Snohomish County, Washington - Chapter 5: Railroad Development, 1926

Chapter 5: Railroad Development

SEATTLE, LAKE SHORE & EASTERN - FIRST TRAIN ARRIVES - COLLAPSE OF SNOHOMISH BRIDGE - COMING OF THE GREAT NORTHERN - N. P. ACQUIRES LAKE SHORE ROAD - THE EVERETT-MONTE CRISTO ROAD - ~- HILL VISITS EVERETT - GRAHAM'S RAILROAD REVIEW.

The Northern Pacific Railway was incorporated in the Territory of Washington, January 28, 1857. The Union Pacific Railway was built across the continent immediately after the Civil War, but the Northern Pacific made no active effort to build until the earlier seventies, under the leadership of the dramatic personality of Henry Villard. In 1873, he was the hero and the idol of the Pacific Coast, feted and honored by all. He had arranged with German capitalists to furnish the funds for this railroad, but the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War prevented the carrying out of his plans. It was, therefore, nearly ten years later before the Northern Pacific began its construction on the coast. In 1882, the terminus of this road had not been determined, and nearly every trading post along the Sound, large enough to bear a name, believed that it was the coming metropolis of the Northwest. Whatcom, La Conner, and a score of towns whose names are almost forgotten, not only advertised themselves as future rivals of New York City, but were firmly convinced of the truth of their claims. In fact, Jacob Livingston filed a plat of "Western New York", July 8, 1872, adjoining the west limits of the City of Everett.

In the midst of all this excitement, which brought thousands of people to the Puget Sound country in the early eighties, it is a noteworthy fact that Snohomish was the only town on the Sound which failed to catch the excitement of the railway boom. The people of Snohomish were convinced, and later events proved them to have been right, that the Snohomish Valley presented one of the best natural routes for railroad construction, and that it was predestined to become the location of a transcontinental line. Feeling thus absolutely sure, the people of Snohomish felt that there was no occasion for them to worry or to get excited. On the other hand, the town was far enough removed from the coast so that it had no active hopes of becoming a great railhead seaport. For these reasons, doubtless, during all the various excitements in 1873, 1882, and in the early nineties, Snohomish sat back, content to let nature take its course. Various reasons have been assigned for its action, but the Northern Pacific finally, in 1883, settled upon Tacoma as its northern terminus.

Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern

This was a great disappointment to the citizens of Seattle, but instead of idly bemoaning their fate, they determined to build a railway of their own. There were numerous lines proposed, one to Walla Walla over the Cascades, and what was known as the Puget Shore Line, which was incorporated in 1884, its object being to build from Seattle to Bellingham Bay and Fidalgo Bay. Engineers of this line were in the field in October of that year, their survey corresponding in a general way with the coast line of the Great Northern of today. The Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern was the pet project of Seattle capitalists. Its objective was a junction with the Canadian Pacific and it was hoped in this manner to make Seattle a formidable rival of the favored Tacoma. In July, 1886, it was reported that this road had purchased Smith's Cove at Seattle for $75,000 for terminal purposes. This tract was that settled upon by Dr. H. A. Smith, the first physician of Snohomish County, who had removed to Seattle. This railroad had possibly the least actual cash of any railroad of its length that ever was constructed. Having raised enough money to build a mile or so, the road constructed was bonded for sufficient to build the next mile. For,this reason, it was not until the first days of 1887 that there was any activity in railway construction in the vicinity of Snohomish. Surveying parties under R. H. Thomson came to Snohomish on the steamer Cascade the first week in January, 1887, and by the end of that month the survey was proceeding between Seattle and the Snoqualmie River under the leadership of the well known engineer, Tilton Sheets. In the meantime, what was known as the Seattle & Bellingham Bay Railway was projected and the woods between Lake Washington and the Snohomish Valley were fairly overrun with surveying parties. The Seattle & West Coast Railway was incorporated. This was more particularly a rival of the Seattle & Bellingham Bay Railway. It was stated that a line had been located between Squak Slough and the Snohomish and that it would form a junction with the Lake Shore line at or near the mouth of Bear Creek, a short distance above Woodinville, and that it had been kept quiet until its preliminary survey was completed and right-of-way was procured. It was reported that the survey struck the Snohomish Valley a short distance below Fiddler's Bluff and crossed the river just above Jackson's wharf at Snohomish and that 1,500 tons of rails had been shipped from England for this railway. The first mention of actual railway construction in the Snohomish Eye, appeared on April 23, 1887, when it stated that a contract for thirty miles of clearing and grading for the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern had been let. There was much bluster and many rival claims between the Seattle & Bellingham Bay and the Seattle & West Coast railways. By May, the West Coast survey had reached the outskirts of Snohomish and G. B. Pearsoll was awarded a contract for 45,000 ties for the first section of this line.

While Snohomish did not lose its head over railroad prospects, as some other towns did, it was not entirely ungenerous, and in July, 1887, E. C. Ferguson deeded twenty-two lots for depot purposes and Mrs. M. L. Packard also deeded a fractional block to the railroad company. Snohomish was one of the Sound cities incorporated under the law which was afterward declared unconstitutional, and there was, at this time, grave doubt as to the legality of any of its acts as an incorporation. For this reason, the county commissioners granted right of way to the Seattle & West Coast Railway on State and Railway streets of Snohomish. This franchise contained the provision "that, whereas there is some question, in view of the act of the Legislature incorporating the City of Snohomish, as to the power or jurisdiction of the board over the subject: but, as the City of Snohomish, never organized under the said act and therefore cannot act in the premises, this board has granted the right-of-way on the express condition that the county is not responsible for any claim for damages, the railroad company agreeing to assume any responsibility. If not built to Snohomish City in two years, this order may be revoked."" By December, it was reported that the West Coast line had let its con- struction contract to Sinclair & Company to build to a connection with the Canadian Pacific in British Columbia and that the Lake Shore road had 500 men at work on the first ten miles of its line in the Squak Valley. The situation was clarified in 1888 when the Lake Shore assumed control of the West Coast line and took over its survey. The line steadily approached from the south, and by April the surveys were extended beyond the Stillaguamish and on toward the Skagit Valley. In May, the contract for the bridge across the Snohomish River was let to the San Francisco Bridge Company. This called for a draw section of 160 feet and two spans of 110 feet each. Before the contract for this bridge had been let, the last trestle had been put in on the south side of the river and the line was nearly ready for operation from Seattle. It was just at this time that a new note was sounded, when it was stated that engineers of the Lake Superior & Manitoba Railroad were running a line up the Skykomish to Cady Pass, and that 100 men were engaged in this work above Snohomish. This heralded the coming of the Great Northern. Snohomish got its first sight of a real live railroad magnate in June, 1888, when Commodore J. D. Smith and Amos Cutting of New York, whose capital was supposed to be back of the Lake Shore Railroad, together with Hon. David Glass, speaker of the Manitoba House, and a number of Seattle capitalists passed through the city en route to Seattle from Snoqualmie Falls. The party came down the river on the steamer Mame and was taken by carriage to the end of the track, where a special train awaited it. In passing, three cheers were given for Snohomish, which were heartily responded to by the crowd gathered at the bridge to see the distinguished party. FIRST TRAIN ARRIVES

