The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-02-16
HE NEEDS TERMINALS.
President Hill, of the Great
Northern, Speaks Out.
DEFECTS OF RAILROAD AVENUE.
He Will Discuss Plans with Council
Lake Shore Meeting Delayed-Car-
negic, the RaiI-King. Coming.

James J. Hill, president, and Colonel W. P.
Clough, vice president of the Great Northern
railroad. and Frank Z. Ward, Mr.. Hills secre
tary, arrived in the city yesterday morning on
the private car Manitoba, having come from
spoksne by the Northern Pacific road. They
took up quarters at the Rainier hotel and then
went out to see the local officials of the Great
Northern. They spent the remainder of the day
in examining Railroad avenue, with a view 10
finding solution OF the franchise muddie In
the evening Mr.. Hill was the center around
which number OF local railroad and real estate
men revolyed, chief among the former being d.
H. Gilman, president OF the Seattle q Montana
company
When observation-disclosures reporter ap-
preached him, he plunged Immediately into the
question, solution OF which is the chief object
OF his visit-the Railroad avenue middle. He
said:
We want to straighten on. the terminal diff
cufies that are incident TO tha railroads coming
In here. The first difficulty is that you have got
seven railroad tracks between Seattle and the
water front They have no other place to go
and they interfere with the city. There might
possibly be plan of overcoming this dlfflcuity,
but would rather submit it to the city council.
1t is necessary to separate the movement of
the railroads from the other travel to the docks.
1t is necessary to raise the other frdfhc above
the level OF the docks. Overhead entrances to
the docks may be good solution. The rail-
roads have either TO go there or on Lake wash
on pontoons, but il isn't necessary, for
there is great deal of harbor
on Puget sound. Anything which makes 1t
more expensive to do business here. whether II
is the cost OF the plant or an obstruction of any
kind does just as much harm as would result
from damage to your narbor, because the rail
roads handle more business than is carried by
water-n fact, the railroads are the greater har-
Dor OF the two You must plan your railroads so
as not TO make it impossible to extend them,
for, when the business grows as il should grow,
you would be surprised 10 know how much 1t
Will require. To illustrate, the fact that Buffalo
has from 200 to 900 miles OF sidetracks in its city
limits will give an idea of what is necessary in
the way OF room to handle large terminal bust
ness The New York Central has more mileage
OF sidetrack than of main track.
In view OF these facts the facilities along the
loot OF the bluff are not very satisfactory.
Will be glad to talk over the matter with the
city council and see If we can't devise some
plan to accommodate all the railroads. We
viii give as much to the others as we would
exact for ourselves. Everything which OBJ
structs your business is a discrimination against
your CITY, There should be union depot. The
settlement of the terminal question would
cover general plan for the use OF all the ter
minals.
The contracts are all let except from the Co
lumbia river TO the summit OF the Cascades aud
for the big tunnel. This tunnel will be abou.
1900 feet long and will take about two to two
and one-half years to bore While the tunnel is
being made we may be able to cross the noun
tains by temporary line without a
switchback. The route into Seattle will
be over the Seattle d Montana
road. We could not get in through Cherry
valley. The country is so broken that we could
not get any grade that would be OF any use to us.
In reference to the reports that he is interested
in the TOWNSHIP of Everett, Mr.. Hill said:
have not any interest in square foot of land
in the state OF Washington and have no new
schemes.
Mr.. Hill and Colonel Clough leave this morn
ing on trip down the Great Northern coast
lines as far as New Westminster. They will
probably return to the city tomorrow evening.