The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1908-02-22
70 RUSH new line
v IN HARTMAN EXTENSION
PORTLAND TO SEATTLE TO
START IN MARCH.
.;,s,ed Construction Cost Is $780,
MiIe-Will Closely Follow Line
,u,r+bern Pacific, but Will Tunnel
!, Escape HiIIs-Thousands OF Men
~ Be Employed.

cattle Feb. 17.-Construction work
tho oregon & Washington railway,
Union Pacific extension from Port
,.a TO Puget sound, will begin next
Nth Owing to the delay in secur-
80 franchises in Seattle and the in
,s.+rial depression which began last
november, the work, which was to
,oro started full blast January l, has
hold lid. E. H. Hartman ordered
Uo noncion of all new work on the
'uS I'm of which he is the head until
S:n,os improved. Since the order was
1 effective conditions have i'm
ln "orod all over the country, and in
ttrrctions have been given to resume
DaiIroad building in the West.
-" General Manager J. P. O'Brien, of
~ hartman lines in Oregon. has di-
no+ad that the Riparia-Lewiston
h.oncb be finished at once and that
"o~t he started on the Oregon &
washington from Portland to the Co
,rrhia river. ]. D. Farrell, of this
ai+v has charge of the road building
north of the Columbia.
Recently the Oregon & Washington
officials have been theoretically push
mo their franchises before the Seattle
oity council. According to the terms
Of the franchises it is necessary that
tho railroad begin construction work
before June.
Will Employ Thousands.
Because OF the better supply of Ia
bor il will be possible for the railroad
~ do a great deal more during the
coming summer than had been plan
ned. Railroad men believe that once
the franchise matters have been set
tied thousands of men will be put at
work as quickly as possible. 1t has
been estimated that the cost of the
road from Portland to Seattle, inclus-
i've of the cost of terminals, will aver
age s15O,OOO mile.
One of the most important pieces of
work which will be done at once under
the direction of General Manager j.
P. O'Brien will be the boring of the
long tunnel between the Willamette
and Columbia rivers by which the Ore
gOn & Washington will enter Portland.
The tunnel will be 4,2500 feet long.
The surveys extend from a short dis
lance below the Portland Touring mills
through the bluff under the Willamette
boulevard The tunnel work will not
be difficult for the reason that the bor-
ing will be through gravel and clay. 1t
is proposed to line the tunnel with
concrete.
The engineering work will give the
Puget sound extension of the Union
Pacific an easy entrance into Portland
and will do away with any interference
in surface travel. For reasons Of con-
Venience the work will be directed
from Portland, and the o. r. & N.
engineers will have direct charge of
the enterprise.
Follows Northern Pacific.
North from Portland, the Oregon &
Washington follows closely the line OF
the Northern Pacific. Overland bridges
are to be built for the new line, but the
grade for the entire distance will be
easy. At Tacoma the two and one
MALI per cent grade of the Northern
Pacific will be avoided by the construc-
uon OF 4,O00-foot tunnel.
IN Seattle work has been progress
ing on the Hartman tunnel which will
W driven under the city. A small
pore has been made from the southern
portal to Yesler way, where the tunnel
nas been enlarged to it's full width.
Inc chamber is directly under the new
CITY hall now building. It is ESQ feet
iong, II feet wide and "a feet from
ne crown of the arch to the bottom.
ine walls have been lined with con-
Hele' The work under the city hall
Ids practically been finished, and with
~ few days the supporting timbers
Will be removed.
LIE tunnel work in Seattle will not
Oe pushed rapidly until construction
VI me extension from Portland to Pu-
o. sound has been well started. 1t is
~. e purpose of the engineers to finish
=. ue chamber under the city hall and
suspend operations temporarily.