The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1915-06-10
RAILROAD
COMMISSION REPORT
ROUTE FAVORED WOULD COST
s1a,ooo,oOO-WoULD BE ABOUT
172 MILES LONG.

- NDNAN NOhAN bS dDOuL az mile
In length and the commission estl
mates It would cost seventy five thou
sand dollars a mile. or twelve million
nine hundred thousand dollars. ex
elusive of equipment.
The governor requested the commits
! sion to make an investigation as 4
the feasibility of building a north AM
south railroad. The commissioner,
looked into the plan when they return
ed from their recent trip to the north
ern part of the state and covered n,
wagon considerable portion of IN,
territory to be traversed by the or3.
posed road. 1t made a report Satur.
day of its findings.
The commission found three posi-.
bic routes, but recommended the on,
from Lewiston to New Meadows, via
Snake and Salmon rivers as the most
practical. The other two are from
New Meadows to Fem via Whitebird
and Rocky Canyon. and from New
Meadows to Sites via Slate creek
The Lewiston road is estimated by tine
commission to be the most expensive
but Is believed by the commission u
be the best in that II serves more
country and would be more desirable
from an operating standpoint.
Considerable attention was paid by
the commission to the country to be
earVed and fbay ovoroa..l e.. 80.
report the opinion that a vast and rich
country would be opened and devel-
oped by the construction of such a
road
Report to Governor
| The report to the governor is as fol-
lows.
| We are pleased to report that. pur-
suant to your request we found il
possible on our return trip from north
Idaho to travel over the main part Of
the proposed route for a railroad con
Meeting north and south Idaho.
We left Grangevllle, one of the pro-
posed northern termlni of the road
on Thursday, May 90, and travelled by
wagon stage distance of 90 miles to
New Meadows which place. we reach
ed on Saturday evening, May %. We
We're accompanied on this trip by C. c
Van Arsdol of Lewiston, on engineer
who has had many years, experience
In railroad construction, who came as
the representative of the lewiston
Charleston Commercial club. We also
had with us Lee Highley Of New
Meadows, chief engineer of the Pacific
& Idaho Northern Railway company.
From these able engineers we secured
much valuable information and data
relative to the proposed road.
We attach hereto a sketch or map
locations, distances, eleva-
tions and grades, which you will no
doubt find valuable in your further
Three Routes to Salmon.
The proposed north and south rail-
road might be built on any one II three
n more lines from the mouth OF Slate
,reek at Freedom on the salmon river
lorthward, but south OF that point we
AVE information and data as to my
me route and that follows the course :
# the Salmon and Little Salmon rv-
RS to New Meadows, the northern
erminus of the Pacific e. Idaho Nor :
hern railroad. These three lines are :,
bout 100, 10 and 172 miles long re- :,
pectivey, The cost Of each line is =
at seventy-fve thousand =
ollars per mile complete not includ-
'g cost of operating equipment. The =
mes are as follows: :
New Meadows to Fem via White ="
I'd and Rocky Canyon, about 100 "
lies, at $4,000 per mile, $4,000 900. =
New Meadows to Sites. via Slate .
eek, about 10 miles, at $4,000 per ~
ile fS.250,OO0. ~
New Meadows to Lewiston, via SAL -
IN and Snake rivers. about 172 miles
fi75OOO per mile S12, 100000. ;"
These estimates are based on the ~
Instruction of first calss. standard nv
nd bed, with permanent structures. 81
The Slate creek line to Sites or y :
angeville would pass through tun- ~,
at It's summit, but we were UNI
le to find out at what elevation: -'e
re thorough investigation should be -.
de If this route is seriously constd-
d. The Slate creek line has little W.
commend II. The summit in tunnel Wy
uld probably be higher than VIZ
,ngeville and a smaller population ".
uld be served than by the White "o'
i-Rockg Canyon line ''''
Salmon Snake Route Good.
he Whltebird- Rocky Canyon line
I'D leave the Salmon river about 70
es below Whitebrd and climb a Por
per cent grade through Rocky
yon to Fem on Camas prairie.
$ line affords some disadvantages n
operation because Of the additional sbo,
init between New Meadows and ocr
iston and because of the heavy into
les and sharp curvatures Of the tho
hern approach to the Camas IN ;.
rie, but would serve a much larger arc
tory and population than the edge
= srdue route olrectly INTO Lew erup
l. cept