The Colfax gazette. [volume] (Colfax, Wash.) 1893-1932, 1905-02-24
WILL BUILD THB LINE
Money Already Pledged for the
Enterprise.
Definite Announcement Made nv
spokane Y misunderstanding
Contracts TO Be Let

The Spokane Evening Chronicle of
Monday contained the following:
II Is uehniIeiy ANNOUNCED TODAY thar
tne spokane x Inland railway company
Will oullu the Palouse electric line.
luis, lt Is asserted positively. il now
determined. The only questions now
uhseCtieu IN connection with the enter
PRISE are stated TO be the exact loca-
Glou OF It's route, it's terminus in the
faiouse country, how far into the Pa
louse 1t Will extend this year. The soIu.
tioh OF these questions will depend upon
the action taken by the residents of the
localltles affected in the next two or three
weeks.
Two Steps Taken.
The president OF the company. Jaw p
Graves, authorized the following stat,,.
ment by +. Lewis Clark:
AT meeting oil the board of directors
Saturday two steps were taken that
make 1t certain that the Spokane 4 In.
land railway will be built this season.
Ihe question at present unsettled il
the distance to be reached this year.
We shall make 30 or 40 miles south this
year, anyway, and expect to let con-
tracts Tor grading the first 20 miles next
week. contracts Tor ties for this distance
nave already been placed. The matter of
letting the first 20 miles is being DELAYED
iOr lew days till we can finally decide
between the Saltese and Moran prairie
routes.
Money Already Pledged,
The money already subscribed will
enable us to do what is above stated.
II Spokane will do what the first pubIr
2 4
PalOuse towns do what they saw they
will do, contracts for the road 80 TO 100
miles south vii! be let within the next 60
days"
What amount of subscriptions do
you regard as sufficient to insure the
completion OF the line as whOle?"
"The promoters of the company have
put 100000 into the enterprise. With
subscriptions of 100000 additional the
completion of the road for the full length
is certain. 1t will, ofcOurse, be necessary
to place more of the stock later on, as
the work progresses, but our experience
in the COeur d'Alene road has shown
that the later subscriptions are readily
taken up, usually at premium. There
will be no trouble about these later sub.
scriptions."
AS to the Route.
HAS the definite location Of the road
been fixed?"
"NO. OF course, we have a general
route in mind, and our engineers, who
have been out for some time. have defin-
itely located a part of the line. Our
original plan was to make Moscow, Ida,
the present terminus of the road, with
point upon the Snake river as our ulti-
mate terminus. 1t is possible, however,
that some other point in the Palouse
country might be selected for the term
mus. There are several towns Offering
practically equal advantages, and the
final location of the route and it's point
OF termination will depend wholly upon
the extent of interest shown by the
people of the respective places in secur-
ing the location of the road"
"When will the final location be de-
cided upon?"
within the next two or three weeks.
Data showing the respective merits of
the several routes and several towns in
view have been carefully compiled. The
road will go, other things being any
where near equal, where the bulk of our
stockholders live"
The Spokane Terminal.
"Have you decided where your term
inaI grounds in Spokane will be located"
"Yes; on Ferry avenue. This terminal
will be reachsd On a grade the same as
any steam railway coming in from the
east, and will be as convenient as any
other railroad coming to this city. They
will be adequate when developed for the
road completed to the Snake.
During the next year the Spokane
Traction company and the COeur d. 'Alene
& Spokane Railway Co., or some COM
pany for them, will probably erect a
terminal building upon the site acquired
by them on Washington street and
Sprague and First avenues. Ii this ia
done the PalOuse road will for a time
use that building for it's passenger ter
minal. The increasing business of the
Co ur d Alene road has so opened our
eyes to the possibilities of the electric
railway business that, with an eye to the
near future, it may be determined the
terminal facilities offered by that site are
inadequate to the needs OF all companies.
That is matter which will be determ-
ined, however, by the growth OF COM
merce. ln any event, the terminal ia
cilities Of the Palouse road will be made
adequate for all its needs"
AS to Other Roads.
"What about the other company
which is in the tield?"
"The Washington Water Power Co.
has never given out a statement that
they intended to build road into the
Palouse. If we had not started to build
this road, | do not believe they would
have exerted themselves in this direction.
Whether they really intend to build q
Palouse road or not | do not know. l
suppose it is reasonable to suppose that
il tbev could block Mr.. Graves in any OF
his enterprises and keep all OF the city
field to themselves they would like to
do go.
1.-THE belief in the minds OF some peo-
ME that there might be two electric roads
70 the Palouse has retarded US some
what. If two roads start it will take
longer to finish either than if only one
starts.
"We asked public meeting OF citizens
If they wanted Us to start and they said
syes.' We have started, and we are go-
ing to finish.
"The road finished the full length will
do more Tor Spokane than any one line
ever built.
at is only a question now OF local
support whether we can enjoy this in one
! year or two"