The record. [volume] (St. Maries, Idaho) 1913-1918, 1915-05-28


| Oregon Washington Railroad &
Navigation company road from
Huntington to Lewiston; Walter
Hill. highway construction en-
gineer for the county of Wash
ingion and Lee Highley, chief en-
gineer of the Pacific & Idaho
Northern railroad, who have re-
turned to Boise following an in
spection of the route of the So
called missing link" The cs-
timated cost of the construction
oi the road from New Meadows
to Lewiston is S6,00O,0O0 and il
could be built ON a two and not
more than a three per cent grade
The route is feasible. The cost
would depend greatly upon the
grade. At a greater cost the
grade could be reduced.
The inspecting party left
| Crangeville last Thursday morn
ing by stage for New Meadows
and arrived there Sunday. talk
ing three days to carefully 60
lover the route. a distance of about
90 miles. The trip was without
incident but was a hard one ow-
ing to the condition of the noun
tain roads because of the recent
rains.
A full and complete account Of
the trip and the findings of the
engineers Will be submitted by the
utilities commission to Govern
or Alexander later 1t was as
certaincd from those making the
trip that a number of surveys of
the missing link i'm the north and
south Idaho railroad have been
made, one of which is understood
to have been successful under
the direction of the Gilmore &
pittsburg railroad The Pacific
& Idaho Northern has made a
complete survey and has esti-
mates on construction of line
from New Meadows, its present
terminal, to higgins. The Gill
more & Pitisburg, which Is built
from Armstead, Mont, ON the
Butte-Salt Lake division of the
! Oregon Short Line, to Salmon.
Idaho, a distance of a little over
400 miles, and now known to be a
Hill property, has run a survey
from Salmon down the Salmon
river to Lewiston a distance Of
900 miles. The estimated cost
of This road is Sl5, 100000. IT
is estimated it would cost So
100000 TO build a railroad from
The present terminal of the Gill
more & Pillsburg via Rigins to
New Meadows to connect with the
Pacific & Idaho Northern. All
Of the surveys of the Gilmore &
piltsburg pass through higgins,
located south of Grangeville and
from there are carried into Lew
ision.
Members of the inspection par
ly found that the coulry through
which the missing link" of the
north and south railroad passes
is canyon like i'm character pass
ing mountains of high elevation.
Leaving Grangeville the descent
south along the route is for n
distance of about IS miles TO the
mouth of Rock creek. The Lit
lie Salmon river is followed to
higgins where a two per cent
grade is encountered to the en-
trance of a canyon where there
is five miles of heavy rock con-
struction. The main divide is
crossed at an altitude of 4i6C
feet.
The Pacific & Idaho Northern
which is constructed for 90 miles
from Weiser north to New Mea
, dows, passing through Midvale
Cambridge and Council, is said ia
be anxious to be connected with
the missing link in The event O
a the construction of the north an,
south IdahOr DAD whether &c
p Lewiston or to Grangeville as il
now has the most northern ter
minal of any southern Idaho rail.
!, has surveys and complete esti-
! mates from its terminal to Rig
gins is taken to indicate it ha,
prepared for just such a step a.
4 theb uilding of the road. F
y M. Heigho, vice president ant
general manager of the road, il
r here now consulting with tn
public utilities commission. IT
furnished a special train to NEE
the inspecting party at New Mea
dows and brought its member
= down Supnday so connection
could be made over the Shor