The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1908-04-08
WORK
STRAH0RN TELLS OF the
LABOR IN WASHING Ton
He Declares North Coast Is An .Abso-
lutely Independent System
to Serve Coast.

To reporter for the Los Angeles
Times, Robert f. Strahorn. who is
now in California. gave some inter-
esting and concise information re-
garding the activity in railroad build
ing in the northwest. The Times ar
ticle follows:
Robert f. Strahorn. president of
the North Coast Railway company,
who. with Mrs. Strahorn and Mr.. and
Mrs. Jay p Graves. all of Spokane,
are touring California by automobile,
when seen at the Alexandria yester-
day gave some Interesting details
Of railway construction in the Pacific
Northwest Over 1000 miles of
steam and nearly 1000 miles of cleo
trio roads are under actual construc-
ton in the states of Washington and
| Oregon alone, involving an expendi-
ture of about $4,000. 900.
The Chicago, Milwaukee & st.
Paul coast line of some 100 miles
is more than half completed, as to
grading and bridging, and about 700
miles of track have been laid. main
~ on the east end. The line will be
in operation as far west as Butte by
May and important sections in the
state of Washington. on which steel
is now being laid. will be in opera
ton by midsummer The great
work has been so we'll financed that
here was no letup on account of hard
times The line is to be in opera
ton through to Seattle and Tacoma
early in 1909.
Huge S.. +. & 5. Project
The Spokane Portland & Seattle
company is building about 500 miles
including a line from Spokane to
Portland and an important branch
along Snake river from Pasco 10 Ri
paria. where connection is made with
another line of about so miles, now
being about completed by that com
pany and Hartman interests. jointly
10 afford low grade outlet from
lewiston Idaho. and to Clearwater
country to tidewater at Portland
From Lewiston another line, supposed
10 be in the Hartman interest. is
being built 100 miles up Snake river
10 a point near Weiser Idaho. where
connection will be made with the Ore
gon Short Line The Spokane, Port
land & Seattle line is being built
jointly by the Northern Pacific and
Great Northern companies on re-
markedly low grades to relieve the
stress Of traffic from Spokane to the
sea and to do away with the excess
siye grades over the Cascade noun
tains About 400 miles OF this line
cost over 100000 a mile Divides
are pierced by tunnels. or deep cuts
/ for miles at a stretch, and many
miles Of ravines are filled. sometimes
to a height of $50 feet. This line is
also building the first bridge over
the lower Columbia river for its en-
trance to Portland, a structure about
mile and half long.
The Oregon & Washington rail
way, being built from Portland to
Seattle by the Hartman interests, IS
another line of very great Importance,
as II, with the Milwaukee line, marks
the real first invasion of the great
and profitable Puget sound field,
hitherto dominated by the Hill in
tesests 1t is about 10 miles long
and involves many expensive con-
struction features, chief of which are
long tunnels at Portland and under
the cities Of Tacoma and Seattle and
enormously expensive terminals al
the latter city. This will in course
of year give Lon Angeles a direct
rail line through to Seattle.
The Idaho & Washington Northern
Railway company is completing a
steam line from Spokane northward
about 100 miles through a vast tim.
Der belt, interspersed with some good
farming country and several other
Independent steam lines are under
construction in the Occur d'Alent
country east Of Spokane. In add.
ton to these new lines the Canadian
Pacific, Northern Pacific. Southern
Pacific and Great Northern eompan,
lies are all about completing work OIL