The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1913-04-03
". N. means MUCH
TO San FRANCISCO


est the construction of the winnemuc
ca Northern railroad, according to an
article in yesterdays Call. The ac.
count takes up the best part of the
first page of the issue and contains a
map, showing the proposed route, and
is in part as follows:
Idaho wants TO come to San Fran
cisco and Oakland by direct route.
Boise, the capital and business cen
ter of the state, can be brought with.
in 696 miles of San Francisco if a
railroad 278 miles long is built north
from Winnemucea, Nevada, into south.
western idaho.
Now San Francisco and Boise are
1882 miles apart by the shortest
route, the Southern Pacific via Ogden.
The two cities are 1920 miles apart
over the Western Pacific, via Salt
Lake City, and 1857 miles apart over
the Southern Pacific via Portland.
Boise is connected with Salt Lake
City, Ogden and Portland by the Ore
gon Short Line, one of the roads of
the Hartman system.
The Oregon Short Line holds the
prodigiously rich southern Idaho
country as its own-holds as its own
the state which more than doubled its
population in the census decade ending
1910.
No Hartman line will help free it,
II can be rescued only by pushing a
railroad north from Winnemucca.
where both the Western Pacific ami
the Southern Pacific track.
If that railroad is built San Fran
cisco will come into a commercial pos
session as rich, approximately, as the
Sacramento valley, and capable of a
development almost as extensive as
the Sacramento and San Joaquin val.
loys combined.
For $6,000,000 or $7,000.000 rail
road can be built which will connect
San Francisco to city which has a
wholesale trade alone of $l0,000000 a
year, three -fourths of which will be-
come San Francisco's.
For $6,000,000 or s7,000,000 rail
road can be built which will bring the
enormous wool clip of southern idaho
and northern Nevada into the San
Francisco bay ports, thence to be ship
ped via the Panama canal to Boston.
For $6,000,000 or $7,000.000 a rail
road can be built which will bring to
San Francisco the trade and com
merce of an empire, that will bring
the wealthy people of Idaho into Cali
fornia, that will give San Francisco
and Oakland industrial, commercial,
social kinship with a state that now
is a stranger to San Francisco in ev-
erything. but aspiration.
Idaho Needs Aid in Deal.
The resources Of Idaho, its urgent
need Of railroad that will bring it
30 ItraUoican itc framap1nnG
possibilities Of development. win be
set forth in series of articles. of
which this is the first
The merchants and business men Of
San Francisco must be aroused to the
necessity of aiding southern Idaho in
the construction of this railroad. both
financially and morally.
The people of Idaho have not been
inert in the face of their great need;
but single handed, they are not able
to accomplish what can be done il San
Francisco backs them up. To San
Francisco alone can they look for help.
There has already been incorporated
the Winnemucea Northern Railroad
company, with headquarters in Winnie
mueca, which has done preliminary
work on this vital project.
Commerce Chamber at Work.
The men interested in this company
have interested the San Francisco
Chamber of Commerce and that organ
ization is now, through its traffic bu
reau and its transportation committee.
considering the construction OF the
Winnemucea. Boise route.
That is the situation today-a com
pelling need for a railroad, which
need is most keenly realized by Boise
end must be eomprehended by San
Francisco and Okland-for such
road will benefit these cities as much
rs it will develop southern Idaho.
There is a traffic existing and in pros
rect that will make the road paying
proposition from the day the last
spike is driven; country through
which a railroad can easily be built
end a preliminary company ALREADY
formed to undertake the construction
OF tho road.
There are problems which must be
faced.
There will be violent opposition de
veloped to the road both in Oregon
and Utah. Portland, Salt Lake City
end Ogden now share in the Boise
ounty.
The Oregon Short Line. which has
its clutch on Idaho politically and IN
a transportation way, will fight with
all the desperation of monster bat
tling for its prey. It will receive most
powerful aid.
The Oregon Short Line was assigned
to the Union Pacific by the benevolent
"unmerger commission of the Harri
man system, and in the final distribu-
tion of railroad trophies it will prob
ably stay with the Union Pacific.
The Western Pacific railroad has, al
present, troubles of its own in Cali.
fornia. regarding the distribution o
its coast traffic. The Western Paeifie
is the natual ally of such road as II
proposed to tap Idaho, for now the
Gould system can get into that rich
and growing state only by the suffer
anoo ~ tha Ivn;op Pacific Southern Pa