The Iron Road Blasts Through the Cascades

A trip along the line of a railroad under construction is one of interest, but when that road is a transcontinental line pushing toward its destination as fast as men and money can accomplish, the scene is one of more than passing curiosity. William A. Jones, who recently returned from a trip to the Cascades, reports that the landscape from Sultan to the summit has been transformed by the Great Northern. The work is being pushed clear to the snow line. Near Granite Point, the railroad faces the challenge of granite bluffs and steep river canyons. The traveler is continually greeted by the 'boom, boom' of heavy blasting, like the roar of field artillery, till one almost fancies they are going into battle. From Granite Point to the summit, the difficulties of construction increase; at Martin Creek, the railroad makes a fourteen-mile loop to gain only three miles of track. At Foss River, work has commenced on a 1,400-foot tunnel, while at the summit, a 13,000-foot tunnel is planned. The enterprise resembles the movement of an army, with supply bases, steamboats on the river, and corduroy roads. Even in the heart of the mountains, the demands of the railroad bring a steam sawmill to Foss River to produce timber for the tunnels, signaling a permanent change to the wilderness.