The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1906-03-31
RAILWAY MILEAGE.
STATE OF WASHINGTON Will
LEAD In CONSTRUCTION.
According to the Railway Age
the Pacific Northwest VIII Be
the Great Field For Future
Operations-Southwest Must
Take Back Seat.

paw ~ 0A0 halfway axe.
Washington leads all Of the states of
the Union in the amount of mileage
now under contract for railway con-
struction for the present year. The
figures prepared give mileage under
contract in this state at the present
time as 1000 miles out of a total of
1S,O14lfor the entire United States.
Montana is next with 4S8- miles.
In addition to the 1904 miles un-
DER contract the table of flsgures pre-
pared BY the Railway Age gives 8, 43a
miles as live projects, which will prob
ably be under contract within the next
few months.
In commenting on the railroad sit
uation the Railway Age takes the DO
sition that the greatest activity in con-
struction of new roads will be cen.
tered in the Pacific Northwest during
the next few years and the scene of
many conflicts between the Hill and
the Hartman systems will be here.
The article in part follows:
Creates New Center of Interest
While there are many important
lines under construction in the South.
ern and Southwestern states, which
for many years past have furnished q
larger percentage of the new mileage
than any other group of states, the
center of interest for the next few
years will be in the West and extreme
Northwest, where so many important
extensions are being built in the inter
ests Of the large Western systems.
These include the Chicago, Milwaukee
81 st. Paul extension from Evarts, s.
D., to Tacoma and Seattle, Wash. ap-
proximately 1900 miles, of which
200 miles are under contract; the
Western Pacific, on which work is
we'll advanced from Salt Lake City to
San Francisco, 937 miles; the Denver,
Northwestern & Pacific, from Sulphur
Springs, Colo, to Salt Lake City,
Utah, 40 miles, and the various ex-
tensions being built by the Hill and
Hartman systems.
1.-THE Hill lines, embracing the
Great Northern, the Northern Pacific
and the Burlington have 1874 miles
under contract in North Dakota, Mon
tana, Nebraska, Idaho and Washing
ton, and the Hartman lines, embrace
ing the Southern Pacific, the Oregon
Short Line and Oregon Railroad &
Navigation Company, have $40 miles
actually under construction in Texas,
Nebraska, Idaho, Montana, California
and Washington, with many other i'm
portant extensionns surveyed or un-
der survey, some of which will be
placed under contract this spring.
Over 1900 Miles Under Contract.
I'm the states Of Washington, Ore.
gon, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming
over 3, 600 miles are under contract,
and while it is impossible to say what
percentage of this mileage will be
completed during the present year, the
building operations in these states
will be very active and will be watched
with great interest, for this section of
the country furnishes the stage for
the various conflicts between the Hill
and the Hartman interests.
''The mild weather has made posi-
BILE the continuation of construction
work throughout the winter in many
portions of the country, and If the
promise of an early spring is realized
contractors will be enabled to get an
earlier start than usual in the North
and Northwest, where active opera
tions soon will be under way"