The herald., 1896-07-18
TRACK AND TRAFFIC NOTES
The Great Northern Extends Its
Operations
STEAMSHIPS FOR JAPAN
Will Leave the City Of Seattle for Toxic
Every Month
Trips VIII Become More Frequent % the
Business Increases Seattle People Re.
sE ioice-valiey Road Rates
Associated Press Special Wire.

general manager of the Japanese Mail
Steamship company. limited, signed a
contract yesterday with the Great
Northern Railway company for the es-
tablishment Of steamship line between
Toxic and Seattle. Thus the Great
Northern system extends its operations
into the far east and it's bills of Iading
are in force from Toxic to Buffalo, N.
Y. st. Paul will be the headquarters
OF this great system and one of its prln-
cipal eastern terminals.
General Manager Iwanaga has tele-
graphed the successful ending of his
mission to the home office at Toxic. The
first steamer will sail from Japan, ar
irving at Seattle the last Of August, and
will leave Seattle or her first outbound
trip September 6. For the present there
will be but one steamer each way month
ly, but arrangements have been made
for an increase in the service by adding
new and commodious ships to make
weekly or semi-monthly trips. The line
is strictly a Japanese concern. ID has
a fleet Of ships which would makeja line
one and a quarter miles long and its
steamers ply between Japan and all
points in the east, Hongkong, Ceylon,
Borneo, the Malay islands and India.
The European line reaches Marseilles.
London and Antwerp and has just been
established to Australia. The steam
ers are Clyde built. The steamship
party consists General Manager IVAN
aga. General Counsel M. Masejuma and
the general managers private secretary,
Mr.. kafuku, Mr.. Alexander Mcmillan,
superintendent Of the company's line in
Japan, and Mr.. ]. Griff1iths, who be-
comes general agent of the company at
Seattle, were also present. Mr.. iMase-
juma left for Japan today, while the
balance of the party goes east via the
Great Lakes to obtain some idea Of the
vast inland commerce of this country.
SEATTLE REJOICES
SEATTLE, WASH, July 1.-THE an
nouncement frodm St. Paul that the
contract had been signed yesterday be-
tween representatives of the big Jap
anese steamship line. the Nippon Yusen
Kaisha, and President Hill of the Great
Northern, whereby Seattle is made the
American terminus of the steamer line
has caused great rejoicing here. The
| Nippon Yusen Kaisha is the royal steam
ship company Of Japan, and has in the
neighborhood Of fifty vessels, repre-
senting $4,000 tons carrying capacity,
UP to about 100000 tons. The first ships
to come to this port will not be the reg
ular vessels, but suitable ones designed
for this trade are now being built in
England.
In conversation with the Japanese COM
- :, 49,
they proposed to put on at once will be
about 3100 tons and will be about the size
of the steamers Umatilla and Walla
Walla.
Under the late shipping encouragement
act of Japan. the company will earn
quite large subsidy, which will place
the line in a position to do nearly rs per
cent of the business between Japan and
the United States.
The coming of this line to Seattle
settles for all time the dispute as to
what city will be the terminus of the
Great Northern. The steamers Of the
Northern Pacific line will also come
here, and enhanced docking facilitis are
already under way. The contest to Sc
cure this prize was between Seattle, Ia
coma, Portland, San Francisco and San
Diego.
VALLEY ROAD RATES
SAN FRANCISCO, July 17.-Traffic
Manager Moss of the San Joaquin VAL
ley road today filed with the railroad
commissioners some new figures on
freight rates.
From Marguerite and Sharon to Stock
ton the rate on grain shipments in car
load lots is s1.90 per ton, and to Port
Costa and San Francisco $2.40.
Mr.. Moss has also notified the rail-
road commissioners that he has made
a rate of S275 ton on flour in carloads
from Merced to San Francisco. This is
cut of s.. As under the Southern Pacific
rate, which is $4.20. He has also made a
rate of $1.s5 a ton on potatoes by the
carload shipped from Stockton to Mer-
ced. This is cut Of $1.25 under Mr..
Huntingtons charge for similar SER
vice, the latter being $40.
The Southern Pacific met the low rate
on lime shipments from Stockton to Mer-
ced made by the Valley road last Thurs
day.
The Valley road officials today de-
cided to adopt the western classification
as the basis of making general local
tariffs for the handling Of all kinds of
business that will come to them as soon
as the line is ready for operation as far
south as Fresno. This is the same clas-
ification in use by all the western roads.
The general tariffs for the new road
under the western classification will
days before the road is ready for busi-
ness into Fresno. The rates now being
announced by the company are known
as special rates.
The Matabele War
BULUWAYO, July 17.-Sir Frederick
ntor loft horo to1ou bnpine l,u {,