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22
UHE SUNDAY OREGONIAN, POBTLAND, SEPTEMBER 1, 190.
Undiscovered Country Surrounding Coos Bay
Rich in Everything That Makes a Region Prosperous and
Wealthy, It Awaits a Railroad
MARSHFIELD, Or., Sept. 8. (Spe-'
cial Correspondence.) Coos Bay,
notwithstanding' all that has
been -written about it, is today practi
cally an undiscovered country. It is
true that the. settlements along: its
coast have passed Into the isecond halt
century of their founding', and an ex
port trade of slow growth has reached
the $2,000,000 mark, yet as far as Port
land Is concerned, commercially. Coos
Bay is a greater stranger than far
away Alaska or the Philippines. Here
Is a land, an integral part of the State
sf Oregon, rich in natural resources
probably beyond arfy similar area of
the Pacific Coast, that is destined one
day to take a high place In the com
merce of the world, and Its only lino of
communication with the metropolis of
the state Is a steamer on the San Fran
cisco run that touches at this port
twice a month.
Of course, there are stage lines corn
ting In .over the mountains from tho
east, carrying the mail and bringing
fthe Portland papers in 24 hours ahead
jof the San Francisco dallies, but there
lis no freight traffic. The people of
'the bay send to Portland for their news
fend read of what .Portland is doing
'for the development of the rest of the
Icountry, but they pay their money
Into the coffers of yie merchants" of
San Francisco. And this trade with tho
.Golden Gate is carried on when the
natural advantage lies with tho city
Ot the 'Willamette. Coos Bay does not
trado with San Francisco because it
prefers to do so, or because it can buy
cheaper In Its markets. On the con
trary, the people of Coos Bay are in
tensely loyal Oregonians, and they pre
fer to deal with Portland vpierchants,
and they say that Portland even offers
better bargains. Their air Is that of an
Injured child at the seeming neglect
it has received all these years from
'the parental metropolis, and they want
.Portland to send out ships and conquer
them as did the Romans of old, but
with the arcs of peace. To this end the
people of Portland cannot read too
often of the great resources of the
Coos Bay country which The Orego
nian wili lay before them in a series
of articles.
A Glimpse at the Future.
Artemus Ward gave sage advice
Jwhen he said, "Don't prophesy." And
yet In these days of wireless tele
graphy is there anything too chime
rical to be called visionary? But why
need we delve into the future anyway
when the present is enough for all
our care? Coos Bay as it Is today is
large enough to receive serious at
tention without speculating as to what
-will be. '
Science has eliminated mnch that
fence belonged to the realm of prophecy.
Che Weather Bureau has mapped
the currents of the air .and can predict
a storm with as much accuracy as- the
pneients foretold a flood by a rise In
the water at a river's source. Cities
have their growth, not as a matter of
'chance, but in pursuance to well-defined
laws. Trade, following the. lines
of least resistance, seeks a common
center and builds a city. Just as the
gathering streams from the mountains
fill a depression and form a lake. One
can no more gainsay this law than the
lav of gravity. And it is this scheme
in the economy of man that ull make
a city on me snores or tjoos jiay.
But it Is not resources alone that
maKe a city, and easy access is only a
part. There must be co-opbration. The
,ohe need of this country is population
jHere are a bare 25,000 people scattered
through tho wilderness of Coos County
where there is room and plenty for
a.000,000.
It is population that Oregon seeks.
No matter what part of the state ro
ceives it, the increase will be of di
rect benefit to all. This is the great ob
dect of the Lewis and Clark Centen
nial, to bring people here whero they
can better their condition and assist in
Hhe development of a great state.
Portland Not Jealous of Coos.
Is Portland Jealous of Coos Bay? Does
Ihe elephant fear the supremacy of the
hiouse? There are small minds that be
lieve the prosperity of one man Is accom
Ipllshed only to the injury of another. The
people of Portland take a larger view of
Bife. Portland has Its own; its position is
Impregnable, and its permanency assured
The development of other parts of the
state can only add to Portland's frrowth
Portland's attitude heretofore toward Coos
Bay has not been one of neglect, but that
iof the busy man who has "more business
Shan he can attend to.
