The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1908-02-23

Is to traverse the Snake and Colum-
bia rivers on their northern margcs,
from the easterly limits Of the grain
world Of Idaho, Montana, Washington
and Oregon to the sea-terminals Of the
Columbia and Puget Sound.
The present scope of the road
is as follows: From Spokane to
Portland, via Pasco, Kennewick and
Vancouver Cat which latter place il
connects with the N. P. road for
Seattle, via Kalama); and from Port
land it will use the tracks of the N. P.
as far as Goble, continuing its sea-
board run over the south bank lines
Of the Astoria & Columbia River Rail-
road (which last year became Spo-
kane, Portland & Seattle dependency
Of the most important quality, to
the City Of Astoria, II miles from the
Pacific Ocean.
When it is remembered that the
right-of-way mileage from Kalama,
along the north bank of the Column
bia, to Frankfort, Immediately oppo-
site this city, has already been ac-
quired by the Hill interests, it will
be seen that those interests have abb
sorbed the lower Columbia absolute
ly, on both banks, west OF Portland,
and conjecture alone may supply the
cardinal reason for such strategic
acquisition.
Moving southwesterly out Of Spo-
kane, the S. P. & S. swings down
through vast wheat and stock area
between the Spokane lines of the
Northern Pacific and the Oregon
Railroad & Navigation Company,
touching the Snake river at point
on the Columbia nearly opposite Sim
mons on the 0. r. & NJ, and almost
immediately forming junction with
its own spur running up the Snake as
Jar as Texas City, opposite Riparia.
The line continues on down the north
bank of the Snake to its confluence
with the Columbia at Ainsworth, and
from there utilizes the tracks of the
N. P. into Pasco, crossing the Colum-
Sia into Kennewick for its straight
away fight down the north shore of
that river to Vancouver, whence it re-
crosses the Columbia, and is bridged
over the Willamette to a final Port
land connection with the Northern
Pacific line from Goble on the out
skirts of the Oregon metropolis. The
Spokane Portland run covering 33o
miles, or, practically, so miles less
than the 0. R. & N. takes in making
the traverse; and the Spokane Astoria
run is accomplished in 43l miles, q
saving Of 100 miles between the two
SitiSSy HSlGlUiuIE GAISld0t.
There is nothing in railway con-
struction west Of the Rocky Noun
tains to match the quality of building
that has been devoted to this enter
prise; and little, if anything to sur
pass it, east of those mountains. The
road will cost, when finished, close
upon $40,0O0000, and the most pro-
found scrutiny of the work will not
evoke a gainsaying whisper against
such an estimate. The primary max
i'm of reducing distances was re-
adhered to in the surveys
finally adopted by the projectors, and
this has been followed up by the next
tremendous obligation of cleaving to
the water-level grade of the line for
its entire mileage with such an ex-
actitude as to give it uniform lift
Of 2-l0 Of per cent south and west
Of Kennewick and but little more
beyond; condition that makes il
the master-system Of
transportation on this coast, there
being no known parallel for such an
achievement anywhere on the Pacific
slope for such distances.
The altitude OF the lines above the
Columbia has been kept at 10 feet
above the high water mark registered
for the Columbia food of 1894, the
highest ever known, and frees it from
all possible danger of inundation at
any point
The road between Vancouver and
Kennewick is, at this writing, practi-
4. .