[Sidenote: Railroad branches.]
The building of the West Coast Railroad will be a happy circumstance for
the Lake Shore road. Skagit County, and especially Whatcom County, have
large resources, and the preoccupation of this ground may discourage
other parties from any attempt to build up a commercial city on
Bellingham Bay. A branch from the Northern Pacific at the Common Point
to Salal Prairie would not hurt, and might help the Seattle, Lake Shore
and Eastern road.
Besides the short spurs to the mines on the west side of the Cascade
Mountains, there may be needed branches up Cle-ellum, and other rivers,
to mines. I cannot see the wisdom of a branch to the Walla Walla
country, which could be reached only by paralleling the Northern Pacific
down the Yakima River, or else by striking off in the Great Bend, and
crossing the Northern Pacific and its Palouse branch, and then Snake
River, to reach a country already occupied by the Oregon Railway and
Navigation Company, and lying over 100 miles nearer to the tidal market
along a down grade, than by the Seattle road with its mountain crossing.
[Sidenote: The Palouse country.]
A branch into the Palouse country would have more to recommend it. It is
nearer, and competition will be on more equal terms. There are now three
railroads in the Palouse country: namely, the Oregon Railway and
Navigation Company's road from Palouse Junction to Moscow, Idaho,
passing through Colfax; the Farmington branch of this road, from Colfax
to Farmington, and the Spokane and Palouse, which runs from Marshall, on
the Northern Pacific, to Genesee. But a road passing through Sprague and
Colfax to Lewiston would cross some rich, unoccupied territory, and
everywhere would compete for business on fair terms.
Whilst I was in Colfax, at my suggestion, the town was canvassed as to
the annual amount of its freight. The aggregate amount paid by fifteen
firms reached $200,000, and the balance was estimated at $25,000, making
$225,000. Five firms claimed to handle annually 2,075,000 bushels of
wheat, making 62,250 tons. These figures seem large for so small a
place as Colfax.
The length of this branch would, of course, be affected by the location
of the main line across Great Bend. If the main line should take the
route preferred by Mr. Mohr, Wheatland would probably be the nearest
starting-point. This would be all the better for Spokane Falls; but for
the long haul to Puget Sound, it would seem to be more desirable for the
junction to be farther west.
[Sidenote: Arguments for the Polouse branch.]
To my mind, the chief arguments for building this branch are, first,
that it would be a start for the transcontinental road across Wyoming
and Nebraska, and then, so to speak, it would be stretching out one wing
of the bat with a view to catching the Manitoba bug.
The other wing of the bat would be the Colville branch. The eccentric
bug would inevitably hit one or other of these wings, and when once
caught, would be held.
[Sidenote: Manitoba railroad.]
Concerning these Manitoba people, we may assume that they will think
with regard to the routes according to the facts of nature. The direct
line across the Kootenai country would strike the Colville branch, but
in the opinion of able engineers the difficulties are so nearly
insurmountable, that this is least likely to be chosen of all the
routes. The cut-off from Missoula to Spokane Falls by way of Lake
Coeur d'Alene, seems manifestly the best route for this road, that is,
if it be not already pre-empted by the Northern Pacific; but strong
reasons are given to show that the Northern Pacific will not, and
cannot, make this cross line; in which case, we might almost conclude
that the Manitoba will cross here, and inevitably join the Seattle road.
The only other crossing left would be the Lolo Pass, which would be
still more out of their direction, and would give them no better chance
for an independent line to tide-water than the more northern routes. The
fact is, that the late strategic movement of the Seattle railway in
seizing upon the key to the Great Bend country made it master of the
situation.