St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-12-10
A SMELLING" PARTY.
Banker Brayton Ives, Jay
Cooke Jr. and Party Land
in st. Paul.
Engaged in a Search for a
Solution Of a Pepplexing i
Problem IL
Unppofitableness Of the North
ern Pacific Inspires the !
Present Move.
Anti-Villard Is Alleged to Be
the Sentiment Of the
Committee.

1t is an interesting coincident that
just on the eve of the completion of "a
second great transcontinential railway
line between ST. Paul and the Pacific
coast, and while the citizens Of the
SANITY City are planning for celebra-
ton that would eclipse that given on
the completion of the first one, COM
mittee. made up of a number OF the lead.
ing 6nanciers Of the nation, should ar
rive in this city in their search for the
causes that have made the great North;
ern Pacific an Improbable venture.
The arrival of the socalled Northern
Pacific smelling committee yes
terday was not made the cause
of general celebration, although the :
results of its work may do great good to
the city and the Northwest by the
changes it will recommend in the road.
The leading members OF the commit
tee are Brayton Ives, the president OF
the Western National Bank of New
York city, and Jay Cooke Jr.. son of
the great financier who planned the
Northern Pacific and had pushed 1t well
along before his failure came twenty
wears ago With them
came General Manager w. S. Mellen, of
this city. Nearly a month ago this COM
mittee started out from New York OH
this work. They went directly to the
coast. and commenced with Tacoma aud
Seattle. and the various branch lines of
road that have been QUILT on the West
coast. 1t is no secret that these gentle
men represent those stockholders who
are opposed to the continued rule OF the
great Willard, and their examination is
taking wide scope.
With the operating department they
do not and have not concerned thelh-
selves, partly because that has not been
the place where the leakage has been,
and partly because the Northern Pacific
is the best managed road as Tar as the
operating department Is concerned III
the country. Messrs. Ives and Cooke
are looking into the administration OF
the land offices ana the construction of
new lines. at Tacoma the Western
land office was carefully looked over,
aud last evening these iinanciers spent
nearly four hours jn the offices OF Col.
Lamborn, the land commissioner, look
ing I'D the records and collecting lnToE-
nation.
Nothing for the Public.
IN
to give the public any information re-
garding the trip and what mas been
done or what report will be made.
"Our trip is solely of interest to the
stockholders of the Northern Pacific,Y
said Mr.. Ives, "and we have nothing Of
Interest to the public. 5'Wc have been
very busy ever since5we left New York
and, ] am sorry to say, could nave
selected much Better time for our trip
TO the coast. The great floods did not
seriously retard us, but they lnterfered
with the pleasure Of our trip some
what" ~ eis y r4. {
Aside from the administration of the
y land departments, the attention 90ftile
c;snfelling committee" has Been direct
ed to some of the feeders. like THE
Gray's Harbor branch This cost e.
great deal of money and has not paid
thus far, although it may III. the future.
The South Bend. branch is regard
ed in the same Way by many.
When these two branches were built
it was not expected that they would at
once become paying lines, and gentle
mar from Tacoma in discussing them
said:
1.-The Gray's Harbor line was under
taken on report submitted by Col. f.
ID. HeuStiS, an experienced railroad
builder, who made very careful eX-
animation of the country, and promised
President Cakes that it would furnish
A Given Amount of Traffic
sufficient to warrant the construction
and operation of a railroad. 1t is but
little more than a year since the road
was opened to the head of the harbor.
and only few months since the entire
line to Ocosta began operations. But.
already the road is doing 40 per cent
more business than Col. Heustls esti-.
mated, in both freight and passenger
traffic, notwithstanding the fact that
the times have been less lively titan
they were when his estimates were
made.
Zone Tacoma company is shipping
eight carloads OF shingles week from
its mill at South AberdeeD, and there
are nearly dozen other sningle mills
on the line OF this road. The freight
coming off that road is unexpectedly
large, and the passenger traffic has also
exceeded expectations. The road is
carrying an average OF $50 passengers
day, and what is of more special i'll
terest to Tacoma is that the settlement
and development of the country con-
tributes so much to the business Of this
city. This line will be
A Great Seaside Route
for Tacoma, and, indeed, for the whole
state. as soon as larger accommodations
are provided Oh the branch below Ocosta
| for summer visitors" LII reference to
| the South Bend line, this gentleman
said that Mr.. KelsO. of the firm of kelso
| Il Dare, the sub-contractorS who built
| both roads, told him, as late as last Sun
day, that the South Bend line would be
| better traffic line, at least for freight.
than the road to Gray's Harbor; that it
| ran through as good a country and that
! it would be less affected by water
competition. MIR. Kelso thinks also
! that if the road was extended east
| from Chehalis it would become a
| still more profitable line. Continuing
he said: 1T is only fair to Tacoma.
whose trade is to be so largely affected
by these extensions of the Northern
Pacific, that the truth regarding ting
success of the one, and the undoubtea
success of the other, when opened, as
business ventures, should be known"
| Upon the return of this committee %
Il New York, MesSrS. Ives and Cooke viii
| confer with Henry Clews and then pre-
pare their report, which wilt not be
finished until about the first Of the year.
Your Brother.
Make your brother happy by giving
81 ~ 4 H.,