PP1
Watergrade Highway Along Columbia Mates
vjuy icrmmusoi urn s.iransconimeniai Lines
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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 "
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4
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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
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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.
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haZDSEYE VIEW OF 'THE PENWSUZA. BETWEEN IE
jE&.ss3o7mr2ioznEEEzrn&Kffjro
PORTIjtAND'S
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HAILS GAT THE TfGRTfflidNZCJRGAb
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PROGRESS
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COLUMBIA. AM WZLAMETTE