Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1907-03-04

A gigantic struggle between
transcontinental railroad interests
is in progress on the Olympic pen
insula. Three great systems, the
Chicago, Milwaukee & st. Paul and
the Union Pacific, dominated by e.
II. Hartman, and the Northern Pa
cific, controlled by James j. Hill,
are battling to secure control of
the country. Surveying parties are
working with feverish haste locat.
ing lines; scores and scores of tim
ber cruisers are scouting the entire
country north of Grays Harbor and
Hoods canal; efforts are being made
to purchase eve,y acre of timber
land; every surveyor that can be Sc
cured is rushed into the country.
and tons and tons of provisions and
supplies are forwarded to the scene
of operations. Daily telegraphic
bulletins inform tho great railway
magnates in St. Paul, Chicago and
New York, the commanding gener-
ais of the armies in the field, of the
progress Of the fight.
The mask Of secrecy and stealth
with which from last July each in
terest had veilcd its operations, was
suddenly torn asunder last week.
From now on the fight will be out
io the open and speed will be the
determining factor in the contest.
The discovery was made last wecl:
by the Northern Pacific that the
Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul and
the Union Pacific railroads would
build joint line around the cir
cumference of the peninsula paral-
1eling the road projected by the
Northern Pacific. This fact was
made known to the Northern Pacific
when A. L. Hickman, an enginee.
OF the Chicago, Milwaukee & st.
Paul, with party of surveyors,
went to Quillayute, and taking UP
the north end Of a survey started
by Theodore F. Rixon for the Union
Pacific from Quillayute, proceeded
to the north.
simultaneously the suspicion that
RiXon and his surveyors were in the
employ of the Union Pacific in run
ming a line south from Quillayute
was confirmed. 1t was discovered
that the Union Pacific had a party
Of engineers in the vicinity Of Aber-
deem and that the Oregon & Wash
ington railroad will take the west
bank of the Cowlitz river in coming
north.
Roughly, both the Hill line and
the joint road will run north along
the west side of Hoods canal to Dis
covery bay, west along tho strait to
East Clallam, and south along the
coast to the Grays Harbor country
Traffic for Centuries.
The prize for which these roads
are struggling Is the richest unde-
veloped section in this state and
perhaps in the United States. Prac-
tically one-third, or 1916, 900
feet, of all tho standing timber in
the state is located on the peninsula.
1t is worth into the hundreds of
millions of dollars and can furnish
traffic to railroads for many years.
Immense areas of this valuable tim
ber have been purchased by the
Continental Timber company.
a subsidiary company of the Chica-
go, Milwaukee & st. Paul. The pur-
chases were commenced under Law
renee Fitch, son-in-law of President
Earling, and have been continued
by A. L. Flewelling. The Palmer
family, Of Chicago, two of whom
are at present in Seattle, are heavily
interested in these acquisitions OF
timber.
Until last year no steps had been
taken FOR years to develop this Inn
mensely rich country. The Northern