The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1913-01-23
SLEEPING GIANT
will SOON awaken

! Crank r. Coffin, in Boise Statesman.)
Three years ago railroad, the
, Western Pacifc-900 miles long-was
completed from Salt Lake city to San
i Francisco.
When the Goulds first talked of
building this road, the proposition was
considered so wild and impracticable
that few people believed il would be
built.
Five hundred miles of the Western
Pacific runs through as hideous a des-
ert as exists on the American conti-
nent, country that will not produce
ton of local business, and the furth-
er fact, that this "Child of the Des-
ert parallels, within sight nearly the
entire distance, the old Central Pa
cine railroad, made its construction
appear to the practical business man
like an iridescent dream.
That 900 miles of railway, however,
was built and it is reported that AZ,
100000 has been spent by it in the
last two years in taking out curves
and reducing grades, and that the
road has less than l per cent grade
over the mountains.
1t would seem, since the Western
Pacific has not encouraged the build
ing. of feeders into the great fertile
regions that lie north of its line, that
the road was built for through bust
ness.
All of this is instructive and inter
esting, but that which is most refresh
ing to the citizens of southern Idaho.
and especially to the people of Boise.
IS the discovery of route of less than
200 miles, presenting no serious engi-
neerlng difficulties, over which a rail
road can be built from Boise to con-
meet at Winnemucca, New, with the
western Pacific, connection that
would place the capital city of Idaho
within 700 miles, by rail, of the me-
tropolis of the Pacific coast. whereas
now it requires 14O0 miles of rail
transportation for that city to reach
the great Snake river valley. This
250 miles of road, when built. would
divert at once to San Francisco large
amount of business that now goes
from our country to Portland. 1t is
reasonable, therefore, to believe that
when San Francisco is convinced of
the Importance of this connection in
her interest, that they will give sub
stantial aid toward its construction.
The railroad situation as developed
so far on the Pacific coast is illogical
and absurd as | will undertake briefly
to demonstrate. Between the FORTY
sixth and forty-ainth degrees of lati-
tude, within distance of 175 miles
are four great transcontinental lines
of railroads to the coast South of
the forty-sixth to the forty-frst de-
gree, double the distance covered by
the four roads, is the lone Oregon
Short Line. Embraced by this terri
tory so completely dominated by the
] Oregon Short Line are the vast fer
tile plains of the Snake river valley.
and between the forty-seeond and for
| ty-first degrees of latitude we find the
two competing lines, the Central and
the Western Pacific, paralleling in
| sight of each other for hundreds of
miles over the deserts of Nevada. We
find, therefore, two roads south, and
four north of us, making six in all,
operating in distance one-half the
area of that occupied by the Oregon
Short Line
/ 1t has been said, and perhaps it is
true, that the Oregon Short Line has
strangled the people of southern Idaho
out of all hope of ever securing COM
peting line of railroad into this mag
nifieent country; that from Shoshone
to Weiser, embracing the valleys of
Wood river, Bluneau, Boise, Owyhee,
Payette, Malheur and the Weiser, is
section unsurpassed in fertility of it's
soil, and the salubrity of its climate,
by any land in the world
| do not claim the gift of Divine
prophesy, but | believe it safe to pre-
diet that there will be in these valleys
I an bonon of
900 people.
The citizens of the Snake river
basin should realize that it is not alone
Boise that is interested in breaking
the strangle hold of the present rail-
road situation, and which, in my de-
liberate Judgment, can be accomplish
| ed by a connection with the Western
Pacific railroad at Winnemucca. If it
was a business proposition for the
Hill and Hartman people to build
each railroad 125 miles up the terri
BILE Desehutes gorge in order to reach
the wind-swept, treeless, elevated
plateau at the head of that stream,
then it certainly is logical and bust
ness proposition to build at least one
railroad through the marvelously rich
country lying between Boise and Win
nemucca, thereby connecting the gold
er heart of Idaho with the great sea-
port of San Francisco.
Southern idaho is a sleeping giant.
Its tremendous possibilities, few of
any of us understand. We know that
in the valleys referred to there are
millions of acres of land, the soil of
which is rich with the magic fertility
of volcanic ASH that its water power
is beyond computation; its mountains
are ribbed with lodges of precious
metals and clothed with a mighty for
est of valuable timber. Give it the
transportation facilities it is entitled
to by placing it within 700 miles of
the Golden Gate harbor. and that
giant will wake up and make noise
that will be heard around the world.
SPECIAL MEETING OF CHAMBER