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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1906)
THE MORNING OREGONIAN, MONDAY, JANUARY 1, 1906. TERMINAL YARDS WORTH MILLIONS Extensive Trackage and Big Docks for Portland During 1906. P. & S. BUYS FORTY BLOCKS V. & A. and S. TP. .& J. Steamship Companies Propose JSrcctlon of ' Substantial Freight Trans fer for Hall and "Water. "The greatest seaport Is on the rails in the railroad yards." This epigram from that master of railroad-finance, construction and operation, James J. Hill, tells eloquently the Im portance of terminals to any railroad. It was uttered in an address at Portland, October 2 last, concisely stating the fact that no port can be commercially great without adequato terminal facilities at the end of railroad trackage that brings the traffic from and carries the freight to the Interior of the country. It Is due to this It is the expectation that such improve ments will be made at an early date. What the Illinois Central did in building the new Stcyvceant Dock at New Orleans, tho Harrlman steam and rail lines will accomplish at Portland. "Where now stand tho Alaska and Ainsworth docks will rise great, rermancnt structures, wliile on th cast side of tho stream, below Burnslde bridge will bo the new Oriental dock. "With constantly increasing fleets of ves sels carrying grain, American manufac turer and every class of freight from this port to the markets of the world; with tho establishment of an Alaska lino al most assured for the new year,, and mul tiplying tonnage of freight to bo trans ferred from rail to ship, an4 vice versa, it Is absolutely necessary that the pro jected Improvements be mado with the least possible delay, which it is the pur-pose-of tho management of the system to -accomplish. ' - MODERN SHOPS AT ALBINA Plant of O. R. & X. System Doubled in Size and Capacity. Notable among the improvements of the Harrlman system in the Northwest dur ing 1M5 was tho construction at Portland of the new chop plant of tlio Oregon Ball road & "Navigation Company, doubling the capacity of the general shops of that portion of tho system and founding one of tho most modern plants of any line reaching tho Pacific Coast. The capacity of the plant has been doubled and at tho same time better provision made for the increasing demands upon tho plant for ropalr and construction work, with tho Improved machinery introduced and in creased power provided. Twonty-two stalls havo been added to the roundhouse, more than doubling the OREGON BENEFITS FROM QUIET ACT State Land Board Formulates Rules for Protection of Settlers. LARGE TRACTS RECLAIMED Three Companies Have Selected Seg regations ori tho Deschutes, "One In "Walker's Basin HndThreo In Rarncy County. Thres companies have claimed tho use of Deschutes water up to this time, un der the provisions of tho Carey act. Tills law went into effect August 18, but was amended June 11, JSD5, and March 3. 1ML The State of Oregon can. under its acceptance of the act on February 5, 1P01, claim up to 3.000.OCO acres of Govern ment land as irrigable under its provis ions. To land so -under Irrigation the State of Oregon gets title from tho United States, and deeds such land to those set tlers who shall agree with an irrigation mate is bright and Invigorating, the nat ural rainfall from clsht to ten inches an nually. Magnificent forests on the moun- 1 tains to the west of these irrigable lands supply all lumber needed by tho settlers, while the scattering Juniper trees yield good fencing material and the best of fucL As during tho later months of 1205 a long discussion has been pending between this company and the State Land Board regarding the rights' of settlers to water supplies, which has been recently closed, and a form of rules arrived at satisfac tory ob both sides, notlco of tho main points may bo given here. This becausa a test case is generally regarded as having been so settled as to operate as a guide to future relations between the state, as representing the settlers, and other irri gation companies, under tho Carey act. How Regulated. The main points, then, ore as follows: . iFirst Generally. The Irrigation com pany shall furnish to each tract sufficient water to irrigate and reclaim it so as 'to prepare it to raise ordinary agricultural crops. Second Irrigation season to extend from April 1 to November 1. During 39 days from May 23 to August CO, the amount of water delivered at jhe Mshest practicable point on the settler's land o be reached by a gravity flow shall sufflc to cover each acre of irrigable land to, the depth of S-10 feet. Third Defines, as above, th point of