The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1910-12-01

sources, and FOR another that this part
viii sustain more new population
new production and new enterprise
than any other now known. The early
completion of the Panama canal,
from which the North Pacific will
have the benefit of the all-water
route, and under which the coast pro.
ducing country will profit vastly more
than the states further inland, calls
for the railways to readjust their
routes to the most economic lines,
and without doubt the Hartman sys-
tenn will be ready to grapple with
that new factor in the traffic system.
These operations have invariably
broken into the Northern Pacific's
richest tonnage country; and they
cannot now be left uncovered and
uncompleted, lest the tactical advant-
ages already won become obsolete
or counteracted. The reasonable In
ference is that the Hartman system
is now ready to connect up, and do
so quickly, too, as there Is, besides
other reasons, a large Idle invest
ment of capital that demands in
crement.
The situation presents a fine field
for speculation, not only as to these
roads, but as to what the Pittsburg
& Gilmore and the Northern Pacific
cutoff are going to do once they find
the slumbering Hartman colossus
aroused to aggressiveness in these
strategical positions.
Following the publication of the
dispatch from Portland yesterday,
which announced that the Pittsburf
& Gilmore Railway company had es-
tablished western headquarters in
that city, and that the plan of the
company was to place the Shoup-Lew
iston section of the Salmon river line
under construction contract in the
spring, information came Yesterday
that the company has for some time
the river making correction In the
location survey, which was complet-
ed last summer
One OF the surveying crews is In
the Lucille section and explained up.
on their arrival there, they were in
the geological survey service of the
federal government. Another party
is on the lower Salmon river and a
third is in the vicinity OF Shoup on
the upper stretches of the river. The
corrections in the survey it appears
were ordered from the head offices
after report on the location had been
made early in the fall, and the men
were sent out as promptly as pos
sible.
Opinion is generally held in rail-
road circles that the decision of the
Hartman interests to do extensive
construction work in the Snake Sal
mon-Clearwater Sections will be
followed by like activity on the
part of the Hill people. There has
been much evidence to sustain the
view that the Pittsburg & Gilmore
company is Hill organization hav-
ing in view the extension of the Bur-
lhgton road to Lewiston to
make connection with the hill
lines. There Is a view In that con-
nection that the Salmon river route
has been adopted by the Hill people
in preference to the Lolo cut off
route, for 1t was noted that the cut
off plans seemed to have been aban-
doned shortly after the Pittsburg &
Gilmore engineers entered the Sal
mon river basin. At the outset 1t
was believed the Pittsburg & Gilmore
was Hartman Line, but this opin-
ion was dispelled when the Oregon
Short Line sent surveyors into the
Salmon river district who engaged
in contest with the Pittsburg & Gil
more men for the route entering the
Salmon basin near Shoup. The Hill
interests are in control of the Bur-
lington, having acquired that advant-
age several years ago when Hartman
endeavored to acquire the control of
the Northern Pacific.
If the Pittsburg & Gilmore proves
to be a Burlington extension, it will
give Hill the shortest transcontinent-
al line to the coast. The course is
almost in a direct line westerly from
Billings. Railroad men generally be-
lieve that active construction work
on the road between Shoup an Lew
lston will begin during the coming
year.