The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-19
The WORLD ON WHEELS.
Tho Line OF the Great Northern TO
the Sound as Told in the
West.
Claimed That it Will Be by Six
Hours tho Shortest Route
From st. Paul.
4Insle Rail Road-Honry Willard on Ex-
collent Terms Will, the Cor
mans-General News.

The Great Northern railroad is prac-
Aically located from the Mississippi river
TO Puget sound, says the Seattle Telegraph.
There may be q few minor changes IN the
route, but they will not be material. Chief
Engineer Stevens has submitted his work
to the board of directors. n his recon-
mendstions have been adopted in full. He
fs very enthusiastic over the result, and
claims that when the road is built it will be
the shortest and easiest graded line across
the continent.
This information has been gathered by
q special correspondent of the Telegraph
after q two weeks trip through the great
Big Bend country, along the Columbia
river and INTO the heart of the Cascade
mountains. Within that period the Tele-
graph correspondent has travelled several
hundred miles by rail, stage coach, cayuse,
stean and row boats and on foot, and has
met and interviewed a number of keen
and alert spectators. who have closely
logged the movements of the engineers IN
Che field, ever following g into the fast
nesses Of the Cascade mountains. He has
also travelled ON foot from the Methow to
tho Rock Island rapids, has conversed with
settlers and others and has gathered Q COM
plete summary of the operations of the diff
srent corps of the Great Northern engineers.
From Chattaroy, on the line Of the Spo-
kane l. Northern 4 few miles north of Spo-
kane, the road will run down the Little
Spokane to Coulee creek, thence up Coulee
creek to Mondovi, thence on to Davenport.
Here it leaves the line of the Washington
Central branch of the Northern Pacific, and
by striking a tangent across the county to
Creston will effect q saving of Ave miles of
road. From a point near Davenport it will
strike across the divide to China draw"
thence it runs to Wilbur, entering that
town through Corbett draw" thence it
passes on to a point three miles north of
1lmora and then it rum north of the
Central Washington via Hartlins to Coulee
city.
The road will leave the coulee to the
southwest. Here it encounters n OF the
heaviest grades of the line in climbing a
distance of i've miles 800 feet to the sum-
init, or nearly a two per Q grade. Here
it leaves the Central Washington, running
southwest to Sagobrush Flats and thence to
Rattlssnake Springs. In the Noses coulee.
W1l0S AIO0 SOulC0 Sltys ~ buOA
runs down the Moses ooulee fifteen miles to
the Columbia river. Here it winds it's way
down a draw 800 feet to the waters edge,
crossing thh river at or near Rock Island
and striking the western bank near Charlie
Reeds place, on the Ellensburgh stage line.
Then it runs north on the west bank twelve
miles to the Wenntohee river.
II ascends the Wenatchee twenty-five
miles to the rapids. called the Tunlwater,
aud fhanca runa acrnpu tire country to the
aeft fork of Mason creek, which carries it to
the summit through Stevens Pass at an
elevation Of 1900 feet, where it enters q two
mile tunnel through the mountain.
Once upon the western slope it doscends
one of the forks of the S%lzvkomish to the
Snohomish and running down that river
strikes the first salt water at Port Gardner,
ON Puget Sound. connecting with the Seat
Vie & Montana ut Snohofaish City.
Chief Engineer Stevens is now near Sno-
Aomish eHecting the connection between the
two roads. He will start east in a few days
and will return with his family in June.
Thus runs the new transcontinental rail
road about which speculation has been 80
yife for nan months.
It is claimed for this line that it will best
She Northern Pacific $50 miles in distances
and six hours in passenger time from the
sound to st. Paul. 1t will carry through
passengers from Underwater to the Worlds
fair in ninety-three hours, and it will Cut
tho heart out of tho Central Washington't
business in the Big Bend. When the latter
line WAS located tho engineers reported
most northerly that could be found.
The Northern Pacific people, realizing
that the best part of the Big BEND lies neal
the Columbia river, closely following tina
stream in all its windinRs, wanted to get al
close to to the river as the canyons ant
drains would allow; but Stevens has show
shat it is possible and actually advantage
GUS to parallel them with a road still fur
her north.
why, Just look at the situation" said
gentleman who has made a long and clos,
study of the situation. "The Central Wash
ingtonis a mile south of Davenport. Hill
run right into the town and will get all tn
business. At Wilbur he repeats the trio
and runs north Of his competitor. He ha
second Nick and gets the cream of the Bi,
Bend. Why. the Washington Central ha
Just been developing the country for hi
beneht, that's all there is to it. But he viii
not stop here He will drop a short spu
into Waterville-his favorits tactics agail
and thus tap the rich country around tina
flourishinR town. OF course, the Contra
Washington will push here too, but Hill
having the main line as against the branch
will have an advantage III the shorter hau
to tide water"
ut is my belief,' said Mayor McEntee t.
your correspondent, 'that the Great North
srn will turn its attention, as soon az tn
main line is completed, and maybe sooner
TO the great Okanogan mining region.
think it will run a branch north on the ives
bank of the Columbia. The route ther
over the Ceokshisht trail is very feasible
Blast away q few rocky points and you hav
an easy line right up the valley of the Col
umbia from Rock Island. / look for
6ourishing city in the Okanogans country
Four lines of railroad have their eyes O
that country, the Washington Central, tn
Great Northern, the Spokane d. Norther
and the Canadian Pacific. We shall Sc
great developments in that section With
the next Eve years.
Il Single Rail Road.
DIR. j. B. Mahano, president and genera
manager of the Single Rail and Saddle ca
railroad company, of Union, Oregon, hs