Portland better than many others sees
(the future of Coos Bay. Here is the best
Bea harbor between San Francisco Bay
and Puget Sound, midway in a coast line
of 800 miles. With far less work than has
Sveen expended on other harbors It will re
ceive the largest ocean-going vessels. Good
harbors are far apart on the Pacific, and
the fact of this bay, land-locked, where
the shipping of the world can ride In
cafety, with the resources back of it, must
make a city of Coos Bay. These re
sources are coal, timber and agriculture
and a climate that is unsurpassed on the
Coast. To facilitate the opening up ot
these resources there Is need of a trans
continental railroad leading to the bay.
Prospects for a Railroad.
it nas Deen an open secret ror years
(that transcontinental roads have had their
yes on Coos Bay as a possible deep-water
terminus on the Pacific Coast Plans and
routes innumerable have been exploited
. many of which no doubt have been idle.
But to argue that no railway will ever
build to Coos Bay is to deny the fact that
railways nave aireaay Deen mint over
greater obstacles and through less prom
-ising localities to the Pacific Capital Is
not blind. It Is not seeking to avoid but
to find investment But the investment
must be good, and there is none bettor
xhan Coos Bay.
The latest of these moves is supposed to
he an extension of the Northwestern from
Casper, Wyo., to tidewater. Within
month In Boise, Idaho.- an effort has been
made to get the people to promise a sub
- Bidy of $500,000 In cash and lands for such
a line. The proposition comes from the
.Missouri Trust Company, of St, Louis,
through their agent, F. L. Evans, a rail
road engineer, and the road is Called the
Idaho, Wyoming & Pacific Denial is made
of any connection with tho Northwestern,
but It Is only the Northwestern that would
have the chief interest In the building of
such a line.
The plan as proposed is a magnificent
one. It is Intended to incorporate for $70,
000.000, and build 1S00 miles of track. The
main line runs from Casper to Humboldt
Bay, a distance of 1100 miles, with
branches to the Salmon River in Idaho,
to Frlneville in this state, and io San
Francisco. The route through this stat
is from Vale to Lakeview. as marked on
the engineer's maps. The survey passes
south of Burns and Malheur Lake, along
the west shore of Warner Lake and across
the mountains to Lakeview. It keeps on
the west side of Goose Lake, down the
Pitt River, across the mountains' and down
the Mad River to Eureka.
Subsidy Not a Factor.
But this proposition need hardly bo con
sidered seriously. In the first place, If the
Northwestern intends to build to the Coast
it would not abandon its purpose for lack
of a subsidy, and If it Is not ready to ex
tend, no subsidy would tempt it. In the
second place, no road to Humboldt Bay
will ever be. built, not at least over the
VIEW OF COOS BAY FROM MAKSHFTJELD.
present survey. Will a man build a rail
road over a mountain when it is possiDie
to go around it? For more than a month
the past Winter the snow was so deep
over tne mountain irom iaKeview to
Plush that the mallcarrier could not get
through even on horseback and had to go
around by way of Lake Albert No rail
road will ever follow that route across' the
Rim Rock Mountains when it can avoid
all snow by coming across tho desert
north of Lake Albert and not lengthen
the survey.
But once on the desert of northern Lake
County, the natural outlet is to Coos Bay.
That practically level country Is not to
be compared with the tortuous canyon
of the Pitt River and the mountains be-
ond, and moreover, there Is a saving In
distance of more than 100 miles. It Is this
saving in distance and grades that counts
more than all else in the desire to reach
tidewater. Other things are merely a mat
ter of first cost
Route Through Hills Already Made.
It requires but a glance to see how eas
ily practicable is the route through north
ern Lake County. Silver Lake stands at
a level of 4300 feet above the sea, and dur
ing times of high water it escapes and Is
lost in the desert to the east Here is a
channel for a railroad through the hllla
already made. The route keeps almost
due west across Paulina Marsh to the
summit of the Cascades. The rise is so
gradual that to the naked eye It looks
almost level. The difference in altitude
between Silver Lake and the pass at Dia
mond Lake is in fact less than 1000 feet
The elevation of the latter Is 52B5 feet
Why, here is the summit of the Cascades
to cross with a railroad nut a tew feet
higher than the City of Denver. And
across this desert of northern Lake there
is a straight line for a railroad with hard
ly a cut or a fill.
