The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-10-21
RAPID TRANSIT LINE.
Electric Railway to Tacoma to
Be Built at Last.
WILL FOLLOW COUNTY ROADS.
Capitalists OF the Two Cities Unite to
Carry Out the Scheme-Fnrty-
Minute Trips.

TACOMA, Oct 2o.-[special John Snyder. one
OF the incorporates of the Tacoma d Seattle
Rapid Transit railway, said today:
Primarily We propose to build this road for
two purposes. First, TO afford quics through
transit between the two cities, anu, secondly, to
permit the development OF large garden tracts
along the line There are thousands OF fertile
acres between Tacoma and seattle which cannot
now be utilized owing 10 the defective roads
and delays in reaching the city. We hope to
make the run from Tacoma to Seattle in forty
minutes. At any rate we shall make it in fifty
minutes. We shall use thu most improved
electric motors, and probably some box cars for
freight The cars on the Edison road here have
been speeded up to 30 miles per hour, and our
motors will be still more improved than these.
Resides, We Will follow the county road to Stuck
junction, or short distance from that place,
thus cutting down the distance nov travelled by
the Northern Pacific railroad from twenty-one
10 ten ana a half or eleven miles. Therefore our
route Will be between Ten and eleven miles
shorter than the Northern Pacific.
Heretofore a right-of-way through the Puy-
allup Indian reservation has been setback to
enterprises OF this kind. Mr.. Snyder says he
and those interested with him have consulted
the best legal advice here and in the East, and
they all agree that the electric road, being SIM
ply an improvement on the wagon aad other
ordinary means of locomotion, may be operated
on it. For the wagon road through the reserva.
uon the county commissioners were given a
strip sixty feet wide. At present only twelve
leet are ullliZed Tor the wagon road. Mr.. snyder
proposes that his road use half OF it, and then
grade and gravel the balance thoroughly and
put 1t In shape for wagon purposes. I:e and his
attorneys says the county commissioners have
the right to say what sort OF loconotiou shall
be permitted on the public highway. and that
inasmuch as the electric road is public con-
venience, there can be no objection to It.
1t is not the purpose OF the rapid transit COM
paly to interfere with the business of the
Northern Pacific, in the way OF cutting rates.
In most instances, Mr.. Snyder says. the electric
road will be located out of the inmed ate terri
cry of the Northern Pacific. Early milk and
vegetable trains will be run Into Seattle and
Tacoma by this rapid transit line, and special
attention will be paid to through cars between
the two cities. At or beyond Stuck Seattle rail-
road people may be met, and a coordination
made with them. This, MI. Snyder says, was
the original intention, but nothing definite to
that end has been arranged as yet If fran
chise cannot he secured to operate the road
inside the city limits, the Tacoma terminus
Will be at the edge OF the reservation, at the
foot OF Puyallup avenue. The desire of those
interested is to run the road direct to the city
market, Twenty-third and Adams streets.
Tomorrow morning surveyors will be put in
the field to obtain thorough survey OF the con-
tour OF the land between here and Seattle, with
view OF Immediately estimating the cost of
construction of the road. Ii every thing works
well, Mr.. Snyder says the road will BE- rushed
rapidly TO completion.