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