delivery, to be settled by the State Engi neer in case of dispute. Four Settlers to construct and main tain distributing ditches. Fifth Sets the date for payment of, the. annual maintenance and delivery charge of $1 per acre. Sixth Settlers to use this water only on lands obtained under this system. M3W TERMINAL- 3'ARDS, LOOKING TOWARDS PROPOSED DOCKS ABOVE STEED BRIDGE. appreciation of the importance of termi nals that the Northwestern Improvement Company, the Portland & Seattle Railway and the Northern Pacific Railroad Com panies have acquired additional property approximating 40 blocks of ground, adja cent to tho present freight yards of tho Northern Pacific in Portland. It is not infrequent in the analysis of present value of great railroad systems of "the country that terminal property owned approaches in value or even exceeds that represented in the lines themselves. Com pletion of the Columbia River jetty, deep ening of the channel of the rivers from Portland to the sea and tho meeting of the traffic of many transcontinental linos of railroad with ocean carriors at Port land, with the enormous growth of export and Import traffic between the United States and Asiatic ports, "suggests the cn lagcd trackage that will be required at Portland. Although possessed of extensive freight yards and the Northern Pacific Terminal Company tracks, used jointly by all the roads entering Portland, the Northern lines early appreciated the necessity lor large grounds, and long before official an nouncement had been made of the inten tions to reach this city by a water-level route down the Columbia River, options were obtained on real estate in the do slrcd locality aggregating an expenditure of about S2,KK).(KW. Extent and location of the larger part of the lots and blocks acquired, with their relation to the pres ent terminals on tho west side of the Wil Inmctto River, are shown in an accom panying map published hcrewltlu ' Dock and "Warehouse Facilities. It will be observed that tho situation presents advantageous features for trans fer of traffic between ship and cars. "With property along the water front at one Ide of the tracks, whore warehouses to serve both rail and water carriers may be located, the economic value of the acqui sitions may bo understood. "While detailed plans have not been mado public, there is every reason to anticipate that the erection of modern dock and freight ware house buildings is projected, with every convenience for rapid work. Time is of great Importance in the handling of ocean freight, and transfer must be made with maximum dispatch without increasing the cost of transportation by needless labor, which ends may bo accomplished here. In connection with right-of-way prop erty acquired in the vicinity of Vancou ver, "Wash., and on tho Peninsula between the Columbia and the Willamette Rivers, the Portland & Scattlo is also said to have purchased additional acreage prop erty that may be utilized In part for transfer, where transfer trains may be made up either incoming or outgoing, and ns a means of relieving congestion of cars in the Portland yards. The portion of the Peninsula adjacent to SL Johns is rapidly developing an extensive manu facturing .district. Here is to be located ths Immense sawmill of the Weyerhaeuser Lumbir Company, which will have a ca pacity exceeding that of any lumber manufacturing plant on the Pacific Coast in operation at present. For this traffic alone several miles of switch track will bo necessary. Being situated near the ap proach to tho drawbridge that is to span the Willamctto makes it all tho more an important feature of tho terminal plans at the Portland end of the system. Portland & Asiatic Xlno Docks. tee-President and General Manager R. P. Schwerin, of the Portland & Asiatic Steejssaip Corapany and of the San Fran cisco & Portland Steamship Company, has announced the Intention of the Harrlman steamship companies to erect at no dis tant date new and modern docks at Port land, with every possible facility for rapid dteck&rge and loading of oargoes, where trafac may bo interchanged with the rail Hae without the expense, loss of thne and annoyance laetdent to shifting boats from one dock to another la making up cargoes. 'While the -prelect has not been (tafislltiy mmH tv -i caBxtrucU&s &t&g. size of that building, and embodying the latest and most approved mechanical means of making repairs aud caring for tho locomotives. A new machine shqp structure is of brick, steel and glass. 