The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-08-18


amount hauled for each of the Last ten
years ending with June 30:
1900 Bushels: Bushels.
1917 ,......... SO 900 00OiS97 - At 0NO IF0
1898 .......... .46 900 900 1898 ,.. 40 000 OO9
iS SS ........ Al o0O,o0ot8s9 S. coo 90
iS95 ..-...... Al, 900 00OI19OO ..,.. 6S 000 G00
lo0o ''''...... 6S, Co, O00l
The greatest increase in orr Pra,sh+
traff1c last year." said Mr.. Hill. was
IN the through business, general mercfau-
disc shipped from the East to the Puget
sound country, and lumber shipped back
TO the middle states. There was a gain
OF oO per cent in our Asiatic trade also,
which was assuming very large proper
tons when the trouble in China broke
out Last year we handled over 100, 600
paIes OF cotton for Japan and an enor-
nous quantity OF flour. They are not
ouying any cotton IN Japan just now,
because the war has suspended the de-
mand for yarn in China, and the market
Is generally demoralized.
/ do not look for an early settlement
or the Chinese troubles. They are likely
10 continue indefinitely, but they are all
IN the direction of progress-the final
struggle Of a conservative people against
the 1neVtable-and when they are settled
the result will be largely to our benefit
by the opening of new markets and the
creation Of new wants among the Chinese
people which we must be getting ready
to supply The consequence Of these
troubles will be the establishment Of a.
liberal, enlightened and safe government
in China on modern basis, with open
doors in every direction and protection for
foreigners in every part Of the empire
L do not think 1t just or advisable to cut
the country up into pieces and parcel It
out among the European nations. and If
that Is done do not believe the United
States ought to take any part Of It.
Yes, we are getting ready for a big
Chinese trade. When our tunnel under
the Cascade range is finished in October
the Great Northern road can carry freight
farther into China for the same price
than any other transportation system
and the fleet of ships we are building at
New London will be ready about that
time. We have commenced work on them
and have just organized a company to
operate them The articles OF incorpora-
ton of the Great Northern Steamship
company, with a capital of Sc, 0OO, 900, were
fled with the secretary Of state only the
other day. We are building four 20. 900
ton ships for the Asiatic trade, which will
run from Puget sound in connection with
the railway to Japan, China and the Phil
ippines That will give US a through line
from Buffalo to all the principal Asiatic
ports.
1.-THE farmers Of Minnesota and the
Dakotas are complaining Of a poor crop
this year." continued Mr.. Hill, "but 1t IS
not so bad as reported. From the best
of information, judge that there will be
q falling oft in the three states Of about
50,ON0,00O bushels, leaving us a crop Of
from 100, 600 TO 10000 0{0 bushels While
! this may seem a severe blow and a back
set to the country, the results of a short
crop are not by any means such a hard
ship as people generally suppose. The
reason for this Is that a majority Of
| the farmers of the Northwest have gone
| in for diversified farming in recent years.
! A large number have gone in for stock
raising as we'll as wheat raising and they
appreciate the wisdom of that change
every year that the wheat does not turn
| out we'll. A short wheat crop Is less
| of blow to the farmers now than it
would have been a few years ago"
Mr.. Hill had gone West with a party Of
| capitalists from New York on a mission
which excites the interest of the Puget
sound people. 1t is supposed that they
! are looking after some projected enter
prises at Everett and other points along
the coast in which the Standard OIL men
are interested, but they keep their Sc
crets and nothing will be known of their
Intentions until they are ready to de-
clare them.
There is also a great deal Of anxiety
among the jewellers on Puget sound to
ascertain where Mr.. Hill intends to locate
the terminals of his Pacific steamship
lines, for which the four big vessels are
now being constructed at New London
Conn. 1t looks very much as If Seattle
would be the place, for the Great North
ern company has invested several mil
lions dollars in buying waterfront prop
erty and constructing docks and ware
houses, but even in the face Of that
many people have an Idea that Mr.. Hill
VIII build new port of his own They
say that is his policy and disposition. He
wants to control everything around him,
and they point to the fact that he has
bought up several OF the harbor privil-
eyes along the coast, at Everett, Fair
haven and other points, and that he
would not have done so if he did not in
tend to utilize them The new ships will
not be completed for two years. In the
meantime the Great Northern railroad
will continue it's traffic arrangement with
the Nippon Yusen Kaisha Steamship
company of japan.
Until now the Great Northern railroad
has crossed the Cascade range Of noun
tains on the Pacific slope by a series OF
zfgZags, Familiarity called "switchbacks''
three legs with three and a half
foot rise to every 100 feet of track-and on
the west side four '1egs," with per
cent grade. This has been slow and ex-
pensive, requiring extra locomotives, the
doubling up Of trains and a great waste
of time and energy. Since January, 1897,
engineers have been at work boring a
tunnel at Level Of 3.375 feet above tide
water. which is now nearly completed,
and VITA be open for traffic by Oct. l. This
is the lowest grade at which the noun
tains are crossed between Alaska and the
isthmus. The tunnel Is 1920 feet or two
and a half miles long, twenty-three feet
high, sixteen feet wide, and has a roof
Of $3.50 feet Of solid granite. The total
cost was $1,000 00o
The work of construction has been done
by electricity with the most modern ma
chinery Thirty-two drills bored holes In
the granite. which were loaded with dy-
Mantle. After the discharge the fra@-
ments of stone were scraped up by dec
trio shoveis, loaded upon electric cars and
taken to crushers. where. by electric pow
er. they were ground into powder, mixed
with sand and cement and used to plaster
the inside of the tunnel with coat of
concrete four feet thick
Electric motors win be used TO haul the
trains through the tunnel. in order 10