The first regular train to Snohomish from Seattle arrived on July 3, 1888, with twelve passengers. The train consisted of two passenger coaches, a caboose, and a freight car. This train stopped on the south side of the river, as the bridge was not completed, and left on its return trip at 3 P. M. with forty Snohomish passengers, who were anxious to make this first, historic trip to Seattle. A regular train schedule was established the following week. Thomas Earle and J. W. McLeod were given the contract for ten miles of construction north of Snohomish and a large force was put to work clearing the right-of-way. All this meant hundreds of laborers at work throughout the county. It brought a mild boom to Snohomish, and much money into the county, both from purchases of right of way and from the excellent market which these camps afforded the farmers. It also brought much of the unrighteousness and immorality which has seemed always to attend American railroad construction and for the next two years there was but little pretense of maintaining any standards of law and order. The progress of the railway through Snohomish was not at all pleasing to railroad rivals, especially to Senator Eugene Canfield, who was the chief promoter of what was then called the Bellingham Bay Railroad & Navigation Company. This concern put a large party into the field, making a resurvey of its line, which was to come north by way of Edmonds, cross the Snohomish River near Lowell, and run about one-half mile east of Marysville. Senator Canfield claimed that his franchise, obtained from the Federal Government, gave him the exclusive right to bridge the navigable streams between Seattle and the Canadian boundary, and he, therefore, sought and obtained an injunction to restrain the construction of the bridge at Snohomish. This injunction was granted by Judge Allen, but the Lake Shore was able to give the necessary bond, and the bridge work was not halted. The draw of this bridge was swung into position for the first time on September 1, 1888, and it was just at this time that the injunction was modified to permit the completion of the bridge and the running of trains thereon, the indemnity bond being fixed at $20,000. The injunction was permanently dissolved in 1890. The first train crossed the Snohomish River on the morning of Saturday, September 15, 1888; it consisted of seven flat cars laden with rails and ties, drawn by the 45-ton engine, which proudly bore the name "H. L. Yesler'; H. W. Gregory was the engineer and Robert Anderson the fireman. A large crowd witnessed the arrival of this first locomotive on the north bank of the Snohomish River, and there was a great jollification. In honor of the occasion George W. Head wrote, for the Snohomish Eye, some verses which have become historic in the annals of Snohomish County. They are as follows:

"At the sound of the whistle of cars on the bridge, Men, women and children did run, Each screaming aloud at the top of his voice, "The Lake Shore & Eastern is done.'

"A town that for years has been counted as dead, To new business and life will soon come, We all can have wealth to go where we please, Now the Lake Shore & Eastern is done.

"Qur moss-covered mayor can live at his ease, He can wear a plug hat and drink rum, And advance $50 the price of each lot, Now the Lake Shore & Eastern has come.

"Old bummers and drones can take a back seat, And give way to new blood that will come. They've all had their day and their goose will be cooked, When the Lake Shore & Eastern is done.

"New sidewalks and bridges the village will have, And all business will go with a hum, From village to city our growth will be quick, Now the Lake Shore & Eastern has come.

"We surely will build a new Courthouse and jail, And will take care of tramps if they come, It will furnish some work for the marshal, you see, When the Lake Shore & Eastern is done."

Collapse Of Snohomish Bridge

The rejoicing of Snohomish was doomed to be short lived, however, for it seemed that the mighty Snohomish River resented this restraint laid upon it by the hand of man and, in October, there came a mighty flood. A jam of logs formed at the bridge, and large crews were put to work to save the threatened structure.

Their efforts might have been successful, but the boom on the Pilchuck River gave way, and 3,000,000 feet of logs were added to the weight of the 700,000 feet already jammed against the pier. The south pier was crowded out of line, and then there followed a crash as pier and span toppled into the river. The piledriver crew, which was hard at work trying to save the bridge, had a narrow escape, being' carried down the river to Lowell. One span of the bridge was carried a mile down the stream, but the draw pier remained in place. All Snohomish had gathered at the bank, and witnessed this thrilling scene of destruction. Following this, the train schedule was reduced to one train a day, the trains running to the end of the tressel on the south bank. A temporary station was built near the river bank, a stairway leading to the track. The spans of the bridge were salvaged down the river, taken to pieces, and shipped back to Snohomish. The work was pushed with all the speed possible, and trains were again running into Snohomish by the end of the year. C. A. Missimer was the first railway agent in the county. He resigned in March, 1889, to become a rancher on Lake Stevens, and was succeeded by J. E. Stone. The first freight rate from Snohomish to Seattle was 15 cents per hundred, but this was reduced to 10 cents in March, 1889, and at the same time, passenger fares were reduced from $3 to $2 for the round trip and from to $2 to $1.50 for one way tickets. During the summer of 1889, the work of clearing, grading, balasting, and track laying was pushed north of Snohomish, but there was no regular freight or passenger service, except that loggers were carried from the camps to the river at the rate of 5 cents per mile. The work was delayed by the fact that the line between the Stillaguamish and the Skagit had to be resurveyed, as the field notes were lost in the Seattle fire. The Postal Telegraph followed the railroad, and its wires were run into Snohomish by September, 1889.

While Snohomish rejoiced greatly ""when the Lake Shore & Eastern had come", it was not prepared to give the new railroad all its business, and it did not at once desert its old friends - the river boats. This was the cause of much concern to the railroad, which urged that it deserved patronage and that its construction depended to a large extent upon its showing of earnings, and that it might be seriously embarrassed unless it could have the freight business of Snohomish merchants. On Christmas Day, 1889, the Snohomish Eye proudly announced that the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern had completed its line nearly half way across Snohomish County, and that four miles more would bring the long isolated settlements along the Stillaguamish into touch with the world.

Coming Of The Great Northern

The Snohomish Eye made its first real mention of the Great Northern, in November, 1889, when it said that "Hill's road'' would reach the Sound within twelve months. But by what route? The Eye believed it would come via Snohomish. At the same time a Seattle journal said that the Hill line was to buy the Lake Shore, that it would soon be over the Cascades, and that Seattle would be the terminus. This was followed by the rumor that the Northern Pacific had bought the Lake Shore and by another report that the Fairhaven & Southern was soon to link up the Canadian and the Northern Pacific. There was a fresh crop of rumors every day for the next few years, and what the railroads were or were not to do next was the absorbing question throughout the length of the Sound.

thirty acres where that road was to cross the Stillaguamish - thus giving birth to the Town of Arlington, but it was Thomas Moran, a subcontractor, who was the chief factor in building the successful rival to Haller City, and it is recorded of him that he nearly died of exposure and hunger on a trip over the unopened rightof-way of the Lake Shore at this time.

