Omaha daily bee., 1910-10-23

this latter point we reach the majestic
and historic Columbia river. Great Britain
wanted this river to be the northern lire
Of the States, but as I have mention ,
our farmers thought otherwise Tho n W
line crosses this river on a great steel
bridge, with fifteen spans of steel trusses,
supported by massive concrete piers the
channel span being placed so high that a
draw is necessary. 1t cost the st. Paul
road nearly a million dollars to bridge the
Columbia river at Beverly, Wash.
Not far beyond the Columbia is the ia
nous Kitttas valley, a great grain and
stocltN country. irrigated from the Yakima
river. This district is splendid for all man
ner Of fruits and land is being developed
in ten-acre tracts which bid fair to rival
in productiveness the best OF the Washing
ton and Oregon districts There is one
more mountain range to pass-the Cas-
cades. The new steel trail to the Pacific
ascends these timbered slopes and gets
over Snoqualmie pass at 800 feet The
line follows the Snoqualmie river down
through some OF the heaviest timber in
the state. At North Bend il takes the
Cedar river valley, and from the town OF
Maple Valley the run into Seattle and Ia
coma is easy. The Tacoma branch crosses
the PGyailup river, just above the interur-
Ran bridge at Tacoma The descent from
Montana TO the Pacific coast has been
emnently practical the maximum grades
being IL per cent, the balance OF the line
4 per cent. These Unconditional details
from the new railway sound prosaic hut
they cover a great country and a great
story
Of ~
the st. Paul railway-represents the fastest
building time ever known in the railway
world, The first shovel Of earth was turned
on April ., 1906 The last rail was laid near
Missoula, Mont, on March 20, 1909. The
extension OF more than 1,4OO miles. the out
let Of a great railway system to the Pa
cifc coast was built IN less than three
years. During this period more than 6O.OOO,
COO cubic yards Of material had been ex-
eavated, $4,000 yards Of tunnel driven,
twenty miles OF bridges erected and over
10000 tons of eighty five-pound rails laid
The total cost Of building this extension
was nearly y1C0O0J,Ol0. on some days more
than five miles Of new railroad a day. over
ali sorts OF country, were built. In early
times a mile a day was considered almost
a miracle under the most favorable condi-
tions. But this line was built in sections
and seems almost TO rise from the ground
simultaneously throughout its whole ex-
tent across the continent. From st. Paul
Minneapolis the old line had been pre-
viously built to Aberdeen, S. ID. The line
was finished TO Marmarth. 2S8 miles west
OF Aberdeen, October 10, 1907. and to Terry
Mont, 81 miles west Of Aberdeen. Feb
ruary l6, 1903. II reached Miles City March
J. 1868, and Lombard, 722 miles west OF
Aberdeen, March Is. From Harlowton &c
Lombard, Mont. the line Of the Montana
railroad, already constructed, was used
and the opening Of train service to LON
hard, on March Is, 1905, gave through sery
ice 20 Moore, Mont, and Lewiston, Mont
The city Of Butte was reached in May
1903, and the last rail laid near Missoula
Mont, on March p. 1909
Several branch lines are already unde
construction, and the Cannon Ball line II
south Dakota and North Dakota, through