146 THE WEST SHORE. August, 188a ly steam. The "Billings" notwith standing her great size, draws but three fret two inches, and when loaded with 1 trnin of cisht earn her draught is in creased only four inches. Her length over all i 222 feet, width, over all, 41 feet, with thirty-six feet beam. She is an ndmirnhlv built steamer, and cost j nearly $50,000. The precision with which she is handled is remarkable, as shown by the almost perfect connection made by the tracks laid on her deck with those upon the inclines on either side of the river. About half a mile above the mouth of the Snake are large pi'es of granite cotten out preparatory to trie construction or an immense bridge over the Snake, of iron and stone. The contract for the piers is be in? vigorously pushed ' bv Duncan McBcan. The stone work alone will cost $2.10,000; the iron work much more Its construction will require nearly two years. When completed the Northern Pacific will have a clear run to the east from Wallula Junction. Arriving at Ainsworth.we found it a straeiline town of a varegatcd population, formerly the ditributing point for construction mate rialfor the . P, It. R. It has within the year fairly held its own. The soil is as tandv as eight-cent atitrnr. hut with ir rigation can produce as if born in Ire- land. Before going further it may he stated that In building railroads the first con cern of a wise engineer is to secure an even grade. To obtain this desideratum, for many miles from Ainsworth north ward, the N. P. R. R. follows the old beds of streams which undoubtedly were a part, in time long past, of the mighty Columbia, but which, by nat nral causes, became mere trickling riv ule'i, an.l finally slipped from their beds and left naught but worn pebbles and drift to tell us of their former Baptist predilections. This will explain why, until we reach Ritnille, there are few signs of cultivation and American farm er. So it is on each side of the Colum bia. On the south, from the Dalles all along from thebasc of the Blue Moun tainMo withina mile or 10 of the Colum bla, no better toil, or more productive country, lie. nut doors. Yet hundred. pts u by judgtn; of the country by the bare banks of the Columbia. What if tnie of Wa.eo and Umatilla counties on the aouih applies with equal force to Kbckiut county on the north of the Columbia. The bet w.y tg examine the country is to see it, ami not judge of it from railways or water courses. If the incoming settler will go off from the main trunk line he will find land of rich soil and amp'e depth, and he will thank us for the hint if he has a soul big enough to burst a flax seed. Some forty miles above Ainsworth we reached Twin .Wells, near which the Colfax or Moscow Branch taps the main line, and running northeasterly enters the renowned Palouse country, passes Endicott, branches northerly to ward Steptoe and Farmington, and southeasterly to Colfax and Moscow. The Palouse country is rolling prairie land, exceedingly productive, well wat ered, and rapidly settling up. At Mos cow, Farmington and Colfax, timber is easily accessible. Easterly the soil is rich, deep and of lasting qualities. Crop aftercrop of flax has-been sown and harvested, and yet the soil retains its power undiminished in yield or quality. At Ritzville, ninety-six miles from Ainsworth, we ate breakfast. For some distance before reaching this sta tion we noticed thriving young trees set out by the company. All seemed to be doing well, notwithstanding some com plaints about the lack of rain. Near Ritzville Mr. Ritz has several hundred acres in wheat, which will reach a very fair yield to the acre. When one reflects that this land, by others than Mr. Ritz, nas been declared worthless almost, his perseverance is entitled to credit Ti nas demonstrated that this soil is capa ic o. producing wheat in paying quan tities. Twenty miles beyond Ritzville urA run along Lolvdle Lake, a U,..,;r..i heet of water. Here timber, which we iosi sight of on leaving the n ,li-. appears in scattered groups. The land grows better, the foliage greener, the people less dusty, less berrinW j occasionally, by a half glance, you' may , u wmnow a bright face and whole smile. Just beyond Lake Col vdle we reach Sprague. and whatever of monotony we mav h ;. 1 . cn by the activity and hustle which or ma. has stirred. Baggage, freight nd express were hurried ofT xa. 'iVfr'''-'ondo. mgwh.it was their nonim. m . ...... pany havc met .r rJj com-The,mP'n?otncsbuildin 9 was a surprise. It will compare with those of nvmy eastern cities having ten times the population of Sprague now about 900. : The headquarters of the superintendent, H. W. Fail weather, are shown in our illustrations. They are upon the left side of the track, while the shops, where several hundred men can be employed, are on the right. Al most every branch of trade and barter, gain and loss, is represented at Sprague. Besides the large general merchandise houses of Fairweather & Sprague, there are seven or eight other establishments, all doing a fine business. Clothing, hardware, furniture, drugs are here in large stocks. The banking house of Fairweather & Brooks does a large ex change business. . Sprague has lawyers and petifoggers, little pill and big pill physicians, excellent restaurants and vile saloons. It has a bright newspaper, the Herald, edited by W. H. Small wood, a gentleman of ability. Sprague has all the conditions necessary to give it a solid, permanent future. Her citi zens are public-spirited and in live earn est. Sprague is the outlet to a fine country in the Crab creek region on the west. The Crab country is rapidly settling up, and is free from any climatic reproach. On the southeast of Sprague, after crossing a narrow strip of rocky country, there is also a fine country ex tending sixty miles toward Colfax and Farmington. Mr. H. W. Fairweather. although a comparatively young man, nas naa a large experience in railway and river navigation. In his position as superintendent he exhibits marked executive ability and a thorouo-h knnwl. edge of details. , About twenty.five miles northeast of Sprague We reached the flourishing town of Cheney, now the counfy-seat of Spokane. Between Sprague and Cheney the fields are dotted with every variety of flowers, we counted ovei twenty different kinds including the graceful blue bells, the running honey suckle and lupin, the cheery violet, the shapely clematis, the softlv bright and striking anemone the nodding wind flower and the Oscar Wilde sun flnver all Rladdening and full of welcome. Cheney is two vcars nM. Tt hn. Population of about seven hundred. e UPe tne Pronoun it." frr the ren. srn that nm ... nay or omer, -sne Jon t seem to fit Cheney. In Its pro K ess it has shown progressive powers, not exactly consenting to the feminine