Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1891-07-28
GREAT NORTHERN SURVEYS
Similkameen Pass Said to be the Most
Feasible Route

Feasible Route
Following is a special dispatch to
the PoSt-IntelligenceT, dated at Sumas,
July 25, and will prove very interest
ing reading to the people Of this
county:
The depressed state Of the money
market seems TO have little effect upon
railway enterprises In the Lower
Sound and British Columbia region, il
the presence Of right-df-way men and
surveying parties mean anything. A
Whatcom paper last week locally re-
corded the fact that Mr.. K. Staight.
who is a citizen Of Lyndcn and an as
sistant of the Great Northern in pro-
curing its franchises, had secured
right-Of-way from point on the Fair
haven Southern north Of FCrndalc to
! Lynden and thence TO the boundary
east Of SumaS. An interview with
Mr.. Staight elected the information
| that right-Of-way had been secured as
| far as Lyndcn and the line pcrma-
ncntiy located TO the Columbia valley
east Of Sumas. Last year three lines
Of survey were made from Ferndalc to
SumaS. +. A. Woods, Of the regular
Great Northern staI, arrived here
from Chilliwhack yesterday. He said
there was no doubt of the cXtcutiun Of
the road 60 Sumas, but how soon the
work will be commenced he was
unable TO say. lie says grading
at Chilliwhack had begun and
that q full force would be at
work on the Chillwhack and Sumas
railway by the end Of the month. Mr..
K. Green, one Of the Canadian Pacific
engineers, who was on board the
nOrthbOund Canadian Pacific train
yesterday, said hc had received orders
| from the management TO proceed at
once So Spcnce's bridge, al Cooks
ferry, near the Fraser river, and run
a line from there TO the Nicola cOun-
/ try, adjacent to the boundary line,
north Of the OkanOgau country.
1t has been well known here that
| two Great Northern parties have, dur
ing the past winter and spring, been
engaged in exploring and surveying
| the the mountainous region in What
| com county. One Of the parties, on
its return, passed through here about
! a month ago. The engineer In charge
expressed himself as being in favor Of
| the Similkameen pass, near the
boundary line. He said: son the last
| 800 miles over the mountain TO salt
/ water through the Simiikameen pass
double the number Of cars can be
! handled by the same engine than by
any other pass yet discovered" " He
! further stated that his grade csti-
mate cOTrespOndcd with those Of the
engineer in charge Of the other party,
and that he had confidence Of this
pass being accepted by the company.
The route from the East TO this
pass would be through OkanOgan min
| ing and grazing country, crossing ton
| the west side Of the crest of the range
the Skagit river where il runs in "A
southerly direction from its British
! Columbia source, thence up Thunder
creek around Mount Shccksan, on the
north side, down the valley Of the
north fork Of the NOOksack, then 10y
the Columbia ValleyaHd the north pass
to the main valley, which is near the
tide-water level. 1t is well known
that the Great Northern engineers
have met with extreme difficulties in
all OF the northern passes which have
been surveyed. If IL be true that
this pass is 100 per cent better than
any TO the south, it is but reasonable
10 suppose that IL will be accepted
and especially so since lines have been
run TO the Columbia valley.
In view Of the friendly relations
existing between the Canadian Pacific
aud Great Northern lines, the surveys
being made and the examination Of
the Chiliwhack and Sumas prairie
route by Great Northern right-of-way
men indicate that British Columbia
route is being seriously considered
A road built over this route, though
much longer, would traverse a vast
grazing and agricultural country thl
entire distance from the COlumbi;
river to the sound The fact that ;
thorough Investigation Of the possi
, bilties OF the northern country for ;
route for the main line is being mad,
and that a Canadian Pacific conncc
, tion will be established at Sumas i
beyond dispute.