540 feet in length by 163 feet In width and a coach and paintshop occupy a building of equally durable construction E40 feet in length and 80 foot wide. With these build ings finished changes will bo made in the present buildings, affording moro space for portions of the work heretofore con fined to inadequate quarters. The new buildings will be ready for occupancy as soon as tho machinery is installed, and represents a total cost for construction and equipment of $328,000. IMPROVE LINE INTO CITY O. R. & X. Making Extensive Better ments on Portland Terminals. RIghtn the suburbs of Portland exten sive improvomentsare under way by the Orogon Railroad & Navigation Company, the work under way to furnish trackage for new and growing industries on the Peninsula In the vicinity of SL Johns, and with extension of some 17 miles to a junc tion with the main line at Troutdale, fol lowing up tho shoro-llne of Columbia SJough, thus making the line into Port land a water-level route instead of climb ing over the hill at Clarnie and running down throush Sullivan's Gulclu But a fraction more than three miles In company under contract with the state to repay to the irrigation company the pro rata cost of the irrigation works, as settled by tho State Land Board, and a sum of $1 per acre in perpetuity for main tenance and management of the canals and water supply, but no charge whatever is made for the land. The Columbia Southern Irrigation Com pany was the first to avail Itself of these provisions. It supplies 27.0CO acres from tho Tummalo, one of tho affluents of the Deschutes, taking its rise a few miles cast of tho Three Sisters Mountains, in tho Cascade Range. It is understood that water has been supplied to 20.009 acres al ready, most or all of which area is under actual settlement. Taking "Water From Deschutes. The Deschutes Irrigation & Power Com pany is a corporation, of which the capi tal has been furnished by Eastern Invest to rs, which has expended up to this time some J500.0CO In Its enterprise. It has con tracts with the State of Oregon for ZM.S12 acres. The main canals have been so far advanced that by July, IMS, water was available in those canals for irrigating K.W0 acres. These lands arc Included in the central part of Crook County, within an" area, of about 30 miles from north to south, wUh an avprago of tXt miles from east to west, or KO square miles In alL Tho boundaries of this plain are so OREGON'S TWO CLIMATES THE EASTERN AND WESTERN DIVISIONS OF STATE The following figures, which are compiled from the records of the United States "Weather Bureau, show the comparative climate of Eastern and Western Oregon, Baker City and Portland being used to illustrate temper atures -and rainfall. The table shows continuous records for 12 months, be ginning November L 1101, and ending October SL 1905. PORTLAND. Altitude. 51 ft. 66 4S39 fa; a 36 3.6S WB7I 53! 7.40 14 1. 5.03 1.71 56 0.12 0.1P 2.73; 4.73: Trace. 11 211 23134 20 3I14IU s 11 10 i. 7 21 20 . 14 12111 . S 5(2 . 141 61 5 J. ill .MONTH. BAKER CITY. Altitude. 5470 ft. November. December ,. January . February .. March .... April .... fay ... June ... July ,.. August tiiiiukrcr ......... .. October 4i !S3C4.i; 1iiO)I.1II 52G3U.65 f73j0.5"5JllU 2Jll 61 611312 11 6' 123 1311 1 SjHlH 171 IS 1 1 HH length, the extension on tho Peninsula below St. Johns Is being r.ado at a cost of $S2,50, the expense of securing right of way being high and the trackage put in of tho best type," in contemplation of the proposed use of this as the route for the main line. The projected 17 miles to Troutdalo will be included with tho new work of 190S, contracts for part of the work having been let. Jn addition to af fording trackage facilities for numerous other large manufacturing industries, es tablished or proposed to be founded, is included a large sawmilll of the Weyer haeuser Lumber Company, which will have at this point the rails of the North ern lines -as well as tho Harrlman system right at the plant. Finest Pears In the Wo r lei. Oregon excels in many products of orchard, field, mine and stream. There are mountain-walled valleys of compara tively small areas -that possess fertility and natural advantages that make them in advance of other competing districts in particular products. Hood River leads in the fame of its apples aud strawber ries aud has commanded tiie high en t prices for Newtown Pippins and Spltz enbergs ever paid for apples in the Brit ish and Scotch markets. But "Medfcrd, in IMC, fefefce all records for pears, when a. carlod of choice fruit was old it 7 ucr bwx in Ute Xorlc nnrVT marked by Nature that settlers are prac tically safe, so far as water supply is con cerned, from temptation on the part of the company to surpass the limits of the land for which their original ample sup ply has been planned. The