Jim Hill’s Kanopolis Bluff: A Railway Empire in the Making

MILLAN, March 11 — It is the opinion of railway engineers and officials of the railway administration in the United Kingdom that the surveying party of the Great Northern Railway now exploring the Kanopolis Valley is not merely a reconnaissance force, but is preparing the way for active building. They believe the Great Northern Railway intends to build up the Kanopolis to its fullest extent.

The person in charge of the party was expected to arrive in the city yesterday for the purpose of securing further orders and conferring with other officials. He did not come, but it is thought he will be here today.

As the national bank stands there are but two railway banks situated by which railways are terminated by the Federal Government. In this connection, one of the three is the Kettle Valley Railway, chartered to L. Corbin to cross the north half of the reservation from the Spokane Falls Northern track and run up the valley of the Kettle River and the British Columbia boundary.

The objection raised against the boundary creek country was that Corbin sought to have the last clause amended in his charter to allow him to pass any part of the reservation, north or south, but the amendment was defeated. Mr. Corbin yesterday told a reporter for the spokesman-review that he proposes to again ask the Canadian government to grant him the charter he asks in British Columbia.

The Dominion parliament will meet in Ottawa March 15 and soon thereafter his application will be presented. The sentiment in favor of granting him the charter has grown in Canada, and it is independently expected that it will be granted.

The second charter across reservation land was granted the Washington Improvement and Development Company of this city. The charter was for the express purpose of building up the valley of the Kanopolis. Its line goes north from Wilbur on the route on which the Great Northern engineers are now working, passes on the south half within a mile of Keller, the south half camp and goes on to Republic.

This charter was not as A. A. Ross, one of the promoters of the company, in New York recently to Mr. Carson, financial representative, of President Hill of the Great Northern. The general opinion and impression is that Mr. Carson purchased "the charter for Great Northern use, either to build on it or to prevent others using the route. It is especially the line now being surveyed is to be built upon under that charter.

Practically all other lines would be shut out of any construction work in the reservation this summer as these two charters are the only ones in existence; but the last bill passed a singular and, in the opinion of railway men, a wise measure. This act, which it is understood was introduced by Senator Mason, allows the secretary of the Interior to grant charters to cross Indian reservations under certain conditions. It is provided that no charter shall be granted to a line to parallel another line on a reservation unless it is shown to the satisfaction of the secretary that the other line has no intention of building it. It is also provided that one-tenth of the total mileage of a line thus chartered shall be built within a year.

It may be that Mr. Hill proposes to do only enough work on the line up the Kanopolis to hold his charter for another year and thus allow the Kanopolis route to others, or it may be that he legitimately intends to build. Time alone will solve the problem.