The 'Seattle Way' of Building a Railroad

There is no doubt but the Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad will be completed to the summit of the Snoqualmie Pass during the coming year. Arrangements have been made by which the $30,000 of indebtedness now against the road will be taken up, and $150,000 worth of new bonds issued, increasing the present debt by $120,000. With this amount, and the other means which are assured, the road-bed can be graded and ironed the entire length of the extension.

There has already been built, entirely by Seattle money and pluck, 20 miles of the road, counting the branch to Newcastle, which is now nearly completed. In the first place, there are no officers of the road drawing large salaries, and in the second place, the work has been done by original contractors, under the direct supervision of Mr. Colman, the superintendent, who is acknowledged to be the most careful superintendent on the Sound. None of the contractors have made more than wages at their work, the prime object with all being the building of the road.

By this system of economy and good management, the first twenty miles have been built without the aid of outside capital. As soon as the cars begin bringing coal from the Newcastle mines, the income will be amply sufficient to pay the interest on the new bonds. The fact that this extension will be made within a year will undoubtedly give an immediate impetus to the business interests of Seattle, and during the next twelve months we may look for the erection of a larger number of buildings in this city than have ever been built in any two years, heretofore.