The Wichita City Eagle

Special Telegram to the Inter-Ocean.

JAY GOULD'S SCHEME TO HEAD OFF THE NORTHERN PACIFIC.

Jay Gould, like other great men, has his weakness, on which he prides himself, and that is a passion for being mysterious. Some of those in his employ are not so secretive, however. A gentleman who happens to be in Washington disclosed to-day one of the gigantic schemes of the Pacific Railroad king. It seems that he looked very jealously last winter at the progress made by the Northern Pacific towards securing an extension of time for the construction of the road without forfeiting their immense land grant. The company succeeded in inducing the House committee to report in favor of a five years' extension. That appears to have admonished Mr. Gould that it was time to bestir himself. He has decided upon a coup d'etat that will be a severe blow to the North Pacific enterprise or else hurry up its managers materially. Gould's plan is none other than to head off the new road by a branch of the Union Pacific running to Puget Sound. He has had the mountains full of surveying parties all summer. They have pushed their explorations rapidly in all directions to discover the best route for the new enterprise, taking Cheyenne as the starting point. Gould has two objects in view. He will get to Puget Sound ahead of the other fellows with their road for one thing, but he is also confident that he can make a half-way stopping, as it were, that will pay, that is, at the National Park on the Yellowstone. He thinks he can turn thousands of summer tourists in this direction that will insure a profitable venture thus far, and afford a new starting point, whence he can push on across the unknown wilderness to the Pacific shore. He is looking every day for his surveyors of the first hundred miles to report, and will decide upon his course and undertake to build this much before January 1st next. He thinks he will pass within twenty miles of East Laramie, and thence on to the vicinity of Fort McKinney, where the road will lead west to Yellowstone Park. From this point nothing is fixed as to the route, but surveyors are looking over the country, and it is believed along Snake river and across south of Bitter Root Mountains. The speed with which the enterprise is rushed from the National Park will depend somewhat upon the progress made by the Northern Pacific Company, as Gould's only object is to forestall them or frighten them into a suspension of work if possible. He will not easily yield the monopoly of the Pacific coast business. He will also build a branch from the new line near Laramie to Deadwood, thus opening the Black Hills by the route that will make unnecessary further parley of the Chicago and Northwestern for the right of way from St. Pierre across the Sioux reservation.