, simply saying
| that they have nothing to tell.
Another peculiar fact is that the work
| of construction on the Puget Sound branch
| of the Union Pacinc road has been con-
fined to the section south of Olympia.
When Engineer Bogne has been asked
| why work was not begun between Seattle
and Tacoma he has descanted on the dam
| age which would be done to partially COM
| pleted work along the Sound shore by the
| winter storms, although the Great North
| ern is now doing exactly the same kind of
| work north of Seattle; he has talked of
| the necessity of deyoting all his energy to
| having the Ill along the Columbia river
| hats completed before high water, and has
| referred to the difficulty in regard to secur-
| ing right-of-way through the Puyallup
| reservation. He has gone ahead with the
| location of the line and securing the right
| of-way between Seattle and Olympia, but
| has done no more.
There is an explanation for these facts,
| which has not been forthcoming from the
| construction department of either road.
| The most probable one was obtained yes
| tcrday by PosT-INTELLIGENcER reporter
| from a source which is as well informed as
| any in the city.
When Hill determined to build to Seat
| tie he also determined to build lines ex-
| tending north to the boundary and south
| to Portland His system would thus be in
| the form of rake, the handle being his
main line and the business part being
these northern and southern lines Seattle
being the joint. Hardly had President
Adams of the Union Pacinc, learned his
| plans than he determined to build to the
Sound himself and head Hill off, Hill
wanted a road to Portland independent of
the Northern Paci.c, and would have
been, and was still, quite willing to go into
partnership with the Union PaciDc on it,
each building half and giving the other
perpetual running right over his half.
The probability of such an ar
rangement was suggested in the Posi-
INTELLIGENcER several months ago. Hill
was resolved to have his half, and all over
lures for the JOINT construction of the line
being rejected by Adams, he set to work
to locate his own line for the whole dis
lance, began to secure right-of-way and
let the announcement go out that he was
about to begin construction. There was
| obviously not business for three lines in
! that section, but he felt sure that he could
/ stand a light as long as the Union Paci c.
| Yet Adams course showed that he still
wanted to keep open the way for the Joint
| construction of the road, in case he should
| wish after all to come to terms with Hill,
| for, as has been stated, he con.-ned his
| construction work to the division south of
/ Olympia.
| Then came the furry in Wall street fol-
| lowed by Adams abdication and his re-
| placement by Gould as ruler of the Union
| PaciDc. Adams would rather light than
| earn operating expenses; Gould hates a
| rate war and competition as heartily as
| the emperor of Hades hates holy water
| Gould saw that Hill was bound to reach
| Portland. If the Union PaciAc insisted
| on building all the way to Seattle, Hill
there would be three roads through a
territory which could only furnish
only osS half 'o of '" the P ROAD o" Mhies
Adams had projected, and allowing
Hill to build the other half, and making
such an agreement as Hill had proposed
| to Adams, Gould could forever shut off the
| possibility of a ruinous rate war through
/ that territory ct least. Thus the infer
| ence to be drawn from the cessation of ac-
| tiyity by both roads between Seattle and
| Olympia is that negotiations are going
on, the outcome of which will be that the
I Great Northern will build the road be-
tween those two points and that the two
| systems will share the business between
/ Seattle and Portland.
| Outside the territory described there
| will be war between Gould and Hill The
! latter has powerful ally in the Canadian
| Paci.c, Of which two of the largest stock
/ holders-Sir George Stephens and Sir Dom
/ aid Smith-are also stockholders in the
! Great Northern. These two trunk lines
! will be operated in close alliance, converting
the intervening territory with network
| of feeders. The Canadian Pacific, not be-
/ ing subject to the laws which govern
I American roads, is comparatively I'M
/ trammeled, while the Great Northern
/ with its low liked charges and conse-
/ quently small operating expenses can hold
/ out as long in 4 rate war as any of the
/ great roads whose stocks and bonds are
saturated with water.
/ Thanks to the Canadian Pacific alliance.
I 1t is probable that Great Northern cars will
run into Seattle in February or March.
/ The new Westminster Southern is almost
! at the boundary, where it meets the Fair
haven IL Southern, and the Seattle &
Montana will be completed to Seattle in
4 March, if not earlier. Great Northern cars
! will then run from St Paul over the ST.
+ Paul. Minneapolis 81 Manitoba to Winni-
peg thence over the Canadian PaciDc to
New Westminster, thence over the roads
( already named to Seattle.
! CRIME is DECREASING.