The railroad situation in Whatcom County had an important bearing upon Snohomish County. The enthusiastic but visionary Senator Canfield had been unable to finance his proposed line and the Canadians, eager for a connection with Seattle, had joined fortunes with that forceful railroad builder, Nelson Bennett, who had already made good progress with the Fairhaven & Southern which extended from Fairhaven, south and east in the direction of Sedro Woolley, Skagit County. Bennett turned his efforts northward, building, via Blaine, to a connection at New Westminster with the Canadian Pacific. This left but a small gap of about seventy miles to be filled by the Seattle & Montana, controlled by Hill. It was in July, 1889, that Bennett made this arrangement to build north as well as south and the work was barely under way, in March, 1890, when it was rumored that the Bennett interests had been purchased by the Great Northern. For once, a rumor proved true, and by July it was generally known that Hill had interested himself in this international line. This was the year of what is generally known as "the Fairhaven boom." Hill and his friends bought heavily at Fairhaven and that city grew up like magic. C. X. Larrabee was one of the men largely interested, with other men of wealth and among the eager speculators there seemed no question but that Fairhaven was to be the grand terminus of the Great Northern, and thus one of the most important cities of the Pacific coast. Hill visited Fairhaven, just as he later visited Everett, and while he made no absolute pledges or direct statements, his words and manner gave it to be understood that Fairhaven had been chosen as the end of the line. There was no thought in the minds of anyone at that time that Everett would ever be an important city; in fact, while there was talk that Lowell or Marysville, might be benefited, Everett was a child unborn. It was certain, however, that the Great Northern was headed down the Snohomish Valley, and the Eye ventured the rather reluctant prediction that this might mean a terminus "on Port Gardner Bay, near the mouth of the Snohomish."

The great rival of the Hill road was the Northern Pacific and there were reports that it would build from Tacoma, avoiding Seattle and passing to the east of Lowell and Marysville. In March, the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern was threatened with a receivership, and this was laid to the door of Northern Pacific interests. It was just at this time that the Seattle & Montana (alias the Great Northern) was granted right-of-way through Seattle, which was to be its terminus. Work on this latter line began in August, at Edmonds and on to Stanwood, via Mukilteo, Lowell and Marysville, and H. P. Niles declared the line would be built to Marysville within sixty days, which led the Eye to repeat that it had "predicted a road for Port Gardner and frequently stated that in time Port Gardner would become a place of no small importance." The bridge over Ebey Slough, near Marysville, was completed and the track as far as Stanwood ready for the rails by the middle of January, 1891, but the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern was much farther advanced, its grade reaching the Nooksack River, in Whatcom County, by the end of January. >

As evidence of the wild spirit of speculation which gripped the entire Northwest at this time, there may be quoted the large display advertisement of "Day

City - 12 miles south of Snohomish at Day's station. Lots donated for school and church. Four hundred lots at from $25 to $100. Main streets to be opened without expense. Large hotel to be built at once. Stands even chance of securing the Northern Pacific; then, Look Out! - Men build cities - but nature locates them. For particulars see Ed E. Warner."

N. P. Gets Lake Shore Road

The Northern Pacific secured control of the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern in June, 1891, on almost the very day that the first Canadian Pacific train entered Whatcom. The Northern Pacific purchased a majority of the stock of the Lake Shore and leased the property on the basis of a guarantee of 634 per cent, with a further bond issue of $5,000,000 to finance the completion of the road to the Canada line. The transfer took place in March, 1892, the old officers retiring. G. W. Dickinson of Tacoma became acting manager, J. A. Nadeau superintendent, and Jacob Furth vice president.

By this time there were two new factors in the field; first the founding of Everett and, second, the excitement which followed the location of the mines in the vicinity of Monte Cristo. Everett differed from all the other "boom" cities of that day in that it was established to be an industrial center, not a railroad town. Its fine harbor was the main attraction. Everett did not go to the railroads; the railroads came to Everett, while the reputed wealth of the Monte Cristo mines served as a like magnet. One of the ambitious projects of 1891 was the Snohomish, Skykomish and Spokane Railway, familiarly known as the "3 S." This was started largely by local capital and was intended as a great help to Snohomish. When it was known, however, that great, industries were coming to Everett and that it was certain to become an important city, the "3 S" line decided to begin its road to Spokane by going west. The ground for this "extension", from Snohomish to Port Gardner, was broken with much ceremony on July 16, 1891. The band played, there were exercises in front of the residence of E. C. Ferguson, a speech by J. C. Denney, and the ceremony of throwing the first spadefuls of earth by Ferguson and Denney and the ladies of the party. King & Dickinson were the contractors, and within a short time they had 200 men at work and expected to complete the grade to Port Gardner within three months. Track laying began October 1, 1891. The next local venture was the proposed Snohomish & Port Gardner Electric Motor Company. E. C. Ferguson was one of the incorporators of this company, and others were Andrew Hagarty, J. J. Folstad, H. Blackman, F. M. Headlee, E. D. Smith and Ulmer Stinson. It proposed an electric line from Snohomish, with two branches, one to Lake Stevens and the other to Lowell. The second objective of this road was the mining region, and it was reported that it would build to Silver Creek without delay. J. F. Plummer, Judge J. C. Denney, A. A. Allen and J. J. Folstad went to the end of the survey, which had reached Galena, to view the line and make estimates, while Henry Hewitt, Jr., hastened to New York to secure the needed capital. The next step was the incorporation of the Granite Falls & Eastern, with $10,000,000 capital, and offices at Everett. E. C. Ferguson, A. A. Allen, F. M. Headlee and J. J. Folstad were the incorporators. In the meantime the Seattle & Montana had carried its line as far north as the Stillaguamish River, where it was delayed when its drawbridge was condemned, compelling nearly all the work to be done over. This came on top of the disaster in March, when the coast was visited by one of the worst storms it has known. Four great tidal waves which came at intervals of about twenty minutes swept away more than four miles of the newly laid track and the towns of Mukilteo and Edmonds were flooded. The last spike was driven on October 12 without ceremony except an address by Engineer Watson, and regular trains were running by November 1. No definite decision as to the line of the Great Northern from the Cascades to the coast was made until the fall of 1891, and a number of routes were surveyed before it was announced that Mountain headquarters were to be established at Snohomish with John F. Stevens in charge, that bids were to be opened on November 17 and contracts let December 10, for construction from the Sound to the Columbia River and that the route chosen was over Stevens Pass, down the south fork of the Skykomish, and down the Snohomish River, striking salt water at Everett. The securing of right-of-way for a line from Arlington to the Monte Cristo district by B. H. Dixon, said to represent New York capital of $1,500,000, was another feature of the rail situation in the fall of 1891. John F. Stevens later became a world renowned figure as builder of the Panama Canal. While in Snohomish his office was over the Vestal & Whitfield store.

