River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-02-18
FROM "OUT WEST. !"
British Columbia The Canadian
Pacific Railway, The Scenic
Route.

Inc railway is the greatest or
civilizers; potent means for the
development of inland territories
Our traus-cohtinental lines are a
marvel, the result of the most ad-
vanced engineering feats of the
ages. Hannibal and Napoleon with
lnvlncible armies conquered the
Alps, wonderful achievement.
But our civil engineers made roads
through the Rockies and the Cas-
cades for the fire-breathing iron
horse, an accomplishment of more
far-reaching consequences. The
mountain chains are no longer bar
riers.
The difficulties of constructing
railroads through the mountain
ranges is very great and the cost of
maintaining the tracks in order and
running the trains there is enor-
nous. In passing the divide of the
Rocky mountains tracks attain an
altitude of nearly 5000 feet, while
in passing the Cascades a height of
about 1900 feet is reached. In
passing these ranges the engineers
took advantage of the most favor
able conditions, seeking the natural
passes of the higher attitudes and
following the arroyos-depressions
followed or made by water courses.
The Great Northern reaches the
Rockies by following the Milk river
to near its source at Summit and
from thence in a short distance
strikes upon the headwaters of the
Flathead which it follows to Kalis-
pell. Thence through the Cabinet
mountains it follows for the most
part the direction of the streams
to Spokane. Crossing the Cascades
il follows up the Wenatchee to the
source of that river, attains to the
west side of the divide through a
| Lul1ICl et1u SOSo uOWLl W Vic SCet
with the Snohomish river. The
Northern Pacific and the Canadian
Pacific in like manner use the rivers
for an outlet through the noun
tains. Following the Sinuosities
of the streams the track is neces-
sarily considerably heightened. A
reference to the following table of
distances will show the added
length of the railway trackage by
diversion from the straight line,
the most of which is oCCasioned by
following the meanderings of the
rivers through the mountains, and
of the process of looping" in or
der to attain to the higher attitudes.
The Northern Pacific enters the
mountains at Livingston, Montana,
the Great, Northern at Blackfoot,
Montana, the Canadian Pacific at
Banff, N. w. T. From Livingston
to Tacoma, the western terminus
of the Northern Pacific, in straight
line the distance is 600 miles, while
the railway between these two
places is 900 miles long; from
Blackfoot to Everett, the terminus
of the Great Northern, the direct
line distance is 444 miles while a
locomotive goes 666 miles between
the two points; from Banff to Vancou-
yer, the Canadian Pacifc's western
terminus, the distance as the crow
flies is $50 miles, but the railway
mileage is $50 miles.
British Columbia is almost wholly
mountainous. In the river valleys
there are some level tracts of land
suitable for agriculture but the
general aspect of the country is
severely rough and rugged. In
Washington and Oregon the noun
tain ranges are separated by inter
vening valleys ranging from 100 to
200 miles in width but north of the
Columbia river, while the mountain
| chains are of lower altitude than
further south, the Rocky and Cas-
cade ranges coalesce and form a
mountainous mass, 800 miles wide.
The Canadian Pacific, east from
| Vancouver on Puget Sound or the
Strait Of Georgia, follows the Fra
zier and Thompson rivers to Shus-
wap lake, about 800 miles, and thus
has not very difficult grade, but
from this point on to the outlet
through the mountains by the Kick
apoo pass the country presents the
most troublesome conditions for
railroading found on any of the
| trafs-mountain routes. From this
point to Banff in direct line the
distance is about 100 miles, while
the length of the road between these
two places is 275 miles. The direc-
ton of the rivers in this intervening
territory run, some from north TO
south and some from south to north,
consequently to take advantage of