The Ghost Railroad of the White River Valley
Farmers and Seattle civic leaders gathered in a desperate bid to force the operation of a phantom rail line that was constructed but never ran.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The most delightful weather greeted the people who assembled at noon yesterday at Titusville to discuss the best ways and means for securing the opening and operation of the Puget Sound Shore Railroad. The assemblage met in Good Templars' Hall, and the audience was composed of a goodly representation of citizens from White River, Green River, Puyallup, and Seattle, whose very great interest is to have put in operation the railroad for whose construction they freely granted the right of way. Judge Lewis opened the remarks, citing the 'Seattle or King County idea' regarding the unearned land grant for the road, and asserting that the railroad should serve the public good. He noted that so long as C. H. Wright of Tacoma—who had $1,000,000 invested in town lots there—could keep the road idle, he would do so to prevent Seattle from becoming the real terminal of the Northern Pacific Railroad. Mr. McNaught, attorney for the Northern Pacific, argued that the road was without funds or rolling stock, but the mood shifted when a telegram arrived from President Elijah Smith of the Oregon & Transcontinental Company. It stated: 'Negotiation resulted in arrangement that will enable us to open road about October 1st.' The news was met with applause, and the meeting promptly adjourned.
“A philosopher once visited a tannery and noticed a cow's tail sticking through a knot hole. It passes my comprehension to understand how a cow ever went through that hole and then got caught by the tail.”
The frustration of the White River farmers mirrors modern Seattle's perennial struggles with transit projects that stall due to corporate interests, land speculation, and regional rivalries between Seattle and Tacoma. Just as in 1885, the 'public good' often takes a backseat to the terminal-glory ambitions of rail giants and developers.
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