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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1908)
PP1 Watergrade Highway Along Columbia Mates vjuy icrmmusoi urn s.iransconimeniai Lines I i:$ wfofe; "V. mM:& MARKINQ the most Important rail road achievement in the history of the Pacific Northwest, the Portland & Seattle Railway, commonly known an the North Bank Road, has been completed and within less than threa months trains will be oper ated over Its tracks In Portland. By this road Portland will be given di rect connection with two more trans continental systems, the Northern Pa cific and the Great Northern. From the sta'rt It will be an Important factor In the passenger and freight service across the continent, and in addition will bring to Portland the products of.m vast tributary territory. Although no authentic figures are obtainable oh the total cost of the Portland & Seattle, $35,000,000 Is prob ably s conservative estimate. It is an nounced by he Railway Gasette that up to June 30, 1907, there had been ad vanced by tiie two Hill companies an aggregate of $26,200,000. How much has since been added to this amount there is no way to ascertain. No en gineering expense has been spared to make the road a model. Mile after mile of solid rock has been cut and blasted waj'; costly tunnels have b&en bored, and the finest of railroad bridges have been constructed across the Columbia and Willamette. It is of the greatest Importance to Portland that the new Hill line passes through he Caacado Mountains on a water grndo. Thousands of tons ot freight that have heretofore been transported to tidewater over heavy grades will hereafter be shipped by -easy gradients down the Columbia to be loaded on ship at Portland and sent to the markets of the world. Nor is It long until this service will be under way, for trsins will be operated into Vancouver during the present month and Into Portland during February or March at latest. The, new line extends from a junction with 'the Northern Pacific Railway, rear the south end ot the Northern Pa cific bridge across the Columbia River, between Pasco and Kennewlck, Wash., thence down the north bank of the Co lumbia River to Vancouver, Wash., a distance of 220 miles, and from Van couver to thA Union Depot, in Portland, Or., a distance of 10 in lies, a total ot 2.10 miles.' Ill grading this line there was moved, prior to December 1. 1007. 17,038,000 cubic yards of material, of which 6.436.000 cubic yards was solid rock. Commencing at the Junction between Pasco and Kennewlck there is no op posing; grade to Vancouver, the lino being either level or down grade alt the f way. From Vancouver easterly the maximum (trade is 2-10 of 1 per cent, or 10.5 feet per mile. The total rise from Portland to Kennewick Is S09 feet. The maximum curvature is three degrees, and in only a few places does this occur. This line is graded at sn elevation of 19 feet above the high water mark ot 1894, which is the high est water of the Columbia River of which there is any record; except the line Irtrni the south side of the Willam ette River bridge to Portland, where the grade is less than 10 feet .above the high water mark of the year 1894, but at all points as high as the high water of that year. The Willamette River Is crossed by a double-track bridge, the shortest span being 84 feet long, and the longest 269 feet. The draw span Is R26 feet in lengUi, and the total length of the bridge is 1SH4 feet. The lowest member of this V-rldgo Is 23 feet a bo tf a high-water mark. The draw span of this bridge is said to be the longest In the world. The Columbia River is crossed at Van Vouver by a douMe-traek. steel bridge, the shortest span of which Is 83 feet and the longest 975 feet;.- The draw span is 467 feet long, snd the total length of the bridge Is ' S4Ti feet. This la one of the longest double-track steel bridges In America. On this line there Is In one place 20 miles of level grade, another of 17 miles, and several other places where the grade is level for a distance of from five to eight miles. The track Is laid with S.V pound steel. Great Northern Standard, with 3300 ties per mile, malleable Iron tie plates on every tie and ballasted with gravel, of which there are large quan tities of the very best quality. The waterways are provided for by concrete culverts and steel bridges on concrete abutments. While there are several wooden bridges, these were put In only for temporary purposes where material could, not be obtained to make fifls. but thry will all bo tilled as soon as the track Is laid. There are 13 tunnels on the line, being from l.V) to 1550 feet In length, nearly all being lined with concrete, and In those not lined the rock Is of such a nature that they do not require any lining. This line, following the Columbia River, passes through the Cascade Mountains at a low elevation, so that It will never be troubled with snow. In fact the snow fall Is very light along the entire