Three Trains a Day: Newport's Railroad Boom Arrives

The new equipment of the Idaho & Washington Northern Railroad arrived at Spirit Lake this week, and the new engine arrived at Newport last Friday. Time cards are out and the new service goes into effect Monday, June 1. The new train will leave Spokane at 11:15 a.m. and arrive at Newport at 1:30 p.m., and will leave Newport for Spokane at 1:50 p.m., arriving at Spokane at 3:55 p.m. The train which has been leaving Newport at 5:25 p.m. will leave at 6:15, and the last train from Spokane will arrive at Newport at 7:20 p.m.

The new card gives three trains every day to and from Spokane, and one additional train between Newport and Spirit Lake. The train leaving here at 1:50 connects at Grand Junction with the Soo-Spokane train for the east, and at Spokane with the O. R. & N. train for Portland. Passenger service of this character must certainly contribute to the growth of the town and the I. W. N. is providing plenty of it.

The new equipment, which arrived this week, consists of another of the fast passenger engines, two first-class coaches, baggage car, combination baggage and coach and combination coach and observation car. The latter will be used on the train which arrives here at 1 and leaves at 1:50 p.m.

Vice-President E. F. Blackwell was in Newport Tuesday evening with a special consisting of a combination coach and observation car. The car is furnished the same as the other coaches already in use, except with the addition of the observation. Mr. Blackwell was accompanied by Chief Dispatcher H. E. Dotson, Trainmaster Hunter and Ole Bakke, construction foreman.

As soon as the steamer Ione is ready to go into commission the road will institute Sunday excursions from Spokane in connection with the river trip. These excursions will be the means of bringing many tourists into this section, and give Newport and the Pend d'Oreille valley much desirable advertising.

The I. W. N. has an extra gang working in its yards near the new passenger depot, extending the house spur and getting ready for the use of the new depot.

The down river surveying gang of the Idaho & Washington Northern is now encamped at a point opposite LeClerc creek about 35 miles north of Newport.

The I. W. N. passenger depot is fast nearing completion. The work has been rushed, and carpenters, bricklayers, painters and cement men have been chasing each other about the premises in the hurry to get it completed. Agent Gibbs expects to move in early next week, and will have a mighty proud office force when they get settled down.

It is reported that the Great Northern has several surveyors at work down the river, working along the west side and following closely the work done by the Blackwell surveyors.

Supt. L. W. Bowen, of this division, and O. S. Bowen, chief engineer in the west for the Great Northern, are in Newport today.

A surveying crew of the I. W. N. have been working on the east side of the river just north of town, and are about to move headquarters down near Lenora.