The Everett & Monte Cristo

Henry Hewitt was successful in interesting capitalists in building a railroad to the Monte Cristo mines in which they had invested heavily, and the "3 S" railroad passed into new hands in February, 1892, and was thereafter known as the Everett & Monte Cristo. The articles of incorporation were filed in March, the capital being given as $1,800,000 and the principal place of business as Everett. The trustees were Schuyler Duryea, G. S. Brown, and F. H. Brownell of Everett and H. A. Schenck and R. T. Murray of New York City. Duryea was general manager and Brown and Brownell were attorneys for the Everett Land Company. Schenck was a confidential representative of Colby, Hoyt & Company, New York capitalists and Murray, a law partner of C. W. Wetmore, so the "Monte Cristo" became part and parcel of the Everett city-building undertaking. The new corporation proceeded rapidly and it was reported, March 26, 1892, that the contract for construction had been let to Henry & Balch and that a wagon road had been built along the right-of-way to the mines. It was said: 'There will be heavy work along the canyon of the Stillaguamish south fork. The road will have to run by tunnels through the rocky ridges and cross the gulches by bridges. The longest tunnel will be 900 feet." All of which proved to be true, as the Monte Cristo was a difficult and expensive feat of engineering. Grading commenced at Granite Falls and in April it was announced that a junction of the Monte Cristo and the Northern Pacific would be effected just south of Hartford. Work on the "extension" from Snohomish to Lowell proceeded in the meantime, rails reaching the latter city, the new bridge having been crossed, April 14, 1892. In May the Monte Cristo and the Great Northern arranged for through trains from Snohomish to Seattle, via Everett. Mr. Phinney came as general manager in June, and the first shipment of rails, thirteen carloads, arrived July 10, over the Northern Pacific. A portion of these rails were for the completion of the Three S road from Lowell to a junction with the Great Northern at Everett, and the remainder were shipped to Hartford for the mountain line. The balance of the rails had been shipped by sail around the Horn from Philadelphia, thus saving some $30,000 in freight. The first locomotive for the Monte Cristo came with this first rail shipment. This "engine No. 1" made its first run out of Snohomish, August 5, 1892. It was not until November 27 that the Annie H. Smith, 210 days out of New York, arrived at Seattle with 1,866 tons of rails and angle bars for the Monte Cristo. A baggage car and three passenger coaches arrived by rail at almost the same time. They came from the works of Barney & Smith of Dayton, O., and were said to be the handsomest ever seen on the coast up to that time. Traffic arrangements were soon made with the Northern Pacific and it ran regular trains from Everett to Seattle, via Snohomish, early in January, 1893. It was at first proposed that the Monte Cristo should have its own line direct to Everett. The first survey was made via Lake Stevens but the grade being found too steep, a line to the north was surveyed to strike the Great Northern near Marysville. There were numerous projects at this time and, in July, articles of incorporation were filed for the Port Gardner, Lake Stevens & Eastern, by John F. Hart and J. M. Davis, to build a railroad from Everett to Lake Stevens and to erect electric power plants. This line asked the condemnation of a half section of land at the mouth of the Snohomish River, an area said to have been sufficient for 175 miles of sidetrack. The petition was refused and the project abandoned. A contract was let for a bridge across the river at Everett and an electric line to Snohomish was promised by the first of August. The construction of the Monte Cristo was tended by many difficulties and many exciting incidents. A cribbing log broke loose at a camp on the Stillaguamish, and rolled down the bank, crushing a cabin occupied by Italian workmen. None was seriously injured, but the Italians thought they were being attacked, and promptly seized weapons and a riot ensued which was quelled with difficulty. The most tragic disaster occurred in June when eight men were killed, and their bodies buried under tons of rock by a premature explosion seven miles above Granite Falls in the most dangerous part of the canyon. In October tunnel No. 1 caved in for nearly its entire length, seriously delaying construction, and in November, while officers were inspecting the line, after a freshet, which damaged the road to the extent of $75,000, the track upon which their engine was standing settled and the engine tipped over. The engine was not greatly damaged, but the offcers were left stranded for some time. Superintendent Allen stated in December that the flood had delayed construction work badly and the line would not be completed until some time in May, 1893. He said the offices of the company would be soon removed from Snohomish to Everett, and that regular train service would be established by January 20, 1893, between the two cities. Moral conditions proved a serious problem in the construction of both the Monte Cristo and Great Northern lines. In April it was estimated that between 2,000 and 3,000 men were employed by these railroads. The saloon, gambling house and dance hall followed the camps up the line. They were thoroughly disreputable and were for the purpose solely of preying on the workmen. Not only were there these established places, which occupied shacks or tents, but there were whiskey peddlers who tramped over the route selling firewater to the graders, and it was said that some of the ranchers were not above turning an honest penny by this means. The county commissioners refused to issue liquor licenses along the line of construction, but this only tended to encourage bootlegging and it was charged that the order was used as a means of graft, by the collection of alleged fines which were not turned in to the county and by favoritism to saloons in which it was charged officials had an interest. The managers of these railroad camp dives were perfectly heartless to the graders whom their liquor had made intoxicated, and there were so many cases of brutal robberies that in some instances the laborers took the law into their own hands as when the "Monte Cristo Club," a saloon and dance hall five miles east of Granite Falls, was dynamited and the bar and fixtures demolished. The occupants, who were said to be sleeping in the rear, were unhurt. Again "the Branch of the Burning Bush," another dive on the Monte Cristo Line was destroyed by a mob of 100 laborers to avenge the "rolling" of some of their fellows. Like incidents took place along the line of the Great Northern and at one time, its camp near the summit in King County, was reported to be "the toughest place in America."

Throughout the year the work on the Great Northern from the summit to the sea proceeded with feverish activity. The problem of supplies was a difficult one, and Shepard & Henry, contractors, ordered ten barges sixty feet long and six or eight feet wide to "canal" up the rivers with supplies. These barges were loaded at Snohomish and towed up the river by pack mules. The line was put in operation as fast as the work progressed, and some of the early agents were G. R. Clark at Lowell, J. E. Stone at Sultan, B. M. Banks at Snohomish and D. L. Nichols at Foss Creek. Thousands of men were employed along the line and county commissioners ordered that no liquor should be sold above Wallace. Speaking of the construction work in March, 1892, a Snohomish newspaper said: 'There is great activity along the line above Fern Bluff, thirteen miles from Snohomish. A good wagon road has been completed from Sultan to Gunn's (Index), sixteen miles above. The railroad will not cross the north fork of the Skykomish at the forks near Granite Point, but will cross one and one-half miles farther up. The wagon road, which is built within fifteen miles of the summit, crosses the river at Granite. The right-of-way is pretty well cleared above Fern Bluff. Fifteen hundred men are at work above Park Place and trains are expected to run from Everett to Gunn's by August Ist, and to the summit by a month later. Postoffices have been established at Gunn's and at Galena City." In June it was reported that a grading camp had been established at Martin Creek, and two camps between Snohomish and Lowell, and that the piling for the east approach to the Snohomish bridge was under way. Quinton E. Friars, representing E. D. Smith, secured the contract for piles and lumber between Lowell and Snohomish, to be delivered on rafts and booms.

