The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1909-04-21

time he served notice on the Northern
Pacific that he would insist on his
rights for building a railroad even If
1t caused certain Inconvenience for
Hills line, which happened to be in
the way in several places; and he
proceeded at once to make good his
assertion in court.
| Method i'm Their Madness
1t was then that the engineering de-
partment of the Northern Pacific got
busy on report No. 2. This contained
some rather startling information.
The aimless work that characterized
the beginning of the North Coast sur
veys had given way to method and
system. More than $4,000 month
was being expended on surveying, and
the crews were now under the direc-
ton of a man of thorough knowledge
and practical experience. Surveys
were being run along routes where
railroad could be constructed and
through parts of the country lacking
transportation facilities to develop
them.
That there was money behind the
project, was now established, but who
was furnishing it, and what kind of
a road or a system was to be built, re-
m aimed as much a mystery as before.
Since then every string that is known
to hold the mouth on a Wall Street
money bag has been pulled in the at
tempt to discover the source of Stra-
horns revenues. 1t was comparative
ly easy to ascertain that pay checks
for the North Coast were drawn on
the Seaboard National bank of New
York and that Moffit & White are the
bankers who honor Mr.. Strahorn's
drafts. However, this signified moth
ing, and Moffit & White have remained
impenetrable.
Hill Thinks 1t Hartman.
| Whatever Hill has been able to
learn has only increased his belief
that Hartman is the moving genius
behind the North Coast project. On
this theory he is fighting every step
, of Strahorn's approach to Spokane,
and if litigation now pending should
be decided favorable to the Great
Northern and Northern Pacific COM
panies, the North Coast line would be
| shut out of this city.
| AS the financial proportions Of the
| North Coast loom ,and' the system
grows in magnitude, public interest is
keen, while Hill is fighting with more
| determination. In a few weeks Stra-
horn put $1,00O,000 into Spokane ter
minal grounds and a depot site. To
reach the station site acres of solid
rock must be blasted out thirty feet
below street grade and the excavation
must be laid with floor and walls of
cement to keep out the river, below
the level Of which the rails will be
laid. Two steel bridges. each more
| than a mile in length and $50 feet
high in places, must be built across
the Spokane River gorge to enter the
city.
! Just when all these plans seemed
! perfected the Great Northern has
again thrust itself into Strahorn's
path. A little strip Of Great Northern
ground which has been lying idle for
fifteen years must be had by Stra-
horn to reach his depot site. for which
he has paid $750,0O0. 1t is located
within two blocks of the most promi-
nent corner in the rental district of
Spokane.
Must Fight All the Way.
Unable to buy the needed strip from
the Great Northern, Strahorn started
condemnation proceedings. AS the
next move the Great Northern has
decided this and adjoining property to
the Spokane, Portland & Seattle, and
instituted counter condemnation pro-
ceedings to acquire all of Strahorn's
freight terminals ground.
Even with this settled in Strahorn's
favor, an equally stubborn fight is on
with the Northern Pacific and Spo-
kane, Portland & Seattle for right-of-
way through the ravine through
which these roads pass between Spo-
kane and Cheney, Wash. The North
ern Pacific and Spokane, Portland &
Seattle lines run close together and
are at different elevations. The lines
are crossed twenty times between Spo-
kane and Cheney. To work out these
crossings without intersecting either
line at grade, when they are often no
more than a few hundred feet apart
is the most difficult feat Strahorn's
engineers have encountered. Aside
from the engineering difficulties, the
Northern Pacific is fighting the inva-
der step by step in the courts. which
will at least cause indefinite delay.
Mr.. Strahorn says the line will be
completed and will have entrance to
/ Spokane. Tacoma, Seattle and Port
land with feeders to various interior
points. He has made good so far and
there is every reason to believe Wash
ington will have another railroad be-
fore the close of 1910.
AlMHMl re L. IL