Year: 1877

HALF WAY ACROSS.


The Seattle and Walla Walla Rail-


rond to ba Extended TO the sum.


init OF the Cascade MOunia ms


There is no doubt bat the Seattle
and Walla Walla Railroad will be
completed to the summit of the Sno-
,qualmie Pass during the coming
year. Arrangements have been
made by which the 100000 of in
debtedness now against the road will
be taken up. and S150,000 worth of
new bonds issued, increasing the
present debt by $4,000. With
this amount. and the other means
which are assured, the road bed can
be graded and ironed the entire
length of the extension. This ap-
pears at first thought, to be stu
:penduous undertaking. but short
review of what has already been
done will give us better idea of the
enterprise.


There has already been built, en-
iirely by Seattle money and pluck.
20 miles of the road, counting the
branch to Newcastle, which is now
nearly completed. This includes
the most expensive portion of the
entire road from Seattle to Walla
Walla. There are from Renton to
Newcastle IA trestles, ore of them
being 121 feet high and 500 feet
long; there is one cut ! 400 feet
long. from which 81, 600 cubic yards
of earth have been removed. The
expense of building the extention
epf four miles has been almost as
snrch as will build the road the
twenty miles from Newcastle to Sno-
~aualmie. Those who had previous
ly supposed millions would be re-
auired to build and equip the road
from this city to the summit will be
slow to receive these statements,
but an account of the manner the
road has been built will substanti-
ate them.


In the first place there are no Off
gers of the road drawing large sal
aries, and in the second place the
work has been done by original con-
tractors, under the dieect supervis-
ion of Mr.. Colman, the superinten-
dent, who is acknowledged to be the
most careful superintendent on the
Sound. None of the contractors
have made more than wages at their
work. the prime object with all be-
ing the building of the road. The
iron and rolling stock have been
put on at the very lowest figures,
and in some cases at decided bar
gains, notably in the case of the
first locomotive, which was purchas-
ed new at large reduction from the
cost price. The cars have been all
built in Seattle. Mr.. Colman paying
for them only the cost of the labor
and material. By this system of
economy and good management the
first twenty miles, and by all odds
the most expensive portion of the
road, have been built, and all with
out the aid of outside capital. As
soon as the cars begin bringing coal
from the Newcastle mines theincome
of the road will be amply sufficient
to pay the interest on the proposed
new issue of bonds. So soon as the
road is completed to the summit the
immense trade of Eastern Washing
ton will be turned in this direction,
and the cars will leave Seattle laden
with lumber, coal, agricultural sup
plies, and general merchandise, aud
return filed with grain, cattle, and
produce. The immense immigra-
ton now going to Portland will be
directed to Seattle, and the new set
tiers will purchase their outfits in
this city. On the line from Seattle
to Snoqualmie are immense deposits
of iron and coal, and fine quality
of marble is supposed to existin the
neighborhood of Squak. From the
development of these mines an i'm
mense freight business will arise.
This immense freight traffic will not
only pay interest on the indebted
ness OF the road, but will furnish a
large surplus for future extensions,
or in other words, the road will
build itself after its completion to
the Snaqnalmie summit. This ex-
tension is assured without counting
on the aid of the counties along the
line, or receiving aid from individuals
east of the Cascades. But such aid
will undoubtedly be given, and in
that case the completion of the en-
tire line from this city to Walla
Walla will be accomplished inside
of three years from this date.


Superintendent Colman is in re-
-ceipt almost daily of letters from
persons residing along the eastern
portion of the line, enquiring of the
prospects for an early completion of
the road, and offering aid so soon as
they are assured that the line will
be completed and give them an out
let for their produce in definite
number of years. The advantage of
keeping the control of the road in
the hands of persons identified with
the growth and prosperity of our
city will be better appreciated by
comparing the management of this
with that of other roads, where for
eign capital has been enlisted, and
the prevailing object seemed to be
to make money out of the enter