outline of work done by this company is reported as follows: From the diverting point on the main river, three and one-half miles above the town of Bend, the water Is turned into a flume one and one-fourth miles long, which is estimated to carry 3009 cubic feet of water per second, equal to 50.OW California miners' Inches. A canal SO feet wide on the boltpm Is com pleted for SI miles, with many laterals. Toward the north the dralnago is into Crooked River. A second canal Is in prog ress, 44 feet wide on tho bottom, and has at present a length of about IS miles. A third canal is projected, running from Benham Falls, on the Deschutes, along the southern and eastern sides of the ir rigable area, and al.o discharging- Into Crookfd River. Oh Eastern Oregon plateau. The altitude of the lands described varies from to 3300 feet above sea level. From Senham Fails the river drop to ward hc north feet in the 159 wiles a in r&irjM 12 i&c CsluaUM. Th cli- "The Road . r of 'a Thousand Wonders" Is th Southern Pacific ir Linking Together Portland, Oregon, and Los Angeles, California, where the Slimmer Girl in Winter Reigns in All Her Glory Booklets, telling all about the Resorts, free by asking any Agent of the Southern Pacific, or by writing to C. W. Stinger, City Ticket Agent A. L. Craig, General Passenger Agent Portland, Oregon Seventh If shortago occurs from nat ural causes, then the dcflcloncy to - be fairly distributed over .tho lands. In case of shortage from .other than natural causes, proportionate reduction to bo made by the company on tho annual charge. Eighth The company to construct, maintain and operate a telephone line along its main canals. Ninth All persons forbidden directly or indirectly to pollute tho water. Tenth Rules to be open to change, but stand until changes are approved by State Land Board. Eleventh The state, to have a copy of theso rules recorded in every county where reclaimed lands arc situated. Tho third Carey act company taking water from the Deschutes is that known as tho Deschutes Land Company. It is tho purchaser of the Interests of the Ore gon Development Company, which held tho contract with tho State of Orogon for reclamation of about 6S.C0O acros of land situated in Klamath and Crook Counties. Some doubt existed In the mind of the Secretary of the Interior as to the desert character of the land, segregated, and after four years the original segregation was reduced to SLOS acres, and which is now being reclaimed. In "Walker's Bnln. Tho water for this tract will be taken from the 'mldtilo fork of the Deschutes River, which has its rise in Crescent Lake. The main canal will be CO feet wide at the bottom and S3 miles long, and will have a carrying capacity of four acres foot, that is to nv. a body of water that will cover the entire land to the depth of four feet, it being deemed wise to have an abundant water supply. The gonoral course of tho canal is north and easterly for about 3) miles, then carving- north and westerly, returning again to the Des chutes River. Tho land is horseshoe shape, having the Cascades on tho west and the Walker Rango and Paulina Range on the south, cast and north. The valley thus formed contains about 59.C0 acres, a part of which is now subject to homestead entry and will no doubt ultimately receive its water supply from tills canaL The company states that a good deal of preliminary work has been done In 13CG. in readiness for active construction of canals and laterals In 1909. Hie land is of the same grade of fertility as that lying to tho north of It, but the genera? eleva tion is somewhat higher, and, as a con sequence, tho tempera turd is lower in Winter time It is generally admitted that all the grasses, alfalfa and clover nd tho cereals will bo produced In abun dance. "Wlicro "Water Is Xtlftcd. Anotlicr Carey act project is that of the Portland Company, of which W. E. Burk is president. Its sphere of action Is S733 acres of sagebrush land about 23 miles southeast of Burns, in Ilarncy County. The specialty of litis enterprise is that it depends for irrigating water on sub-surface supplies. Water I3 found to underlie these lands at a depth of from five to ten feet- Another and stronger supply Is found at a depth of V) feet in coarse sand. The well reselling this stratum runs lfXO gallons per minute, the year round, and rises to within ten feet of the surface. After pumping all day, the pipe Is said to have sent out a continuous stream three inches in diameter. Still' another large supply of water was found at a depth of 20 feet from the surface of the ground. It is stated that a considerable amount of canal and ditch work has been, done, and