The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-04-21
CANNONADE OF PEACE
1t Resounds Along the Great
Northern Route.
TRIP ON THE LINE DESCRIBED.
HIS Army Advancing to The Summit
Heavy Rock work-Camp and Mall
service-Good Scenery.

nut hHtu bfiat rO6l Is trhilsEODtAAcbL1A
line pushing to its destination as fast as
men ana money can accomplish results,
the scene is one Of more than passing in
terest. William A. Jones. Of this city.
who has Just returned from trip TO the
Cascades, along the line OF the Great
Northern, was interviewed by PosT-Ix-
TELLIeEscEg reporter last night. and con-
scented to report things as he found them
Eat the front"
"The old miner who goes up to the Sill
yer creek country this spring will hardly
recognize his route" said he. 1.-THE rail-
road wagon road from Sultan to the forks
of the Skykomish at Granite point has
abandoned thu old trail most of the way,
and the changes in the face of nature for
the whole distance are enough to confuse
him so that he viii feel like stranger IN
strange land. Leaving Snohomish the
traveller encounters the Great Northern in
the outskirts of the city, where the
trestlework across the bottom
land leading to the river Is nearly
completed. The piling is driven clear to
the river at each end where the bridge
will rest. Occasional glimpses of work
along the right-of-way can be obtained be-
fore reaching Park Place, eight miles above
there the work begins in earnest and is be-
ing pushed clear to the snow line near the
summit. A mile above Park Place brings
one to fine piece of completed grading
all ready for the ties. At Fern Bluff, about
five miles further. great deal of work is
being done. Several stations of grading
are finished, and large force of men are
engaged in excayating and cutting rock off
the side Of the bluff to make room for the
track between that and the river At Sui
tan more completed grade is encountered,
and the right-of-way is cleared from there
for most of the distance to Granite point,
and clearers are at work from the latter
point to Martins creek. within five or six
miles of the summit. At Wallace
there is quite a stretch of completed grade,
and two miles beyond, at Haggerty's clear
ing, or Gold Bar. as it used to be called,
the grade for the main line, and for side
track also, is nearly finished. giving the
impression that the railroad intends TO
turn the cold shoulder to Wallace and
make the station for that vicinity at Gold
Bar. From the latter place to Granite
there is succession of railroad camps,
and the sound of the work is ever present.
At o'Leary's contract, q short distance
above Duniap's ranch, the first heavy rock
work from this end OF the line is encoun-
tered. The right-of-way is along a granite
bluff, overhanging the river, and for over
300 feet the road has to be cut through the
solid rock. Work is being carried on from
both ends OF this cut. and, although the
rock is very refractory, with the help of
giant powder fine start has been made.
From this point 10 the summit more or
ia ha
are narrower. being in places mere canyons
or gulches, and if the railroad is to be kept
out of the river il must find foothold
somewhere along the overhangiug slopes.
So the ear is continually greeted with the
boom, boom of heavy blasting, like the
roar OF large artillery, till the traveller al
most fancies he is going into battle. and he
feels like lodging behind the nearest tree
TO escape the shot and shell which seem
almost inevitable. At Granite point. as
might be inferred from the name. a great
deal of blasting is required. Here the
North and South forks unite to form the
Skykomish river, the one branch coming
down from Cady's pass. the other from
Stevens pass, through which the railroad
Will go.
Some three miles up the south fork a
series of falls is encountered. which
while very beautiful as scenery. are quite
an obstacle 10 Mr.. Hills ambition in the
matter OF low grades. There are three
falls, the largest making a plunge of
eighty-hye feet. and the three together
giving drop of nearly $50 feet. In order
20 get past these fails with as small a grade
as possible, the railroad, after reaching
Granite point, keeps up the north fork to
Gums, then crosses the river and comes
back on the other side and tunnels for 800
feet through the intervening ridge between
the two rivers, making n loop of over two
miles, in order to reduce the ascent over
the falls to a minimum. That is the Hill
idea OF minimum grade, by which he ex-
poets to make the Great Northern winner.
From Granite point TO the summit the
difficulties of railroad construction in
crease in direct ratio with the grandeur of
the scenery. If the scenery be sublime to
the tourist, il might be called q holy ter
ror 10 the railroad man. At Martin creek,
which is within five or six miles of the
summit, the railroad has 70 make a loop
fourteen miles 10 90 three miles, but II
wins another triumph for the low per cent.
grade. At Foss river, about twenty miles
above the forks of the Skykomish. work
has been commenced on a tunnel L. o0 feet
long, while at the very summit 4 tunnel
has to be built 1900 feet long Ii is need
less 10 say, however, that the latter is not
expected 10 he finished this year. or the
next FOR that matter, although trains will
run over the summit by a switchback sys-
TEN while the tunnel is being built.
The frontier post for the railroad on this
side of the Cascades is at Martin creek.
between five and six miles from the sum-
init. There the Snowline has resisted all
advance up to the present. and the cordu-
roy wagon road which the contractors.
Shepard, Henry < Co, have bulk all the
way from Sultan, has stopped temporarily
there But as fast rs the snow disappears.
and the warm wind Of the last few DAYS
has melted il rapidly. the wagon road will
he pushed on 20 the summit.
The movements of great en- terprise like
The building OF the Great Northern resen-
bles, in many respects, the advance Of an
srmy. All of the details OF a moving
army have to he anticipated. At conven-
lent stages there must be bases of
supplies, and 90 furnish these taxes
the executive capacity of the heads
Of the transportation department. There
are large warehouses at Snohognish.
Park Place and Sultan The STEAMBOATS,
Fan usually reach the former place. mar
ticularly after heavy dew. But TO reach
sultan requires not only dew. but con
siderable snow water from the mountains.
80 that the boats only 80 20 Sultan after a
ihaw up above When the steamboats,
canno; run the freight is put upon large
icows. and with horse and tow line to
pull, a man at the bow to pole and an
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