The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-03-26
Northern Pacific and O. B. & h.
Striving for Supremacy.
Dvegon Railroad = xsvfGasson uas
secured Aavastages That DSthes
Its Coapetftep % Oveseeae-Afs
Maay Passes, Bat Few Gsea Ones
-oescrfptton ut Caaas Prairie
To shOrfen Line 60 the Seasd.

The appended copy of statement mace
hy W. G WsfgrfsS q civil engineer, on tne
railroad xstHatlon between the sorthesH
Pacific and Oregon Railroad q Sasixaaoa
ia Idaho. has beer receives oy the POST
Inteiligencer. IL is an interesting and said
to be- a reliable exposition OF the condi-
IONS as they exist ia that state now
.sTn,s most Interesting country. the
Cafnax prairie I'm the Sez Ferces reser-
walton and the contiguous territory, may
bt said TO cover al area between nofsn
latitude s. and se-35 and west songitude
iIs and III. representing some 2. 80 square
miles and watsFed by the SNAKE. 1ieaf-
water ard Salmon rivers and their nnmef-
Gus tributaries. Iris E8Hias pratrie IN on
hfga plateau or table land. about 1S0
feet nt.yye the sea and approached only
b. following ine tributaries OF sns SNAKE
and Clearwater rivers and tue task OF car
rying railroad line 10 the prairie from
Lewiston has called for the best engineer
Ing talent In the country.
There have been engaged IN mis- ser
vice by both the Northern Pacific Railway
Company and by the snake RIVER haiway
Company Oregon Railroad & Navigation
q dozen complete PARTIES OF engineers.
which have all been headed BY determined.
ok1Ilfpl men. who have hrayei the rough
severe winter with uncoEumoniy deep
shows In their endeayors 10 find the best
entrance into the promised land.
From Lewiston 10 HI. Iashe.
.s3ut fortune has 40 far seemed to smile
upon the engineers OF the Snake river val
ley for they have located a line from
Lewiston TO Mt Idaho, 100 miles In length.
~ way Of Little canyon. with n practicable
GRADE and with curvature ~ reasonable
a. such u mountain country ever affords.
This company has received from congress
q riRht-of way over the reservation and
the privilege of securing from allotment
Indians the necessary easement for the
construction Of It's railroad. 1t has also
H.
of settlers ether than Indians. and for the
remainder Of construction will proceed un-
der the provisions OF the act of March J.
1s5. through tho public lands Of the
''The Northern Pacific parties have been
far from ncglectfuI az the stake for which
they. too. are striving. and have lines in
Tammany hollow in the Lapwaf canyon
and In the Cottonwood canyon, all of
which have faults that preclude their use
for the purpose OF railroad construction.
In the Lapwai the Northern Pacific has
1lne fifteen miles long. but at the end finds
itself In n eui-de-sac. In Tamnany the
grades are excessive, as they are In the
LAWYERS canyon and the Cottonwood
The Big canyon was rejected by the Snake
River Company's engineers for a similar
reason, SO that UP TO the present. the
Northern Pacific finds itself with a line
wrapping around the two sides OF the
coveted prairie: IN the valley OF the Clear
wheat IN raised. and without any possi-
biiity Of development Ia country where
the land tributary to IL In state land and
can only be sold annually In small guam
titles The Little canyon. In which the
Snake river valley engineers have located
their hnc. divides the grain producing
country OF about ies,0O acres nearly In
the middle. which should represent am out
put OF over 4.os,o1 100 bushels OF wheat
Wall xhartea Line tn the sound.
The Northern Pacific has as a main OBJ
Ject the shortening of its main lire be-
tween Missauia and Puget sound, and is
rapidly constructing its line from Lewis
ton. or rather from the junction OF the
Clearwater and r.1aatch rivers. In the di-
yectten OF Mlssonia bur has as yet to find
which pass over the Bitter Root noun
tains IL the worst The f<oio pass. so Of
ten mentioned, II pronounced hy
experts to present prohihitory
grades, and the Neg Perces
or Big Hole. passes are reached through
an unereken wilderness along streams
which are comprised narrowly by high
walled canyons and through country
where the snowfall II tremendous. and
which has no local resources.
The Northern Pacific has however vast
Tesources. and may unravei some OF the
unknown quantities and plant q line
which. while doing Spokane no good. will
shorten the way TO tho sound by 100 miles
or So"