line. The Government records show that at Pasco there is very little rainfall, and that about 10 miles west of there the annual precipitation Is about 10 Inches. For a distance of 10 miles westerly fjora the Junction between Pasco and mm of Mfwri! umw mm mnan " 1 4 1 -i PORTLAND SEATTLE Kennewick the line runs across a bench of lund which is being irrigated, the Ir rigating ditches having been completed some time ago. On this bench ot land strawberries, grapes and fruits of all kinds are raised, as also alfalfa and other crops. From Pasoo to a point near The Dalles the climatic conditions are such that the strawberries ripen from two to three weeks earlier than In any other part of the West. In the valley, from a point 15 miles westerly from the Kennewick Junction, the early berries and peaches have never been damaged by cold or early frosts. In a small vineyard at Columbus 6000 crates of grapes were raised this season. In the Horse Heaven district, in Ben ton County, large quantities of wheat are being raised without irrigation. There will be over 1.000.000 bushels of grain taken out ot that district this year, and that quantity will be more than doubled during the next two years. There is also a large quantity of wheat and other grains raised in the eaetern part of Kllck- 11 D51 PORTLAND'S BANK CLEARINGS FOR TWO YEARS SHOW A STEADY AND HEALTHY INCREASE Portland bank clearings for 1907 show an increase of 22 per cent . over those of 1906. The total clearings during the past year were' J353.851, 629.80, as compared with J2S1,170,796.2 for 1906. The gain was 72,680.833.54. That this gala has been steady for many years Is shown by the following totals: 1905, $228,102,712.69; 1900, $106,918,037.48; 1S9S, $38,842,284.51. In the totals for the past year the figures for De cember are estimated. For many, weeks during the year Portland led all cities of the country in the percentage of gain. Had it not' been for the National financial stringency and the enforced hoMdays dur ing i7eniber and a portion of December, the aggregate would have been much larger. A comparison for the past two years follows: 1907. $ SS.110.M5.O0 24.)4,8SX.OO , 32 27.6ti.3 32.11u.28.r. ' 32.e82.50S.SS S1.974.r.7t 32.054.SW.S7 B0.49S.4a 30.172.40.01 38.&6S.239.08 2I.S48.90."6 "21, 780, 335. 3 $333,851,829.80 January . . February . March . . , April . May . ... June . ... July . ... August . , Sei'tpmber October . . November . December . Total . Kstlmatei Decrease. THE SIORSTCm OEEGOXIAX, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 1908. 5 I i JZJZ . T3JZZD GE ACROSS THE WZLAMETTE jlTJaXTZJlM V Itat County. In the center of Klickitat County there Is a valley of more than 700 square miles, running northeasterly and 190. $ 2O.0R.t1 -03 17.04S.S37.13 32. 381.401. 11 .. l.0O.2S9.tl 22, l.277.P4 21.50H.184.o8 22.6U4.C38.ill . 22.381. 906.U3 ' 2S.tS.9.8 29.B42.671.28 2y.857.553 90 39.040.447.90 . $281. 170, 796.26 Tncreaae. $ 8.024.700.97 8.969.045.87 10.546 .2u8. 3 12.705.339.45 10,632.229.04 ' 10.4i8.719.S3 9,390.191.46 7.916.S82.66 .073,931.10 7.322.567.80 9.1S,644.S4 7,260,111.97 $72,680,833.54 PWOTOS CO i 4ihi&zp 'I'll -3 ZZi.xf K -- : SHOWING TUNNEL OF PORTLAND &SEATT.Ei a southwesterly, which valley Is being nigniy cuiuvatea ana in wnicn & large amount of grain is raised. - Qoldendale, the county seat of Klickitat County, Is in the western part of this valley and is the terminus of the Colum bia River & Northern Railway, which connects on the Columbia River at L.yle with this line. In the western part of Klickitat County are large quantities of the finest fir and white pine timber, which has hardly been touched, but mills are being located at several points to manufacture this tim ber into lumber. The mills on the Ore gon side of the Columbia River obtain nearly all of their logs from the 'Wash ington side. The land in Klickitat County on what Is called the "second -bench" above the 'river is, If anything, better adapted to the raising of apples than the . land around Hood River, and large orchards are being set out In apples, peaches and other fruits. In Clark County large quantifies of prunes are raised and. shipped to . all parts of the continent, the value of the prune crop for the year 1907 being ap proximately half a million dollars and amounting to about 250 carloads. The largest steam fruit dryer in the country, containing several miles of pipes, is lo cated near Vancouver. There are two freight houses already completed in Portland, each being 60 by 980 feet, with ample grounds for terminal purposes, which were purchased at im mense expense. The road will probably use the union passenger station of the Northern Pacific Terminal Company. 4 . ! Mife'l i? - iiM l. . STL 4 tL - s j haZDSEYE VIEW OF 'THE PENWSUZA. BETWEEN IE jE&.ss3o7mr2ioznEEEzrn&Kffjro PORTIjtAND'S 4j - 1 f if 3 -ui kit ' HAILS GAT THE TfGRTfflidNZCJRGAb S x- i. ii rtVJ C5!tf jsasa r . ..-.-j:- PROGRESS sKssrasssBTi 4 I wCteiH.,- t Kip COLUMBIA. AM WZLAMETTE