Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1891-09-09
HILL SAYS HE Said IT
That the Great Northern Will
Not Come Through the
Skagit Pass
1t is Too High---Some Other
"Crack in the Mountains"
Will Be Chosen
The Great Northern Magnate
Visits Fairhaven--What
He Said

President James j. Hill, of the Great
Northern Railway system, arrived in
this city on his private car about o
o'clock last evening. Mr.. Hill is ac-
companied by Mr.. and Mrs. Edward
Tuck, of New York; Mr.. Samuel Hill,
a son-in-law; Mr.. c.. McC. Reeve, of
Minneapolis, and Mr.. Frank Ward, of
st. Paul. Mr.. Tuck is partner in the
banking firm of Munroe & Co., of New
YORK.
The party was met at Sedro by c. y.
Larrabee and H. Y. Thompson, attor-
ney for the Great Northern, who left
this city on a locomotive dispatched to
take Mr.. Hill's private car oyer the
Fairhaven and Southern. lmmedl-
ately upon Mr.. Hills arrival at Sedro
the engine coupled to his car
and conveyed the party to the
Fairhaven coal mine. Some time was
spent by Mr.. Hill in the inspection OF
the mine and coke oven, after which
the engine proceeded to this city.
As the train backing from the switch
approached the depot, Mr.. Hill was
seen in the group on the platform, in
his brown knOck-abOut hat, drawn
down over his eyes, looking at every
thing as he passed along the water
front. Before the train reached the
depot he iereked open the iron gate
guarding the car platform, lifted the
trap, and before the train stopped
jumped to the depot platform, and
without losing a moments time cOntin-
ued his inspection of the track, trestle,
depot, and everything. He hurriedly
walked over the track to the outer
edge of the trestle, glanced
up and down the water front, surveyed
the harbOr, walked along the outer edge
of the trestle, hurriedly recrossed the
track, glanced at the depot, and in less
than two minutes from the time the train
stopped he was walking up town with
Mr.. Larrabee.
The large fossil palm leaf, found at
Lake Samish, displayed in front OF the
| Fairhaven restaurant, caught his eye
as he was passing, and he stopped 10
| look at it a moment--the first moment
he had lost since his arrival. John
Farley seized the opportunity and pro-
duced some of the fine specimens he
| had Just received from the Skagit pass
and showed him samples of
the rich ores that abound IN
that "crack in the mountains" He
| looked at them carefully and then
walked on to The Eairhaven, where
the party took carriages and
were driven about the city and
around the Bay under the guidance
of Mr.. Larrabee and Mr.. Thompson.
After returning they dined at The
Fairhaven.
This morning at o'clock the party
will go to New Westminster, accom-
panied by Mr.. Larrabee and Mr.
Thompson, expecting to return this
evening. They expect to pass two ol
three days in this vicinity.
President Hill is here to inspect
Great Northern property, and also to
decide in the matter of the operation oi
the New Westminster Southern. This
decision will not be reached until aftel
his visit to New Westminster.
The people of Fairhaven have await
ed with breathless interest for the Off
cial announcement as to which pas
through the Cascades the Great North
ern would select for its transcontinen
/ tai line.
"The Post. Intelligencer of last Mon
/, day quotes you as saying that your lin'
will not come through the Skagit pass
Is that so?" asked a HERALD repre-
sentative of Mr.. Hill at The Fairhavel
last evening.
at is" replied Mr.. Hill.
"Do you mean that you will not us
: any of the three passes leading into th
Skagit valley?p
"I do. The Skagit valley passes ar
all too high. They are fully 1000 fee
! higher than passes south of them. Th
location has not been finally settled
but it will in all probability be south
the Skagit."
/. "Some of our people were inclined t
- be disheartened when they saw thi
statement in the P.-I.," suggested tn
: reporter. >.
t'I do not see why they SHOULD
Their rate will be exactly the sam
, as all other points, whatever crack l
} the mountains we choose for the ou
let.p
"Where is the coast terminus to be?
4 "Puget sound is our terminus.
"Fairhayen, continued Mr.. Hill
"is going to be a great city. 1t has
splendid harbor and wonderful tribl
tary resources. You must rememb,
that other places have got great star
Fairhaven is new and its country
new. There is a great work of deve
opment to be done here. You hay
here what no other place @
the coast has, the finest cokin
= coal. | was out to the Fai
haven mine today; saw the co
IS and saw them making coke. 1t is
! magnificent mine. So far as / kno'
! 'ee there is not another such mine
5. coking coal on the coast"
I "Are you contemplating putting
D. coke works."