The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1920-07-23
RAILROAD TALK.

Surveying parties of the Great
Northern Railroad Company are at
work on a survey from the mouth of
the Chumstick to Winton, the survey
following the Chumstick up to the
Appleton station on the logging road
and then cutting through westward
and coming out at Winton.
People who have resided here since
the early days of the town say that
this change in the road has been
talked of ever since they came here
and many of them seem to believe
that it is still "talk" and that al
though the crews are working on the
survey nothing will come of it. How
ever, from the best information The
Echo can get, there is no longer any
question about the matter The new
route will be graded and opened
within the next year or two.
Railroad officials and surveyors.
when they come to town, do not rush
to the newspaper office and tell their
plans and the newspaper publisher
must go by such reports as he can
gather; and as we get it this pro-
posed change was surveyed and plans
made some two or three years ago. Il
is expected that by changing the
route from the Canyon to the Chum-
stick the grade can be reduced from
2 $40 per cent to ! 4-10 per cent
and the danger of snow slides and the
upkeep of snow sheds will be elimi-
mated. According to such informa-
tion as we have, present plans of the
company are to construct the Chum-
stick route and then later to tunnel
through the mountain from near
Merritt to Scenic, distance of about
fifteen miles.
Talks which local people have had
with engineers on the job indicate
that work will soon begin on the
grade construction and it is indicated
that the construction of the graie
and tunnels will require eight years
to complete.
This division will undoubtedly be
electrified The company has been
planning for several years on a
mammoth electric plant at Chean,
and this work has been mentioned in
connection with the work here in such
a manner as to indicate that there
may be a change in division points
sometime in the future but not for
eight or ten years, or when the big
tunnel and electric plant are com
pleted.
Should all this work he put
through, Leavenworth. according to
one official who was here, will be the
best town it ever was for the next
eight or ten years. After that its po-
sition will depend much upon the
uses made of its advantages enjoyeI
during these eight or ten years. IF
by combined efforts we endeavor 10
build up the town and make it what
it should be, it will continue to pc
solid and influential all down through
time, whether we lose out as the
railroad division or not.
Let's set high mark and go to ii.
using to the limit the present advan-
tageous outlook, and let the future
take care of itself. IF this be done
no one need worry as to the future
for the worst that can happen would
only be the loss of the divisional
equipment and number of very good
families and men employed on the
railroad-a loss which none of us
likes to contemplate, because of both
social and commercial reasons. We
shall still have our agricultural and
stock producing pursuits. and Leav-
enworth is destined to be lumber
center for more years than one can
easily calculate with certainty.