Los Angeles herald., 1909-04-15
BEGIN FIGHT TO
SHUT HARTMAN
OUT OF SEATTLE
GREAT NORTHERN LINES LAY
CLAIM TO LANDS
FILE SO DEEDS TO GATEWAY OF
PUGET SOUND
Four-cornered Railroad War in WASH
Inuton Assumes Serious Aspect.
Contest Analysed by
Critics
[Ru Associated Press. ]

f ~ EATTLE, Wash, April 1.-THE
Great Northern railroad and the
~ Seattle & Montana railroad have
filed with the county auditor eighty
three deeds showing the ownership by
these transportation companies of a
large section of land in the northern
part of this city which the Harri-
man interests have asked to have con-
demned for the benefit of the oregon q
Washington railroad.
Much of the property that now stands
recorded as belonging to the Hill lines
and is desired by the Hartman inter-
ests was obtained by the Great North
ern as early as 1906. The last deed was
obtained in February of this year.
In the petitions for condemnation filed
by the Oregon & Washington company
the owners of record are made the de-
PENDANTS, although many of these own
ers have not possessed their lands for
three years.
The Times says today: within the
last thirty days the clash of railroad
interests in the Pacific northwest has
been started anew in a score or more
of places in a genuine competitive rail-
road war which not even the astute Mr..
Hartman, the communicative Mr..
Earring, or the diplomatic Mr.. Hill can
hide, disguise or conceal.
Fight Four-cornered
1.-THE fight is not three-cornered, but
four-squared, with the Hill interests
the Great Northern, the Northern Pa
cif1c and the Spokane, Northern d
Seattle-involved in bitter contro-
versy in condemnation suits and other
wise with the North Coast Railway
company, the Oregon q Washington
(Harriman), and the Canadian Pacific
railway.
Here are a few points on the map of
the Pacific northwest where the con-
troversy is either at the present mo-
ment being fought out in the courts, or
where rival railroad engineering parties
are struggling for vantage points and
stratgetic locations in undeveloped
country:
I'm the Clearwater country, east of
Lewiston, Idaho, Northern Pacific and
Hartman surveyors are both working
over the old ground covered by the one
time projected Missoula cutoff, which
was abandoned years ago when Charles
s. Mellen, president of the Northern
Pacific, entered into the famous gen
tlemen's agreement with Hartman
Jointly to build and operate the Riparia-
Lewiston line and quit quarreling over
the rich grange country to the east.
In Striking Distance
I'm the Flathead country, 100 miles
square, in Montana, where Hill sur
veyors are up against a hard fight with
a small army of Milwaukee engineers
in opening up vast virgin region or
immense resources, probably larger in
area than any single undeveloped part
of the Pacific northwest, Hartman al
ready is within striking distance of
this rich country and can quickly pro-
tect his interests there.
I'm Spokane the bitterest fight of all
is in progress in condemnation suits
in the federal court. The North Coast
railway, known variously as a Harri-
man or a Canadian Pacific corporation,
has attacked Hill in his stronghold,
seeking to acquire by condemnation
seventeen acres of land in the heart Of
the city formerly owned by the Great
Northern. but privately conveyed last
November by Hill officials acting UNI
der orders to the Spokane, Portland
and Seattle road.
ION both sides of Salmon bay in
Seattle, where the oregon and Wash
ington (Harriman) has begun condem-
nation suits to obtain railroad right
of way over land owned by the Great
Northern and the Northern Pacific,
and where Hill has retaliated by start
ing condemnation suits on his own ac-
count to protect his interests.
I'm Vancouver, B. c., where Hill
projects immense deep sea terminals
to handle grain and oriental exports,
and where the Canadian Pacific, as Of
ficially announced yesterday, is pre-
pairing to duplicate HilPs projected
81 ,000,OO0 terminals by building costly
grain elevators, etc.
"In these various points where the
fight is waged a small army of lawyers
costly ones-railroad surveyors, right
of way men and secret agents are en-
ployed. Expense cuts but little figure
the men who are on the skirmish line
themselves"