The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-03-09
Pushing the Great Northern in
Snohomish County.
FROM THE SEA TO THE SUMMIT.
A Wagon Road and Mail System All
Along the Route.
Trial OF the Whatcom Murderer
Alaska Indians Dying OF the Grip
Resumption of Navigation on the

EVERETT, March ESPECIAL IA special
messenger who has Just arrived, reports
great activity along the line of the Great
Northern above Fern Bluff The latter
place is thirteen miles above Snohomish,
and Is at the commencement of active
operations. A large camp of graders and
clearers Is established there, and for
thirty-two miles up the river, clearing
camps are established at short intervals.
A good wagon road is completed from
Sultan to Gunn's. sixteen miles above.
The railroad will not cross the north fork
OF the Skykomish at the forks near
Granite Point, as was first supposed, but
Will cross a mile and a-half further up,
making loop there and tunneling the
biuff over to the south fork, so as 10 get a
better grade than could be secured at
Granite. The wagon road, however,
crosses at Granite, and supplies are being
hauled across the river there.
The wagon road is now built to within
fifteen miles of the summit, and work on
the remainder is expected to be begun in
two weeks. The contractors are only
waiting for the snow 10 melt so they can
finish the road TO the summit. They have
already built twenty miles of road up the
south fork of the Skykomish. The right
of-way for the railroad is pretty well
cleared the most OF the route above Fern
Bluff, and the grading is done for about
fifteen miles, not. however, continuously,
as the work is subject to different contract
ors and finished up at different times.
Those who went over this route last sum-
mer would hardly recognize the country,
so great is the transformation. 1t is esti-
mated that fully 1,500 men are at work
above Park Place. and .the clearing and
grading and wagon road building have
worked wonderful changes tits expected
that trains will be running from Everett
to Gums by August /, and to the sum-
NIT month later.
Among the other changes noticed is the
establishment OF postoffices. Last sum-
mer the nearest postoffice to the Silver
creek mining district was at Wallace, over
twenty miles from Galena City. Now
postoffices can be found at Gums (now
called Index and a. Galena City, the en-
trance to the Silver creek district. At
present the government has made no pro-
vision for carrying the mails, and if these
postmasters at the advanced stations want
to do any postal business they must hustle
up the mails from Wallace as best they
Csiil. ne 0TedL NOTtutTu HAS ueCIuGu 10
establish a mail service of its own for its
whole line from Sultan 10 the summit.
They have appointed mail carrier who
will make the trip twice a week, stopping
to deliver mail at each railroad camp along
the line.
1t is reported that stage line from
Snohomish to Gums will be started in a
month, giving a daily service each way,
changing horses at Sultan, the halfway
point. Arrangements will then be made
for daily mail clear through to Galena
City. At present there is daily mail to
Sultan, a tri-weekly mail to Wallace, and
mail twice week to Gums and Galena
City.
Railroad work this side of Fern Bluff
has not yet commenced to any great ex-
tent, but will be begun soon. Meantime
the Three s road is finishing its line be-
tween here and Snohomish, and will prob
ably be ready for operation in April.