that one section of the land Li already Irrigated, and the water Is belujf further distributed. In the same county a more ambitions Carey act project is that of the Harney Valley Impreremeat Conpany, with head quarter at Burns. It includes 5S.3M acres. Water Ix "a!iiilsti la ha LZkzx. by tfaim 9 Schoolhouse Slough and Foley Slough. These arc fed by branches of Silvio's "River. No work has yet been reported on this undertaking. The land Is selected sagebrush land of excellent quality. It la located from 20 to 2S miles southeast of the town of Burns. Another Carey act proposition in the same district Is one seeking to Irrigate 10.000 acres of sagebrush land in the Val ley of the Crooked River. The source of supply Is Bulger Creek, on which dams arc to be built. Headquarters are at Princvillc. o work on this project is yet reported. ENTERS OREGON ON SOUTH McGIoud Itlvcr Hall road Projected to Itcacli Klamath Falls. The McCloud River Railroad Company owns large ncreage of timber lands in Southern Oregon, along the eastern slope of the mountains, on tho Klamath pla teau, from some distance south of the Oregon-California state lino to localities as far north as Pelican Bay. The McCloud River railroad is an Independent line, built from Upton, on the Southern Pacific. west of Mount Shasta, and tlnds a pass through the range south of that peak, thence its course is almost north to Laird, at tho southern end of Lower Klamath Lake, and surveys mado have contem plated extension from there on toward tho hoad of the Deschutes, where another body of timber land is held. For several months a large force of graders has been employed in building tho roadbed, track layers have followed tho advance gangs and gradually the Toad ia progressing northward, evidently destined to play a part in the Industrial awakening of the territory, destined to scure transporta tion facilities for the first tlmo during 1906. I'orcslry and tho Itailronds. Charles "W. Eberlcln, of San Francisco, acting land commissioner of the South ern Pacific Railroad Company and Ore gon & California Railroad Company, in an address before the National Irrigation Congress last August, at the Lewis and Clark Exposition, presented in a brief paragraph tho importance of the for estry question to the railroads and sug gested tho value of forests of the Pacific Coast. Mr. Eberlein said: "There are 42 feet of sound timber In a railroad tie. That fact alone discloses the dependence of the railroads on scien tific forestry. Tho man who makes two blades of grass grow where one or even nono grew before Is a gentleman much esteemed by the trafllc managers. But the man who can tell the Southern Pa cific, for instance, what It is to do for ties 10 or 15 years hence is even greater than the man who make3 things grow. From the point of view of the operation of "Western railroads particularly, there is every reason for Intelligent and hearty co-operation on the part of railroad man agements with the Forestry Bureau of the Government. Betwcon the annual cut for tho legitimate needs of com merce and the annual devastation by fire, the tie question may become acute before long. Not only for ties, but for bridge timbers and material for car building the anual consumption is so large as to Imperatively demand a more conservative policy. Family Prestige in Englnnd. j North American Review. The greater and greatest nobles are established In a fear which is very like what the fear of God used to bo when the common people feared him, and. though they are potent political mag nates, they mainly rule as the king; himself rules, through the secular rever ence of those beneath them for their titles and the visible images of their state. They are wealthy men. of course, with so much substance that when ono now and then attempts to wasto it ho can hardly do so. but their wealth alone would not establish them in the popular regard. His wealth has no such effect for air. Astor in England, and mere money, though it Is much desired by all, Is no moro venerated in the person of Its possessor than It is with us. It Is ancestry, It is the long uncontested pri macy of families first in this place tlmo out of mind, that lays its resistless hold upon the fancy and bows the spirit be fore it. . Save Time Via O. R. & N. SHORT LINE TO LEWiSTON SHORT LINE TO PALOUSE COUNTRY SHORT LINE TO SPOKANE SHORT LINE TO COEUR D'ALENE SHORT LINE TO SALT LAKE SHORT LINE TO DENVER SHORT LINE TO KANSAS CITY SHORT LINE TO OMAHA .... ' SHORT LINE TO CHICAGO SHORT LINE TO ALL POINTS EAST PARTICULARS BV ASKING OR WRITING C. W. Stinger, ' City Ticket Agent A. L. Craig, , General Passenger Agent Portland, Oregon