The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-08-05
THE OAHU RAILROAD.
A Seattle Contractor is Pushing
Its Construction.
ALMOST EnclRcLss the ISLAND
All the Material Exeeps Rails Bought
en- the sound-Paying Venture
Prem the start

A. Feek. the contractor of this city, who
has secured the contract for building .
narrow gauge railroad around the island
OF Oahn, GA which Honolulu il situated,
will leave in q week or two 10 push con-
straction. The road Is 10 be built for the
Oahu Railway & Land Company, and will
almost encifcIe the island, and when CON-
pleted will be lfgls miles in length, OF
which eighteen and one-half miles have
already been completed, and are now pay
ing veil
Operations were commenced about three
years sgo, and the road was built from
Honolulu by way Of Pesri hsrbor 10
Eva. running in a northwesterly direc-
tsen. but owing to the antagonism 10 the
royalist government az that time work
was suspend ed until more peacsa5le
times. Now that the republican govern
ment has been established and appears TO
be on firm foundation the completion of
the road is almost assured. Mr.. Fesk said
OF the road In an interview with PosT-
IsrELLEGEscER reporter yesterday:
MY contract for building the road be-
gins August "a, but We commenced con-
struction August l. OF course, have not
heard from my agent yet and don't know
how things are getting along. According
70 the terms OF the contract have two
years and three months to complete the
work. but think that we will be able to
c0mplets II in eighteen months. The con-
struction Of the road will cost something
over 81 900, 600.
THE stock of the Oahu Railway 4
Land Company Is controlled by some OF
the sealthiest planters on the island, and
the company controls something over
q - 3apA Of ~rb a rf.
is in sugar plantations Besides this the
company owns ii. 600 hesd of horses and
cattle. 1t Also owns fownsites near the
proposed United States coaling station at
Pearl harbor and coal docks at Honolulu.
The company has the Observation-Disclosures
for building roads ON the whole island
and tor the construction of this road the
government gives subsidy of S. 500 per
mile. or sl21 COO in the aggregate.
when completed the road will con-
tinue from Honolulu to the Eva nlants-
ton, thence along the shore TO Wainae
mill; then ii will run through heavy rock
cuts for three miles TO kaena point. past
tire Mokuleia, Waisiua and Waima planta-
tioas TO the kahuku ranch; then TO
Knaloa and kaolaea to the Heeia mill,
where it will leave the coast and cut
across the Mokapu peninsula. Then it
will strike the coast again and run along
to Waimanalo. There IL will end, as pre-
cipituous bluffs and mountains and huge
rocks block tue way.
FOR the most Of the way the work Of
grading and preparing the roadbed will
be easy. but in several places there are
some big cuts through the rocks There
will be two steel bridges POO feet long and
the remainder of the bridges will be trestle
work. The rails are to be made of steel
and the ties will be Puget sound
cedar and ali of the bridge timber will be
Puget sound fir. Every thing, with the
exception of the rails, which will come
sound | let the contract for furnishing
5000. 900 feet of cedar and FIR timbers 10
the Port Angeles Mill company. The first
shipment of timber, 10000 feet, Is to be
delivered in Honolulu during October, to
be followed by lise shipment every three
months. / have also let the contract for
putting in the bridge timbers, trestIe work.
track laying and surfacing 10 j. n. Brickal,
of this city. The grading and common
laboring work will be done by Chinese and
japanese laborers, providing that the
recent conflict between their respective
nations will not prevent their working in
harmony.
"Yes, think the road will pay from the
start. That part Of the road already built
Is doing much better than was expected,
and as the new portion extends through q
very productive territory, / think that
there IS no doubt as to It's financial sue.
cess. The movement is popular among all
the inhabitants OF the island, and the COM
pletion OF the road is looked for with in
terest. The country tapped is being
rapidly developed and Its productiveness
increased by irrigation. Artesian wells
are being bored with great success on the
lowlsnds, and IN all instances where water
has been found. il issues in great quanti-
ties to height of forty feet above the sea
level This has proven in my mind that
the water all comes from one subterranean
lake located in some of the mountains.
"of course the greatest export articles
produced in the country, which this road
will tap, are sugar and rice, but coffee,
fruit and vegetables are raised in large
quantities. and their production is in
creasiug steadily. At present the products
raised In some ports of the island are
shipped at great expense by sea to Homo
lulu and tbence 10 foreign ports. In some
instances the products are packed by mule
trains across the mountains To Honolulu.
The banana industry aas ianguished in the
northern part of the island because the ma
tives coaId not be sure of shipping their
crops.
zone thing that the inhabitants of the
Islands are looking forw ard TO Is the action
of congress on the sugar question. Ii a
tariff is placed on sugar IL wonid be q
ands. as the trade relations between the
United States and the islands permits all
Hawaiian exports To enter thIs country
free and all articles manufactured or
rzlsed in this country enter the islands
free. For instance, when / called for bids
TOR furnishing the lumber for my contract,
received fourteen bids. nine from mills
located on the Sound ana five from British
Columbia mills The bids all held closely
10 the same price. but as there was = tariff
OF 10 per cent. on the British Columbia
lumber in entering tue islands |, of course,
did great deal better by placing the Goa
tract on the sound"
Mr.. Feek will not remove his residence
from this city and will not remain Oh the
islands for any great length of time. lie
viii return 20 the sound every two or
three months TO attend 20 the supplies and
other business connected with the con-
trSes. which will al be done from the
Sound.
Balloon ascension this afternoon, Madi-
son PARK.
Col. William Lightfoot Visseher, Of 1a.
coma SAYS Mary Elien Lease Is honey