The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1907-07-17
NORTH COAST IS
BACKED BY G. P.

1.-The theory is good, the logic is
convincing and the story we'll worth
repeating" said Robert f. Strahorn,
president of the North Coast Railroad
company, i'm reference to the report
that the North Coast is being con-
structed by the Canadian Pacific rail-
way.
Possibly this latest revival of the
Canadian Pacific story is due to our
having employed some old Canadian
Pacific engineers" he remarked.
Did it ever occur to you what a
magnificent railway system it will be
that can 50 logically he tied up with
and welded into so many different
transcontinental lines approaching
from different points of the compass:
Was anyone ever so favored in the
matter of lineage and choice of par
entage?
There has been much talk that
the North Coast is not sincere in its
statements that it is to build the sys-
TEN which has been laid out and sur
veyed. Perhaps the best evidence of
our sincerity that can give is the am
cunt of money that we are putting
out in finding the very best routes.
"As an example, there was one
stretch of 90 miles out toward Che
ney where, last fall, we had practi
cally decided the line was to run.
Then we put one engineer at work
on that 20 miles and kept him there
for six months, just going over it
and surrounding country to improve
on what we already thought the best
we could get The result was an even
greater imp ovement in the route.
This is our rule in laying out our en-
tire system, and this is why we will
have such light grades and not
sharp curve We are still at work
over our entire system to improve,
and in many places we are certain
expenditure of time and money.
GAS for the rights of way, the
work of securing these is being push
ed forward with all speed. All
through the Cascades, in the forest
reserves, the timber land and reser
vations and the government irriga-
ton projects, we have secured our
right of way, and have practically Sc
cured it from Spokane to North Yak
lima and from east of Cheney to the
Columbia river. We are working on
this line all over the system.
I'm the actual construction our
work is not going forward as fast as
we could wish, owing to litigation
which must be settled before the
work can be rushed We have about
40 miles graded in the Yakima val
ley and the work is being carried
steadily, though slowly, along
"At suitable points in the Big Bend
wheat country the North Coast IS
projecting branches which will in
sure it fair share of the great traffic
of that section. Our engineers are
now at work on new branch in this
region on which the company has but
recently decided The line will be
about so miles long, and is planned
to leave the main line at Ritzville.
passing through that place, and on
through Harrington to Davenport.
This branch is not as yet entirely
surveyed.
1.-The North Coast is securing
short line from a point near Ritz
vile on the Spokane-Columbia rive
division, south to WaIla Walla. Not
only does this line furnish a Spokane
Walla Walla route about 40 miles
shorter than any existing route, but
has the same high standard of light
grades and curvature which has been
adhered to on the main lines. The
great attention being given to the
engineering and right of way work
on the Spokane Walla Walla line, as
well as ON the Walla Walla- Puget
sound line.
1.-THE Spokane and Palouse branch
of the North Coast, following the
easy grades and very direct route
almost a straight line-furnished by
Hangman creek, gives it an ideal
line into the heart of the Palouse
country-for example, some eight
miles shorter between Spokane and
Tekoa than existing lines, with a
maximum grade of six-tenths per
cent against grades of over two per
cent on the others
Well Informed railroad men as
sert that the Canadian Pacific, hav-
ing reached Spokane from the north
east, will not be permanently content |
with its present arrangement for |