The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-01-09
THREE WEEKS MORE.
Great Northern VIII Be Haul
ing Freight Through.
PASSENGERS IN ANOTHER MONTH
Only tho Western End OF the Line Re-
mains to Be Finished-All Ready
to Begin on the Tunnel.

Before the end OF this month thu Great North
ern Railroad Company VIII be hauliBg freight
between Seattle aud 81 Paul over its own line,
aud In about another month passenger Trims
viii be running regular schedule time right
into this city.
Tais statement is made on the authority OF C.
Shields, the general superintendent Of the west
ern division, who said yesterday:
Everything Is finished from the East TO tho
point Of connection on this side of the noun
tains. not only the trsckleyiug but the ballast
ing. suriaeing, stations, section houses and wa
ter tgnks. the telegraph line is being pushed
right ahead from the east, where ii had reached
the point OF connection on Friday. aHd on sa:ur-
day men began to build from the west, so that
4 will be connected through in about week
We shall begin the work OF building stations.
section houses and water TANKS on this END OF
the line this week and for the next TWO OF three
weeks the road viii DC occupied b. WORK trains.
i viii be opened for freight business between
January 20 and 81, but passenger trartic VIII NOT
be opened for suTEe little time later.
1t may not be necessary 10 build any snow
sheds on the switch back; the mountains above
are al heavily timbered aud STOW no signs oil
having been swept by slides. so there is no dan
ger from them. Mr.. stevens has Just completed
the survey for the tunnel, and has definitely
located IL. It Will cut down the altitude OF the
highest point on the line from about 100 teet-
tie summit of the switchback-to 500 feet, ana
will apparently run through solid granite. so
that there il likely to be 10 danger OF caye-ins
The rock il solid mass and the strata are IN
place. Everything Is ready for the beginning
OF work W hen Mg. Hill comes out, which Will bc
IL about a week.
The material for the bridge over the Columbia
river has arrived and the bridge is being erected
and vi i'll probably be ready Tor use about Feb
Iuary |. Ths deal for the rIgnt-of-way through
the city of Spokane is just about closed, accord
Ing to the lagt >pokaue parers saw, and That
for right-oi-way through Everett is in course OF
settlement. i expect that construction on these
sections Will follow the settlement. OF the rig At
oi-way questions.
The swtchback is built with every care for
the safety of trains. 1t consists OF six stretches
OF track on the west side and three on the east
side of the mountains. These have 4-per cent.
grade, and at the foot of each there is 1000 feet
OF track running up from the switch at a 8 per
cent. grade When train comes down 10
switch it will run up this incline and thus
avert danger oi runaway. while in climbing
the mountains IL Will run down this incline aud
get n start for continuing the ascent.
The average grade Of the extension Is about so
per cent OF that on the Canadian Pacific aud is
much lower than that OF the Northern Pacific.
The heavy grades are confined to three short
stretches OF road. For eight miles over the
Rockies the grade is is per cent, for thirteen
miles the kootenai range IL is H. Der cent,
and through the Cascades 1T is D per cent, not
counting the switchback. which Is only tenn
pora-y.
The Western division, which extends from
Minot, y. D., TO the Sound, about 1,200 miles,
has been temporarily divided into three sub
divsions-the Montana from Miuot 70 Black
foot, with headquarters al Havre; The kalispell,
from Blackf0ot to Spokane, with headQ uartcrs
al kalispcll, ana the Cascade from SpoSane to
Everett. with headquarters az Spokane.
Mr. Shields leaves for Spokane this afternoon
accompanied By J. u. Farrell, SUPERINTENDENT of
the Cascade division, and J. K. Alien, chief
train dispatcher. Among those who accom-
panied HIN the first train to come over the
line were J. u. Cayanaugh, the trainmaster and
M. VI. Sullivan, the conductor.
The house of representatives, has passed the
bill granting permission to construct the Column
bia river bridge.