By June, 1892, the Fairhaven bubble had burst and for almost the first time there was definite talk that Everett would be the great terminus of the Great Northern. J. J. Hill was quoted as saying that trains would soon be running from Chicago to Everett in sixty hours, and from St. Paul to Everett in forty-eight hours, and that 8,000 men were to be put to work beginning at the Everett end of the line in July. The Everett Herald quoted "a man close to Hill" as saying that Everett would be the terminal, not Fairhaven, and that the line would not go to Seattle through Everett, which latter was to be the great distributing point. The Herald added: "Hill does not make this announcement for many reasons, but Everett is sure." It was further announced at this time that the Great Northern depot would be located on Hewitt Avenue, between McDougall and Broadway, with a tunnel to be used by the Great Northern, the Monte Cristo and the Seattle & Montana. The union depot was to be large and imposing, with a union depot at Lowell also. 'The tunnel was to run through the center of the city, beginning at Broadway and running under the alley between Hewitt and California avenues,

Hill Visits Everett

President Hill visited Everett in July, 1892, coming over his road from Wenatchee in company with Engineer Berkler and Contractor Sims. He said trains would be running from St. Paul to Everett in 100 days, and that the graders were but four miles apart on the summit. <A construction note in August stated that Huffman & Bates had begun work on the Great Northern bridge at Snohomish, that the Great Northern grade was nearly completed to Lowell, and that rails would be unloaded at Everett and hauled by the Monte Cristo to Lowell, a spur being built on the nail works wharf on the bay side of Everett so that rails (coming by sail) might be unloaded direct to the cars. Track laying began at Snohomish September 1, and was completed to a point sixty-five miles east of Everett by the middle of November. A few days later, however, the flood which so badly damaged the Monte Cristo, played havoc with the Great Northern also, and all bridges above Snohomish were reported as having been washed out. In December, 1892, it was reported that E. D. Smith had sold all his interests in Lowell to the Great Northern for $300,000, and the report had been current for some time that the railroad shops would be located near the old Smith mill. Among the Great Northern construction notes for the year was one that the depot at Sultan had been located outside the original town plat, and that a trail was being cut by Sultan and Happy Valley people across the mountain and into the Sultan Basin to secure the benefit of rail facilities. Another item stated that in order to prevent the operations of time check speculators and liquor vendors, the amounts on time checks were written in cipher so that no one except the contractor and the paymaster might know the face value of the check. In November it was reported that laborers were coming in off the railroad in droves, and that the Snohomish bank was crowded with men getting their time checks cashed. It was stated that these checks averaged only about $3 each, the inference being that the balance had already been expended. There was one act of heroism which should not be omitted: May Feak, a sixteen-year-old girl, living near Fern Bluff, west of Sultan, seeing that a section of track had been undermined by water, ran down the track in time to save a work train with 200 men on board. For us act of heroism she was given a life pass over the Great Northern.

The November flood, which so greatly damaged the railroad, was general throughout the county. The Snohomish River was twenty feet above low water and higher than any since 1872. The entire lower part of Snohomish City was flooded, and the streets of Stanwood were several feet under water. The Great Northern bridge at Snohomish was threatened, and every bridge on the Monte Cristo between Granite Falls and Silverton was washed away. Although there was great property damaged throughout the county, there was but one fatality, George Meader being drowned.

The connecting rail between the East and the West divisions of the Great Northern Railway was laid on January 6, 1893, at a point thirteen miles west of Stevens Pass; thus another great link uniting the Atlantic and the Pacific coasts was completed. It was expected that President J. J. Hill would be present when this last spike was driven and that there would be an elaborate ceremony, but he was unable to be present and the only officials who witnessed the ceremony, which took place while engines shrieked and workmen shouted, were General Superintendent Shields and Supt. J. D. Farrell. The first train over the Great Northern from the east arrived at Snohomish January 7, 1893, and carried the private car of Superintendent Shields. It was stated that the Great Northern would begin handling freight east of Snohomish in February, and that passenger traffic would begin in March. It was not until June 18, 1893, however, that the first through passenger train made the journey from the coast to St. Paul. There was one train daily and the time was seventy-five hours. E. J. Anderson had the distinction of buying the first railroad ticket from Marysville to Snohomish. The fare was 70 cents and the time was one hour and twenty minutes, which was the quickest the journey had ever been made. It was intended to celebrate this opening of train service, but it was postponed, as Mr. Hill could not be present. It was not until October 1 that through mail service was established on the Great Northern, and prior to that time, mail from Snohomish reached Everett via Seattle. An express office was installed at Lowell in January, 1893, the postmaster, H. F. Meader, being the agent. President Hill came over the line the latter part of January, 1893, but his visit was a great disappointment to Snohomish County people as he passed through Snohomish and Everett without stopping, save for a few moments at the bayside to inspect the nail works. The route of the Seattle & Montana along the Port Gardner bay front, was altered during March, 1893, and train service was established that month to the junction with the Great Northern tracks. Work on the Great Northern tunnel to connect it with the Seattle & Montana began at Everett April 1. A serious piece of reconstruction had to be done by the Great Northern during this summer, as it was found that five miles of the track near Monroe was below high water mark and the entire grade had to be raised from 5 to 8 feet. 1893 was the first year, and in some respects the dreariest year of the great panic, and this was not conducive to railroad building. Efforts were made to curtail expenses, and this led to the great railway strike, which affected the entire country, with riots and bloodshed in some sections. The strike order was felt on the Great Northern, when in April every employee from train dispatcher to section man was called out, first from Spokane east to Crookston, Minn., the next day from the Cascade and Coast divisions, and the third day from the divisions in Dakota and Minnesota. A division of the American Railway Union was organized at Snohomish with thirty charter members, the officers being Charles Curtis, president; H. Knowles, vice president; J. B. LeCompte, secretary treasurer. Every railroad employee was included in this organization, and the tieup of this division was complete. It particularly affected the shingle and lumber industry and caused a food shortage along the line from Snohomish to Wenatchee. The strike so far as the Great Northern was concerned was of short duration, wages being restored, and the strike being declared off early in May. The men on this division were not anxious to strike and it was only by a majority of one vote that the strike resolution was passed.

