The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-04-27
FIGHTING TO KEEP
HILL FROM IDAHO
Open Warfare Between Short
Line and Pittsburg & Gil
more Predicted.
DECLARE WAR TO THE KNIFE
IDAHO ADVICES HARTMAN IN
TERESTS RESENT INVASION.

War TO the knife between the Ore
gon Short Line and the Pittsburg q
Gilmore railroads in Idaho, is reported
| by the Idaho Statesman of Boise to
have been declared. 1t is asserted that
the Hartman and Hill interests are
making a strong effort to keep James
j. Hill out of Idaho. Anent the predic-
ted open warfare, the Idaho Statesman
says:
Engineer H. N. Jones, ostensibly rep
resenting the Oregon Railroad & Navi-
cation company, but actually working
under Oregon Short Line orders, has
| invaded the Lewiston country the last
three days. in command of a big party
| of surveyors. The actual purpose be-
! hind the move is believed to be to
block the surve- of the Pittsburg q
Gilmore road, - ich are now being
made down the Salmon river.
The maneuver of the Oregon Short
Line in this respect is regarded as de-
fensive, to protect the Huntingdon
Lewiston branch, which is being con-
structed down the Snake river. The
Oregon Short Line will not wait any
longer, but Will start construction of
that line from the Lewiston end, this
year, ii Is said.
Race Well Under Way.
ALREADY the Oregon Short Line has
finished that line from Huntington as
Tar as Homestead, a distance of So
miles. The Hartman interests have
decided to build the remaining 100
miles to Lewiston as quickly as posi-
/ BILE.
The fight between the rival parties
/ or engineers is extending over a long
distance. The oregon Short Line sur
/ Vey TO Lewiston follows the south
bank of the Snake river and terminates
at Charleston. This survey was made
under the direction of Engineer Strad-
ley several years ago. Though it ends
/ at Charleston. a crossing was made
above the city with view to using it
as bridge site when conditions made
1t necessary for the road TO operate in
Lewiston.
The Hill interests have ordered
| their engineers to work faster than
they ever did before, and recent moves
prove that the men are carrying out
Instructions with celebrity. A big camp
| OF Pittsburg & Gilmore surveyors has
Just moved from the Steen ranch to a
place called Buffalo Rock, about IS
miles above Lewiston. The Hill sur
veyors are rapidly working down the
river, and 1t is stated on good author
! ity that they are covering identically
the same line surveyed several years
ago by Engineer Cobb of the o. r. &
n. The Cobb survey was made between
Lewiston and the mouth of the Salmon
river. and also provided for a great
bridge site a little above Asotin.
HuSh 10 Complete the Survey.
TT is stated by the Statesman's in
formant with positive certainty that
the Hill interests have ordered their
engineers to complete their survey in
to Lewiston within the next 20 days.
Thus, work that with an ordinary
force of surveyors might take a whole
year, will be finished in less than
month
According to a man who is on the
inside Julius Kruttschnitt, director
of maintenance and operation for the
entire Hartman system. a few days
ago summoned ]. P. OBrien, general
manager of the o. r. & N, and Chief
Engineer Boschke to a conference in
San Francisco. 1t is said that Krutt-
schnitt took up the Lewiston road
matter, and he evidently considered
HilPs movements of such Importance
in that section that he issued orders
for th6 rushing to completion of the
Huntington and Lewiston branch.
Now An Open Fight.
This simply means that the Oregon
Short Line can now only lay claim
to it's survey by actual possession.
This makes it an open fight with the
Hill interests.
The Hartman plan of war involves
the placing of large gangs of sur
veyoTs in position at all of the
strategic points between Lewiston and
the lower camp of the Pittsburg Sc Gill
more engineers"