The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1909-03-27
nTLL-HARRIMAN
FIGHT IN WEST
ion in that Northwest territory.


time when negotiations are hopeless
and there must be a fight. 1t is on
the verge of this that the Washington
question stands at the present time.
The new line which the Hartman
people will build to Puget Sound VII!
closely parallel the Northern Pacific,
and in fact for large part OF the way
the two lines will be within oversight
The cost Of the new line will be very
large. Terminal facilities of the ex-
tensive and finished kind that the
Hartman roads require will call for
$45.O00,000. The new road itself, 23O
miles in length, can be built according
to the high standards which prevail
throughout the Hartman system, for
approximately $12,O00,00O. The whole
enterprise when finished, after apply
ing the cost of terminals to miles OF
new road built, will make the total
cost of the line in the neighborhood
Of $57,O00,OO or $4,000 mile, and
as such, the most costly railroad for It's
size which has ever been built
But the prize sought for is rich. 1t
is probably safe to say that no state
in all the Union is progressing as fast
as the state of Washington, and IL Is
almost a unanimous opinion amongst
railroad men in the west, whether or
not they have lines in the state OF
Washington, that this particular coun-
trv has more prospects for big ad-
vancement and big traffic development
in the next decade than any other state
in the Union.
fr-ra of W2ShlnGtOn
holds equally true of Seattle. which is
going ahead at rapid rate. For III
the opinion of students Of the econo-
mic situation in the west Seattle Is
destined to become another, II not
greater San Francisco.
Not only is Washington itself one OF
the richest agricultural states In the
Union. but along the eastern slope,
where the Northern Pacific now runs.
and where the Union Pacific will run,
there stands between 100000, 100000
400. OOO, 600 900 feet of lumber.
The Hill lines have received there in
the past more lumber than they could
possibly haul out. During large part
of the past decade, westbound business
to Washington has been light. But
there has been a large increase In pop
uuation and the state is becoming a
great distributing. field for the manu-
featured products of the middle west.
The center of this distributing field
is Seattle. Merchants and jobbers OF
Seattle can send thei-, stuff 400 miles
east 70 Spokane and even beyond that,
and throughout the ctate of Washing
ton distribute their goods and success
fact.
it was in this very question that the
recent controversy arose, Whlcn was
settled by the recent decision OF tne
interstate commerce COMMISSION III tne
famous Spokane rate case. II sun
leaves Seattle in a position to compete
with Spokane in the very territory OF
Spokane.
There is 70 doubt that the UnioS Pa
cific will divide with the Hill lines It's
NORTON of the enormous Washington
business. Its new line from Seattle to
Portland, and from Portland along the
south bank of the Columbia river, over
the oregon Railroad & Navigation COM
many southwark to the main line or the
Union Pacific at Granger, will, unless
operating standards go down, constitute
the cheapest line from the standpoint
Of cost to the railroad Of any or the
transcontinental lines; and judging by
operating results today, there is much
more money on the same volume of
traffic for the Union Pacific in it's long
haul business from Washington to the
east and vice versa, than there is for
any competitor.
similarly. the Union Pacific, with it's
Ta1n do
and thence in a network throughout
the middle west, has distributing IA
cilities for the products of Washington
eQualled by no other transcontlnental
line And with it's affiliated and sub
sidiary lines. il can gather up and de-
liver in Washington, the products of
manufacture which that state requires
from the middle west and east.
1t is Renaissance worth mention
ing that prior to the bankruptcy of the
Union Pacific railway and during the
administration OF Charles FRANCIS Ad-
ans, the Union Pacific projected
line from Vancouver opposite Portland
on the Columbia river northward to
Puget Sound.
At that time considerable progress
was made in the project work, rights
of way were established, piers con-
structei, etc. The investment repre-
scented 100000 when the Union Pa
cifc went into bankruptcy James j.
Hill owned one half, the Union Pacific
the other half. Mr.. Hill then had the
foresight which has since given him
the railroad empire of which he is the
master today. The Union Pacific sold
;fe
to Messrs Kuhn, Loeb & Co. 1t turned
up later in the hands of Mr.. HILL This
is after all one Of the thousand and
one instances which have gone before
to change the railroad maps and the
power OF the masters of railroads The
new Seattle line is only one of the
many things which Mr.. Hartman has
had to do in the Union Pacific to
undo the errors of his predecessors