It is hard to understand or appreciate the wonderful change which came over Snohomish County in the five years from 1888 to 1893. At the beginning of this period, it did not have one mile of railroad in operation. At its close, it had about the largest railroad mileage, either in operation or under construction, of any county in the entire state. The City of Everett had grown from an almost uninhabited peninsula to one of the large and prosperous cities of Washington. Sno- homish had grown from a little country village to a thriving town. A mining area which promised great wealth was filled with miners and prospectors. The new railroad lines had made vast tracts of timber accessible and the logging camps extended far back from the coast and from the river banks. Agriculture had increased largely, but had hardly been able to keep pace with the local demand for farm produce. It was estimated that $10,000,000 had been spent for railroad building during this period, as well as $5,000,000 for manufacturing plants and $5,000,000 for city and farm improvements. The wealth of the county had increased five-fold and more than $1,000,000 was expended for railroad construction in 1893. A large part of this was spent by the Everett & Monte Cristo Railroad. By March, this line had passed beyond the canyon of the Stillaguamish and was within a mile of the second crossing of that river, and with the exception of bridging, was ready for track laying as far as Silverton. In April train service was established between Everett and Snohomish, giving the two towns excellent suburban service. The line reached Silverton July 6, 1893, and train service was established in that month. Arrangements were made with the Northern Pacific to run freight trains over its lines from Snohomish to Hartford, and a tri-weekly passenger service was established from Hartford to Monte Cristo by September 1. Trains connected at Hartford for Seattle, leaving Hartford on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings and leaving Monte Cristo on the alternate days. A. A. Allen, superintendent of the road, was promoted to a similar position on the Missouri, Kansas and Texas, in January, 1893, being succeeded by S. B. Fisher, who was in turn succeeded by John T. McBride, when it was turned over to the operating department September 26. The line was extended to the newly erected concentrator at Monte Cristo in December, and ore shipments to the new smelter at Everett began in 1894. Northern Pacific officials inspected the line in November, 1893, giving rise to the report that 1t was soon to pass into the hands of that railroad, which it did at a later date. Among the early railroaders mentioned on this line, are F. H. Roberts, agent at Monte Cristo; E. C. Baker, agent at Silverton, and Charles Trousdale, lineman at Robe, who was later promoted to the agency at Silverton, when Baker went to Monte Cristo. The management of the railroad was progressive and in 1895 it was the pioneer railroad of the coast to introduce automatic couplers on all cars and engines, thus reducing the risk of accidents materially. Granite Falls was made a regular passenger, freight and telegraph station in March, 1895, Silverton being reduced to the rank of a prepaid station. This railroad suffered heavily by flood in 1896, one tunnel was destroyed and a large amount of track washed away. Train service stopped for nearly a month, and the starved miners were forced to abandon their work and return to the cities where food could be had. Coming in the midst of the hard times, this was a severe blow to the new railroad and there was some talk of abandoning the old road and trying to reach the Monte Cristo district by way of the north fork of the Stillaguamish. In this connection the Marysville Globe said: "Thomas Moran, ex-county commissioner, passed through town Thursday. Mr. Moran believes the most practical route for the Everett and Monte Cristo road is via Marysville, Arlington, North Fork, and through a tunnel to Silverton. He says the grade would not exceed more than 2 per cent and in addition to the mines now tapped by the road would be added those of the White Horse and Gold Mountain district. The splendid timber belt of the north fork would also be tapped if the road were built up that way."

Although preliminary surveys were made, the railroad clung to its old route, but it was not rebuilt at once and a wagon and pack train were again resorted to for transportation. A wagon was run from Granite Falls to Robe, from which place McElroy & Lee operated a pack train to Silverton. In 1899 John D. Rockefeller became largely interested in Monte Cristo mining properties, and also in the Everett and Monte Cristo Railroad. This brought added capital and the line was completely rebuilt in 1900. A newspaper correspondent, writing in September, 1900, said of Monte Cristo: 'Old scenes of activity on the E. & M. C. are beginning to revive. The concentrator at Monte Cristo is being repaired and the mining company has advertised for miners. That town, which has been given over to the owls and bats since 1896, is again becoming inhabited, two hotels, a saloon, store and barber shop having already opened their doors for business, while the long imprisoned engine and coaches have been oiled up and are again doing duty. The '45' mine at Silverton has constructed a bucket tram to the railroad and has already shipped a car of ore, and all that country long dormant is now to be the scene of cheerful activity." An important railroad change was in 1900, when the Northern Pacific purchased that portion of the Everett & Monte Cristo between Snohomish and Everett, thus securing entrance into that growing city.

The old pioneer Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern fell upon evil days early in its career. It was leased by the Northern Pacific, which road desired to purchase it, and in June, 1893, the line was thrown into the hands of a receiver, upon the petition of minority stockholders who alleged that the Northern Pacific was trying to freeze them out. The receiver attempted economies, and some thirty of the employees of the road were discharged. In October, 1893, it was rumored that bondholders were about to foreclose and there were several years of litigation over its affairs. In April, 1896, Judge Hanford granted an order for its sale upon application of bondholders, and it was bought in by them at auction sale on a bid of $1,000,000. The bondholders' committee, which took over the road, consisted of H. O. Armour, E. D. Christian, M. S. Peyton and J. D. Smith. The property was estimated to be worth $3,000,000. By July, 1896, the old S. L. S. & E. was a thing of the past, and it was succeeded by two corporations, the Seattle & International for the property west of the Cascades, and the Spokane & Seattle for the property east of the mountains. This new corporation, the Seattle & International, suffered heavily in 1897, not only from floods but from a wreck which occurred near Cathcart. A freight train was running in two sections, and the engine of the second, getting out of water, was uncoupled from the cars and started for Woodinville Junction to get a supply. In some way the brakes became loosened and the cars started down the grade, soon gaining terrific momentum. The brakemen saved themselves by jumping, but the train broke into three pieces, the first of which jumped the track at Blackman's Switch, the second stopped of itself without damage, the third was wrecked near Cathcart, eight or ten cars being demolished. No one was killed, but Fowler, who was asleep at Blackman's, was severely cut in the crash when the first section was wrecked at that place. The loss to the railroad company by flood and accident was estimated at $40,000. This undoubtedly added to the desire of the bondholders to dispose of a losing investment. Both the Canadian and the Northern Pacific desired to control this line as a part of their system and there was sharp rivalry between the two for it purchase. The Northern Pacific was the successful bidder and it was stated in February, 1898, that there was no further doubt that the Northern Pacific had secured control of the Seattle & International, and that L. S. Miller, late assistant manager of the St. Paul & Duluth, would soon take charge as general manager. This transfer took place in the spring of 1898.

