Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1912-09-27
INTERURbAN LINE
CONCERNING OLD
RAILROAD GRADE
Washington Oregon Company A.
ter Union Pacific Right Of Way
Through Olympia.
WITH TERMINAL RAILROAD.
Olympia First Port on Tacoma
Vancouver Road-History
of Grade.

tThe following story was denied by
"a local paper; nevertheless II in anthem
tic. substantiated by the court records
u: Lewis county. where recently suits
to condemn I22 different pieces of
property were Instituted against the
Spokane. Portland & Seattle railway.
Could NIL of these he located within the
fOnr-,nile stretch between Chehalis and
Centralia. ns alleged: 1t Is further
sIbstantiated by the fact that the
Washington company recently applied
to the state for n permit to extend it's
line from Centrnlin to Tumwater, to
connect with the Olympia lines, and by
the surveys to both north and south
county during the last month. The
Washington Electric Company is au-
thorixed to construct n steam or cleo
tric railroad from Tacoma through
Olympia. Centralia, Chehnlis, to Van
couver, WASH; from CentrnIia and Che
halls to South Bend and Aberdeen, and
from Cheanlix to Randle.D
The forces behind Olympia's ter
minal railroad project became known
phia financiers began condemnation
proceedings whereby the James ]. Hill
railroad interests will be separated
from the old Union Pacific grade
between Tacoma, Olympia and Van
couver. Wash, which Hill has jealous
ly guarded for Is years. Backed by
Sinkler brothers, the Welch family
and other Philadelphia financiers,
Isaac W. Anderson of Tacoma, recent
ly incorporated the Washington Elec-
trio railway to build interurban lines
from Tacoma to Olympia and Van
couver, a distance of 140 miles; from
Chehalis to South Bend and Aberdeen,
a distance of IS miles, and from Che
halls up Cowlitz valley to Randle, 60
miles.
On Saturday this company filed, at
Chehalis condemnation suit to obtain
all that remains, comprising 122 par
GELS, of the old grade between Taco
ma, Olympia and Vancouver, built 20
years ago by the Union Pacific rail-
road. then dominated by Sidney Dillon
and Jay Gould.
Fifteen years ago Hill bought this
grade for unpaid taxes. He utilized
the Columbia river piers in building
the North Bank bridge designed by
Ralph Modjeska. Short portions of the
grade were used in rebuilding and
double-tracking the Northern Pacific
for the joint Hill and Harrison use.
Several months ago the Olympia
Terminal company purchased from the
Northern Pacific, at a nominal figure,
all that portion of the right-0f-way
entering the capitol city. for the use of
a terminal road to be constructed by
Olympians. Less than two months ago
DIR. p. H. Carlyon, president of the
Olympia Terminal company an
nounced that the control Of the COM
pany had been taken over by a syn
dicate of Eastern men, interested in
interurban systems in the East.
At that time the announcement was
made that the Olympia brance right
of-way was being purchased by a
Philadelphia for the express purpose
of providing short line in which to
educate his son in railroad work. Later
developments showed, however, that
the same company securing the only
railroad grade into Olympia was also
getting rights-of-way down through the
southern part of Lewis and Thurston
counties.
That the new interurban system is
more substantially backed than by
merely rumors is shown by the recent
purchase of large tracts of acreage
along the old U. p grade, by such
realty firms as the Calhoun-Denny-
Ewing company of Seattle. This
concern recently took over 5000 acres
of land in Thurston county, while
Portland real estate concerns are work
ing northward picking up large tracts
wherever possible.
Just what significance this unusual
realty activity has is not known. but
the fact that the Olympia road with its
right-of-way has already been taken
over and condemnation proceedings
started to secure the rest of the old
U. p grades leads to the belief that
the Washington Electric railway peo-
pie intend to push active construction
work. The sale of the Olympia Ter
minal property was made with the pro-
viso that the road would be construct
ed to the Tenino prairie and in opera
tion before October /, 1913.
Olympia will be the first Puget
Sound port to be reached by this line,
which is now building north from
Centralia and Chehalis. Consequent
ly the coal fields, timber holdings
and farming interests of thewhole
section will find this city their
quickest, cheapest and easiest outlet
for shipping purposes.