Daily inter mountain., 1900-12-20
HILL WILL
NOT RESIGN
SAYS THERE IS NO LIKELIHOOD
OF HIS GETTING OUT OF
GREAT NORTHERN.
DENIES TRYING TO
ORCANIZEACO COMBINATION.
Trains Will Be Running Through the
Big Cascade Tunnel by First OF
Year.

Northern denies that he is trying 10
organize great combination OF lines
across the continent. and he further oe-
MES that he is going to resign from tne
presidency of the Great Northern. III
an interview with the St Paul Pioneer
Press he says:
"A few friends have joined me in an
investment in the Erie road. which IS a
good property and capable Of being made
into a paying investment. as has been
done with the Baltimore Ohio. SO far
as trying to organize a great combina-
tion of lines across the continent IS con-
cerned there is absolutely nothing in It,
Such an undertaking would be too great
for any person to handle, and besides
that it is impracticable. The conditions
are too diverse to warrant any such at
tempt. In the east and the west the
business conditions are too far apart 10
put them under one management. 1t is
impossible to regulate conditions by
board of directors. Things must be TAX
en- as they exist. The whole proposition
is nonsensical.
Il went into the Erie as an investment
and not to increase my burdens. That
road has for a long time been kicked
! about. but it lies in a section that makes
tonnage, and it is to be improved in such
1
good returns on the investment and
make it a permanently good paying
property But the whole story of gi-
gantic combination is the veriest rub
! biSh.
LAS to my retiring from the presidency
| Of the Great Northern, / was reelected
to that position al the annual meeting
, Of the road in October, and there is no
/ likelihood of my getting out of it. l
would be glad to be relieved of some
of the burdens of the WORK, but do not
see any immediate prospect Of any
changes looking to such an event.
Work on the great Cascade tunnel is
fast approaching completion, and trains
will be running through it before De-
cember 81. Track-laying is progressing
at rapid rate, and the nnal
touches will be put on in few days.
Gravel has been hauled from Trinidad
and the track ballasted the entire length,
says the kalispell Bee.
Concreting is finished the entire length
of the tunnel, and at the present time
the portals are being extended out to
level ground and Will be finished this
week. The concrete is four feet thick,
being filled in solid against the walls
and roof. 1t is harder than the granite
that was bored through. making it one
of the most perfect and safest tunnels
in the world. and being so solid that
there will never be any danger of cave
ins of any kind, and the trans can run
the entire length of over two miles with
as much safety as on the level prairie.
The motive power to move trains will
be two monster l50-ton engines that will
be kept there all the time ready to
take trains through the tunnel. The
engines will burn Crows Nest coal, that
will be mined and furnished especially
for this purpose. There being no sui
phur in this COAL it is expected that
the smoke will be no serious inconven-
ience. There will be electric lights
throughout the tunnel, the powerhouse
! being maintained a the east end.
The Great Northern has put in four
! sidings the entire length of the yards.
and it is reported that at no distant
date trains will run there from Everett
and from Wilson creek doing away with
| the short division points, the new sid
ings being much larger than the yards
at either division point at present.
All the officials have visited the tunnel
! during the past few days, and Chief
Engineer J. F. Stevens, of st. Paul, and
Resident Engineer II. W. Edwards, of
Spokane, are on the ground rushing the
work to completion. The celebrated
"switchback" will be abandoned in a
few more days and it will not be a
matter of regret to trainmen and Off
cials, as it has been a source of annoy
ance and a big expense to move trains
over it, The snow in winter gets from
six to eighteen feet deep, and slides and
blockades have caused many delays,
making it necessary to keep two rotary
snoWplows in working order on the
mountain for nearly five months in the
year, besides two mountain engines
which have been kept in constant SER
vice to take trains over. no train being
allowed to go over without a helping
engine on the rear end. Superintendent
Byram has charge of the switchback
There never has beeen an accident tC
; any train while passing over this l:
. miles of track. The completion of the
tunnel will reduce the distance from /:
. to three miles.