The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1909-06-29
A DREAM RAILROAD THROUGH
THE CASCADES

cific and North Coast Jointly guaran-
teed the $45,00o,00O required in adj
dition to the state and government
aid. The arrangement found some
thing of precedent in the Terminal
Railway company Of st. Louis which
owns and controls the terminal ia
cilities OF that great city. The use
of these facilities is open under def
mite conditions to all railroads enter
ing st. Louis, and the stock of the
company is largely owned by the CO.
operating roads. In like manner. the
P. S. & l. E. is great terminal
system to all eastern lines seeking
access to Puget Sound and was or
ganized to overcome natural obsta-
cles to such access which were too
great for any one company to over
come singly. In fact, the name,
Puget Sound Terminal railway,
would have been more strictly appro-
pirate than the name adopted.
Some reference should be made
to the means of fulfilling one of the
conditions of the local contribution
of fifteen million dollars-viz: That
the tunnel should offer a means of
highway communication across the
range The scheme worked out has
already received the popular name
of the Mountain Ferry and, briefly,
consists in transporting vehicles and
equestrians through the tunnel by
train. The company has so far pro-
vided a special service for this work
consisting of a light locomotive and
ten cars especially equipped for the
purpose Each car is long enough
to receive one six-horse team and
wagon or two single teams and wa
CONS or two large automobiles. IN
gress and egress are through the
doors in the ends of the cars. The
brakes and coupling devices are
operated by electricity under control
from the locomotive. Broad capa-
cious loading platforms have been
built with the ground in rear graded
up to an easy approach. For each
car of the train there is provided in
front of the platfor ma turn table,
pose of swinging the ends of the cars
to the platform. Unloading and
loading can take place simultaneous
" with all the cars and the opera
ton is simpler and more expeditions
than with the most perfectly equip
ped ferryboat A few experimental
trips thus far made show that this
process can easily be accomplished
| in five minutes. AS the trip through
the tunnel can be made with the
greatest ease in not to exceed As
minutes, and If necessary in 80 min
utes, it is anticipated that the round
trip every two hours will prove a
perfectly practicable service. 1t is
probable that two or three such trips
daily will meet present require
ments.
This transfer of SO miles carries
vehicles beyond all danger of snow
blockades on either side and makes
travel practicable in winter as well
as in summer. It accomplishes in
one hour without effort what would
| otherwise take at least two days of
| heavy work over the mountains, even
| when the season permits the trip to
be made at all. The charge for this
service, which must be approved by
| the railroad commission of the state,
is based upon the actual cost of
operation"
! Engineer Phucher says the dis
lance to Bellingham will be reduced
by 25 miles and winds up his
dream as follows:
1T was in the year 1909 that the
dtoltdIlOH iol tulS WOT
began-the year in which the North
| Bank and Milwaukee roads were
completed and Seattle's great fair
made the world better acquainted
than ever before with the resources
of the northwest country. Since that
date the development of this region
has been SO rapid that today, on the
eve of opening this splendid new
route, 1t is estimated that, in spite
of the heavy diversion of traffic from
the old lines. the latter will still
have more business to handle than
before the project began. In fact,
certain of them are about to COM
mence very extensive and costly i'm
provements The Northern Pacific
will lower its tunnel under the Cas-
cades sufficiently to eliminate all