The Unstoppable Rail Builder of 1877

While stopping here a day or so, I have looked around over the place and took a good look at the Seattle & Walla Walla Railroad. This road is now running a distance of fifteen miles, with one twenty-two ton locomotive, built at Taunton, Massachusetts—a first-class engine for any country—along with 10 first-class coal cars completed and 10 more nearly done. Also 12 flat cars and one first-class passenger, baggage and mail car combined, which will seat 80 persons nicely.

The company have also one light 8-ton locomotive for work on the upper part of their road. The road will be formally opened on the 8th of March, with a free ride and excursion to the citizens. We of Walla Walla have been looking upon the building of this road as an imaginary vision, but mark my word, if James M. Colman lives, he will build this road over the mountains alone, unless some capitalists come forward and take it off his hands in order to build it faster. He is one of the most remarkable men of this coast. A man of very active brain and a splendid mechanic; he is always equal to any emergency.

About a year ago, when it seemed as though the whole thing would die, Mr. Colman came forward and proposed to the company that if they would furnish $10,000, he would put up $40,000 and take hold of the road and build it. He has done all that he proposed to do, and has now a road well built of 40-pound iron, fully equipped, with fine wharves built for the cars to run on. He is fully determined to put all the earnings of his mill and every dollar that the road earns into the work until he is over the Mountains.