The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-01-31
WILL USE THE SNOQUALMIE PASS

Construction work on the extension
of the Chicago, Milwaukee & ST. Paul
railroad to this coast, will begin at Sc
attic within few weeks. This is the
announcement made at Seattle bv
President A. J. Earring, of the trans
continental system building westward.
AS soon as the franchise asked by
the railroad is given by the Seattle
council, the East Waterway in front
of the tide land holdings of the rail-
road will be dredged and a new dock
will be built. 1t is probable the cree
ton of a warehouse will be deferred
until the railroad needs it.
President Earring gives what may
be construed as a confirmation of the
story that Snoqualmie Pass will be
used by the Chicago, Milwaukee & St.
Paul railroad in reaching the Sound.
Mr.. Earling says mis- company hopes
to get a grade of one-h half of one per
cent on the east side, and as little
more than 1 per cent on the west side
as is possible
Bring Rolling Stock West.
Rolling stock will be brought from
the east to handle construction work
on the west end. The St Paul has
plenty of rolling stock that can b.
spared for the work and an investiga-
practically impossible to buy engines
and freight cars to build the new line
Details of the purchase of construc-
ton materials. rolling stock needed to
handle the work and the making of
construction contracts are to be left
to H. r. Williams, president of the
Washington company. Mr. Earring
will look over the surveys as far as
completed and approve the location of
the road
From the present terminus of the
st. Paul at Pierre, S. D., to Butte, the
new line of the Chicago, Milwaukee y
st. Paul is pretty definitely located
The company has a pretty clear idea of
the route it will follow into this state
and nothing has been developed thus
far that changes the belief formed
several weeks ago, that the road would
be built in almost direct line from the
SroquaImie Pass to Palouse. This
would cut out Spokane, and Walla
Walla
Wants Spokane for Freight.
The Spokane situation is not worked
out clear enough to enable President
Earling to make a statement regarding
that city but from an explanation ne
made it is evident that the st. Paul is
planning to get into Spokane on a
spur Mr.. Earring tells the people OF
Spokane that they have good passen-
ger accommodations now, but that his
road would give them access to 5000
miles of territory, much of it not al
present served by the Hill lines. He
leaves the impression that the Mil
waukee will fight in Spokane more for
freight than passenger traffic. This
would be the case if the road does not
run straight through that city.
From Seattle to Snoqualmie Pass
the line of road is pretty clearly de-
fined. 1t has been explained before
that a maximum grade of eight tenths
of l per cent can bn had as far as
Rattlesnake prairie and from there to
the summit or rather the highest alti
tude reached by a tunnel, the maxi
mum grade will be 1.25 per cent. Fol-
construction purposes maximum Of
8 per cent can be had without con-
structing a switchback, and railroad
officials believe this may be reduced
some when the surveys are completed
The Hill lines have a maximum grade