As early as 1893 Seattle parties incorporated the Stillaguamish Construction Company with a capital of $500,000, for the purpose of building a railroad up the north fork of the Stillaguamish. Surveys were made and it was reported that a line would be built at once northeast from Arlington, and up the north fork to Portage, continuing another year up the north fork of the Sauk to Indian Pass, which is said to be the lowest pass over the Cascade Mountains. This project came to nothing, but there were numerous surveys up the North Stillaguamish Valley. It was not until the spring of 1899 that L. S. Miller, general manager of the Seattle & International, proposed the building of this road. Construction began that year and the line was completed to Darrington by June 10, 1900, when regular train service was established. The Northern Pacific has not extended its line beyond that point, but the logging railroad which extends above Darrington and up the Sauk River Valley toward Indian Pass, has been built of standard gauge, and with heavy rails suitable for a standard railroad, and the faith still abides among the people of that section that the Northern Pacific will some day extend its line over Indian Pass, tapping the rich Chelan Valley with a direct line to the East. The chief difficulty is said to be with the terrain on the east side of the Cascades, the approach to the summit from the west not being exceedingly difficult.

The great accomplishment of the Great Northern in 1899 was the completion of the Cascade tunnel. This was one of the greatest pieces of railroad engineering ever attempted and did away with more than twelve miles of difficult and expensive switchback. It was not until 1900 that J. J. Hill turned the light of his countenance full upon Everett. In January, 1901, Mr. Hill announced during a visit to the city that he proposed building the largest freight yards on the Coast at Everett. President Hill and party, with a special train again visited Everett in August, 1902, at which time he announced that a new station was soon to be built, that the giant Great Northern ships, Minnesota and Dakota, each of 28,000 tons, were nearing completion and would make Everett their terminus; that the Coulee City cut-off was also nearing completion and would bring the grain of Eastern Washington to Everett. He also gave the good news that the Weyerhaeuser Lumber Syndicate was soon to invest $1,000,000 in new sawmills in Everett. The Everett railroad tunnel, completed in 1902, did away with the loop about the city, the long stops at Delta and Pacific avenues and shortened the time from Marysville.

There were pioneer difficulties in the way of railroading, even as late as 1901. In March of that year, an east bound Great Northern freight stalled in the Cascade tunnel, and the engineer, W. W. Bradley, died from the effects of the fumes, while the fireman, J. W. Smith, was rendered unconscious. Since that day modern ventilating methods have rendered such an accident almost impossible. Another incident which seems incredible today, was that Indians, in May, 1901, rendered train service dangerous by firing on freight crews in the vicinity of Sultan to avenge the death of an Indian who was run over by a train.

In 1925 Fred W. Graham, assistant general agricultural development agent of the Great Northern Railway, wrote for the anniversary edition of the Everett News, a most interesting and accurate history of the Great Northern Railroad activities at Everett, and in Snohomish County. The account is complete to date with the exception of the fact that in the summer of 1926 division headquarters of the Great Northern were removed from Everett to Seattle. At an earlier date this would have been a severe blow to the city, but at present its industries are so large and varied that this change has no appreciable effect upon the general prosperity of the city. Mr. Graham's account of the Great Northern is authentic and cannot be improved upon, and it is quoted herewith in full:

Graham'S Railroad Review

The past two decades have witnessed one of the most substantial and sustaining growths in Everett and environs of any city in the state. Location, industries, railroad, payroll and civic spirit have brought it to fourth rank in cities of the state. The Great Northern railway since it was built into Everett in 1893, has kept abreast or ahead of the natural growth by a continual series of improvements through the years as the following references to some of the more important features of its development program are recalled.

The Everett tunnel driven in 1900 and lined with timbers, was put into service that year. It was relined with concrete in 1910, and during the several following years. This tunnel has cost a great deal of money, something over $300,000. It is 2,000 feet long and single track. Prior to its completion main line trains were handled around the point of the peninsula. The saving of time and mileage and the element of safety have justified this improvement. The Great Northern freight depot at Pacific Avenue in the center of the city was built in 1900, coincident with the construction of the tunnel under the city of Everett.

The Great Northern ocean dock and warehouse costing over $300,000 were built in 1907 and 1908 primarily to handle export wheat. The dock is 144 feet wide and 800 feet long and has a corrugated iron covering and stands on creosote pile foundations.

The present passenger depot was started in August, 1908, and finished in August, 1909, at a cost of about $100,000. Its value on present day basis of material would be double the original cost. D. L. Ellis, building inspector, now assistant engineer at Seattle, supervised this depot job and other improvements in and around Everett. The contractor was H. Chase. It was necessary to move a block of wooden buildings including the old Bayview Hotel, and build a new street, which entailed an additional expense of about $50,000. The present passenger depot is one of the handsomest and most substantial on the line. . It is built of brick with reinforced concrete foundation and cement stucco plaster as a veneer and tile roof. The interior has marble floors and terrazzo wainscoting with beamed ceiling of native fir in the spacious waiting room. It is the only depot on the system that 1s arranged to handle passenger traffic on two track levels, with elevators for baggage and express. A distinctive feature of the waiting room are the large oil paintings of Glacier Park scenes, which were especially painted for hanging in this depot. Upon completion of the present passenger depot Coast line trains began using the lower track along the harbor front, thereby saving half to three-quarters of an hour in time. From 1900 to 1909, they had used the upper track through the tunnel and via Delta and Pacific Avenue.

The Great Northern fuel oil station two miles south of Everett passenger depot, was built in 1911. There are three 55,000 barrel capacity steel oil tanks located fifty feet above the mainline tracks to which the fuel oil is pumped from tanker steamers. The fuel oil is then released by gravity from these storage tanks into tank cars for distribution to all oil stations in the western district. The same year, 1911, oil stations were built at Delta, Burlington, Skykomish, Cascade Tunnel and Leavenworth. In 1913, oil stations were built at Hillyard, Wilson Creek and Wenatchee. The cost of these oil stations installations totalled over $300,000.

The i4th Street dock track was first built very early in the life of Everett, but has been augmented from time to time through the years by additional trackage spurs and improvements to serve new mills. The industrial growth along the water front has necessitated many new spur tracks all the way along the outer harbor and the river front.

A connecting track with the Northern Pacific and Milwaukee tracks was built jointly to serve the Weyerhaeuser Lumber Company's "B'' mill and their large electric mill about ten years ago.

The Delta terminals in Everett first started in 1902, are now the largest on the road west of Hillyard. Large extensions have been made to the Delta storage yards, which required heavy filling of eight to ten feet. These terminals are four times as large as they were twenty years ago. There is now twenty miles of trackage at Delta. The large boiler, blacksmith and car repair shops built in 1910-11 and 1912, cost about $100,000 each.

A transfer connecting track was built in 1911 at Delta to facilitate the interchange of cars with the Milwaukee road, which was built into Everett through its Snoqualmie Valley branch in 1909 and 1910.

The Snohomish River bridge at Delta, was originally a wooden bridge, was replaced about six years ago with a steel structure on concrete foundations. This is one of the largest bridges on the line and cost between $350,000 and $400,000. It is 1,100 feet long and the work extended over a period of several years.

