The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1915-06-04
Reported on North and South R. R.

Agreeable to request from Governor
Alexander, the members OF the Pub
lie Utilities Commission, have sub
mitted report on the proposed North
and South Railroad. / MS is the pro-
Ject concerning which Governor Alex
ander gave out an interview in Port
land lntmating thar he might call
special session OF the legislature to
promote. The report OF the commits
sion is presumed to be favorable. All
that is lacking is from $/,UUU,OO0.UU
to $l2 ,0OO,OUU.UU in capital with which
to build the road.
Commissioners Ramstedt, Graham
and Freehaver estimates that it will
cost $4,000 per mile to build line to
close up the gap between New Mea-
dows and Suites, GrangeviIle, or
! Lewiston. The distance between New
| Meadows and Sites is about 1UU
miles and the cost would therefore
be approximately %,5OU,UU0; the dis
lance from New Meadows to Grange
vile, via Whitebird, is about llU
miles, cost, $8,25O,0OO; New Meadows
to Lewiston, via Salmon River and
Snake river, l72 miles, cost $l2,90O,-
10000.
1t is to be regretted that these fig
ureS do not look attractive because a
North and South railroad uniting
North and South Idaho is something
that is very much to be desired. The
Boise Caldwell Winnemucca | n e
could be built for less than half the
money per mile and for about the
same in the aggregate and is a far
more attractive railroad proposition,
and yet readers of The Tribune will
understand how difficult it is to finance
the line. We fear that there are many
other railroad propositions far more
attractive TO capital that will have the
call over the north and south line.
The short saving in distance by the
proposed north and south railroad
will be matter of surprise to any
ONE who has not taken the trouble to
figure it up. The distance from Boise
to Occur d'Alene by the present rail
way route is 500 miles The distance
by the proposed North and South line
taking the shortest of the three sug-
gested routes, that by way of the Sal,
mon and the Snake rivers to Lewis,
ton, and thence to present route on 10
Occur d'Alene, is 522 miles, a saving
iii distance of only a. miles The
same figures would hold good as tc
distance saved when applied to Wal
lace and the Occur d'Alene mines
Standpoint, Boomers Ferry. St Maries
Harrison and many other important
points of the north.
To be absolutely candid, the truth
about the north and south railroad
proposition is that it is a joke. 1t.
only asset OF value is a political one
1t enables a wiley politician to foo
the northerners and make believe h,
is going to bring them close in to tn,
state capitol, and you know what Bar
mum said
There will be north and Souti
railroad built some time of course.
I will be about the time the owners o
5 the Pittsburg & Gilmore build thei
t line down the Salmon River to Lewis
ton. Then Col. Heigho can extent
his line a few miles to the Salmon
= river and the two sections of tn
E state will be connected up. But tn
: Pittsburg & Gilmore will not be bull
e as long as Democratic policies are be
e ing administered. Democracy and De
S preston have always travelled han
v in hand, and it is so today. Capita
: will not invest in any new enterprise
S until there is change of administra
ton and so the best way to get a mort
and south railroad, as we'll as to &c
: any other big investment of capita
4 in Idaho, is to elect Republican stat