The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1899-07-20
Reported Trouble Over Management
of Northwest Road.
ALL NOT SMOOTH SAILING
Statement That Prominent Eastern Stock
holders viii Shortly Arrive at Hunt
ington to Investigate.


afloat during the past week concern
ing the affairs Of the Northwest
Railroad company and it has been
said that the company was in finan-
cial straits. Indeed reports of at
tachments on the property of the
company have been circulated and
there are those who freely express
the opinion that the company will
never build the projected road from
Huntington to the Seven Devils
Persons who seem to know some
thing of the inside business affairs of
the company say that the whole
trouble in which the company is in
volved was brought about by inter
nal dissensions, principally dissatis-
faction over the business methods Of
Colonel Isaac Blake, the promoter of
the enterprise, whom the capitalists
who put up the money to carry on
the project, it is said, would like TO
displace and put in his stead someone
of more practical business experience
and having better standing in the
financial world.
The latest report is that the princi
pal stockholders i'll the company will
arrive in Huntington in few days
from the east to adjust matters and ii
may he things will move more salts
factorily from that time on.
The above is from the Baker City
Democrat and ought to show very
clearly that all that the SIGNAL has
said in the past in regard to the con.
struction of this line is fully verified
by the present conditions The SIG
NAL never by word or line opposed
the construction of the road dnwr
Snake river, beyond truthfully stat
ING that the enormous expense at
tending it would require all the pre-
sent resources of one of the trunk
lines now in operation, as the vas
sum involved would he beyond tho
possibilities of individual effort
Considering the speculative nature o
the investment, by this we mean tina
the road would not give any returns
worthy of the costs until it was com
plete, and, as q connecting link il
transcontinental business, the invest
ment called for in building this lin,
is as much as would be required Il
construct eight times the number o
miles through country like tina
overwhich the Pacific q Idaho North
ern is building, up the Weiser valley
This is a conservative comparison
The futher benefit that the Weise
line will make returns after til
completion of the first 20 miles
The only objection that Blake AM
his associates ever made to the Wei
ser route was that it was too honest
nroposition and did not call for mon
ev enough to construct sinuous an
impracticable mountain trails with
long name attached, plausible scheme
for the navigation of n rock rlbbe
river, whose roaring rapids coul
only be passed by accident and IN
attempt to pass be almost sure to r'
= suit in wreck and disaster, and tn
navigation TO be accomplished WI
boats that could not carry fuel enouf
down to navigate them ten miles I
the stream. Aerial tramways a
another very queer adjunct to q sol
railway proposition and has an ethe
y ial and cloudy look not calculated
insuire confidence. The SIGN
is as directly interested in the re
;. development of the Seven Dew
Copper mines and other interest
are the holders of property in u
J. district themselves, and posslt
some parties, who have taken up
themselves to make harsh crltlclsI
of our past course, may see Mt
: admit that the SIGNALS view W
5 the correct one after all. and
: simply rise to remark, as we have {
/ cassiopally done before, That
route up the Weiser river IS the OF
: and original one to connect the ST
interests and develop our inter mou