Prior to 1909 the Great Northern used Northern Pacific tracks between Pacific Avenue and Delta for both freight and passenger trains. Since then we have used our own tracks for mainline passenger trains and are still using Northern Pacific tracks for freight trains between Lowell and Delta, under a trackage agreement.

At Lowell the Great Northern built two extra long full train side tracks two years ago to facilitate the handling of time freights Nos. 401 and 402, direct between Seattle and Appleyard at Wenatchee, instead of through Delta as formerly. With the present mainline and these long sidings at Lowell, No. 401 sets out all cars for Delta and north at Lowell and proceeds to Seattle. No. 402, eastbound, picks up any east loads at Lowell, originating at Everett, and north. This method saves about three hours' time that would be consumed if these trains ran into Delta and were switched about as they formerly were.

The 300-class Mogul freight engines used in the construction period of 1893, weighed 78,000 pounds on drivers, and fifteen cars was a good train. These were followed by the 500-class engines and gradually became larger until now the engines in use on freight trains weigh 350,000 pounds on drivers and are known as M-class engines. There are engines on the east end of Spokane division and Kalispell division in service that weigh 420,000 pounds on drivers. These powerful engines now handle 4,000 tons per train between Everett and Skykomish. Freight trains start from Delta and Interbay and run through to Appleyard, near Wenatchee, with the same crew and engine. The tonnage east of Skykomish is reduced from 4,000 to 27,000 tons, which is the capacity of the electric motors through Cascade tunnel, but heavier motors are to be substituted soon. All freight trains from Skykomish double through the hill and carry 2,700 tons. Twenty years or so ago the maximum train was 1,030 to 1,100 tons. Box cars, flats, and gondolas have increased in length and capacity ; thirty-three feet was the average length and twenty-eight-foot box cars were not uncommon. Now they are forty and fifty feet.

Great changes in passenger equipment have been made in the past twenty years. The locomotives of that period were 900-class Rogers on passenger trains. They were sixty feet long and weighed 112,000 pounds on drivers. The present day engines on passenger trains are ninety-four feet eight and one-half inches long and weigh 242,000 pounds on drivers. The new P-class are equipped with boosters, an appliance that goes on trailer wheels and makes drivers of them while the train is starting and gives increased tractive effort. These modern engines handle nine steel coaches and sleepers over the mountains without a helper engine. The fiftyfoot platform coaches built of wood have been replaced by seventy-five-foot steel vestibule coaches.

From sixty-five-pound rails on Cascade division, we have gone to 130-pound rails on the hill. Originally the rails were fifty-six to. seventy-seven pounds, and now are ninety to 130 pounds. Wooden bridges have all been replaced by steel on concrete piers.

Operating headquarters for the Cascade division were originally established at Leavenworth. They were moved to Everett on May 28, 1898, and established in the old Bayview Hotel on the water front, near the foot of Hewitt Avenue. They remained here for two years and were moved to the Wisconsin building in the spring of 1900. The tenure here was temporary, as they were again moved in the fall of that year to a building at the foot of Norton street, near the flour mill. On May 14, 1902, the division offices were moved to Delta, where they remained for seventeen years. The last move was made in February, 1919, when they were reestablished in the city, where they have since occupied the entire second floor of the Purcell building on Hewitt Avenue.

The year 1893 will be long remembered as the year in which the great money panic swept the country, but it was in that year that the construction crews, who were working east and west met at a point three miles west of Scenic on January 6, 1893, and completed the track laying to tide water at Everett. The first through passenger train left St. Paul, June 15, 1893 for Everett. Since then the Cascade division has had many superintendents, including Harry E. Byram, now a receiver and former president of the C. M. & St. P. railway, and Jas. H. O'Neill, now general manager of lines west of Williston, North Dakota, with headquarters at Seattle. The Cascade division was extended from Leavenworth to Wenatchee last year on completion of the Appleyard terminals.

C. McDonough, present superintendent at Everett, has jurisdiction west of Wenatchee to Vancouver, B. C., and Portland, Ore., over the mainline and coast branches. With its mountain mileage and tidewater terminals, it is one of the most important divisions of the system. Division officers have come and gone through the years, but James C. Devery, whom everybody calls "Jim," apparently has a life lease on the position of chief dispatcher. He started to work for the road back in 1892 and became chief train dispatcher at Everett in 1898. He was transferred to Spokane in the fall of 1900, but returned to Everett in 1901, succeeding J. W. Hyndman, who has since passed on. Operators, agents and trainmen of the Cascade division call their chief dispatcher "Jim'' and love him for his good treatment and his invariable good nature. Lumbermen and other shippers swear by him for the consideration given them in times of car shortage. Speaking of "Jim" Devery reminds the writer that "Chris" McDonough, superintendent; 'Joe' Boettner, general agent, and "Herb" Stephens, city passenger and ticket agent, are other popular local officers who are commonly called by their first names.

Double tracking and the building of a sea wall between Everett and Metum was a tremendous task extending over the years 1907 to 1911 inclusive; 200,000 cubic yards of rock were hauled from Halford and placed in this sea wall, which has permanently protected the road bed from washing away through the action of the tides and seepage from the hills. For years after the original track was built between Everett and Seattle, earth slides were frequent during the rainy season. Traffic was blocked for days sometimes, but no serious accidents ever occurred. It was freely predicted that the slide problem would never be solved and that the water front line would have to be abandoned. A former superintendent, J. B. Copeland, once said to the writer that those hills would continue to slide for a hundred years. The judgment of James J. Hill was eventually justified, however, as the hills have been cut down and cut back, the curves straightened, ditches dug in the hills for miles to carry off the water and the sea wall and double track have solved the problem and made of this stretch of track one of the most substantial and scenic routes of the west. The '"'Flyer" was the original name for the Great Northern crack train. Then came the Oriental Limited, and on June 1, 1924, the new Oriental Limited was inaugurated.

Since 1901, there have been no important additions to steam railway mileage in the county, save the entrance of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railway into Everett. This branch line was built in 1911, from the main line at Cedar Falls, in King County, and running almost parallel with the Great Northern from Monroe through Snohomish to Everett. This road does a large freight and logging business, but is not a strong competitor for passenger traffic. The. fact that one pier of the new highway bridge construction on the cutoff to Marysville is reserved for rightof-way for the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul, opens the field of conjecture as to the future extensions of this road, after it shall have surmounted the financial diffculties in which it is involved in 1926, The railroad mileage of Snohomish County exceeds that of almost any other county in the state of Washington. It is adequate to the present needs, as it is supplemented by the interurban service to Seattle, by numerous logging railroads, and by the splendid system of public highways.

The Monte Cristo line was owned and operated by the Northern Pacific until 1925, when it was purchased by W. J. Rucker, who operates it and who is making it a popular scenic line, as it passes through some of the most beautiful scenery to be found in the northwest.