Does It stand to reason that a railroad
will choose another route In preference
to this when it leads to the finest harbor
there is on the coast between Seal Rocks
and Cape Flattery? It is the harbor after
all that must determine the claims of any
port that aspires to be a depot for the
world s commerce. But what is the Ore
gon Development League doing? What
was the great object for which it was or
ganized? Is not the transportation ques
tion today the paramount issue In tho de
velopment of Oregon? Will the league sit
idly by' and see the valleys of Eastern
Oregon, as fertile as the Nile, drained
away to enrich the California seaports?
Will It permit this without an effort to
make known the superior advantages of
Oregon and the Coos Bay country?
This talk of the Northwestern Is but
from the Coos Bay point of view. Coos
Bay would like Just as much to have a
railway outlet to the East as others desire
to get in here and use her harbor as a
terminus. On the map Chicago and Coos
Bay appear almost on the same parallel
of latitude. Between them lies the Broad
way of the Nation, and it is possible to
have an almost straight line of travel.
It is said that a direct line from ChlcagOi
to Coos Bay would be more than 200 miles
shorter than the routes to Puget Sound
and several hundred miles shorter than
to San Francisco. San Francisco is too
far south for the Alaska trade, and Puget
Sound is too far north for tho trade with
Panama and through the canal. Coos Bay
Is a compromise with both, and It will
have the advantage or oeing reacnea oy
the shortest line of railway. Coos Bay
should in time distance all its rivals.
Road Due East Impracticable.
Every one has read the prospectus of
Major Kinney's Great Central Railroad.
However far this road may be from build
ing, its feasibility appeals to one at once.
It ia possible but not practical to build a
road duo eaBt from Coos Bay. The pass
across the Coast Range in that direction
is 2X00 feet high. The Coos Bay country.
like a half-moon, is- circled by a range of
mountains that to the north and south
reach almost to the sea. A railroad to
the harbor must come in 30 miles to the
north or south, but that is a small matter.
A railway from the south to connect
with the line at Myrtle Point has been
surveyed to Roseburg, and gets through
the Coast Range at an elevation of 1400
feet From Roseburg the survey runs
straight east on an easy grade up the
middle fork of the Umpqua to the summit
at Diamond Lake. As before stated, this
is a low altitude for a mountain pass that
would be open all the year round. This
road would cross but a few miles north of
Crater Lake, -which some day will rival
Lako Tahoe as a resort for tourist travel.
The Idea of trie Great Central was to go
on east arcoss Southern Oregon to Salt
Lake.
The Oregon & Southeastern Railroad
runs from Cottage Grove out 25 miles to
Wllwood. It was designed to tap the Bo
hemia minfng district The writer was
Informed a few days ago fcy G. W. Llojyi
that it was the Intention to extend this
road on the west to Coos Bay and on tho
east to Salt Lake City. Mr. Lloyd was
the expert engineer for the Durant people
In the famous apex suit of the Durant vs.
tho Aspen, at Aspen. Colo., where $12,000.
000 was Involved. Mr. Lloyd is heavily In
terested In tho Bohemia mines, and is 'at
present doing expert work for Mr. Dewey
north from San Francisco along the coast
to c6nnect with this and make a through
line to Portland. By this route then
would be" no mountain to cross and tht
distance would be less than by any other
line of rails. It is said that the plan la
to cross the Bohemia Mountains from
Drain, cross Central Oregon and tap the
Idaho country by the way of Baker City
But whateevr is done. Coos Bay will reap
the benefit It Is hardly probable that ail
of these enterprises will be consummated,
but out of them one at least should materialize.
LIGHTHOUSE AT CAPE AJtAGO, ONE OF CHIEF
coos bay smrrES'G.
SAFEGUARDS TO
one of many projects, and some day one
of these will crystallize into actuality. It
is no breach of confidence to say that E.
H. Dewey told the writer not long ago
that he was getting ready td bond his
road, the Idaho Northern, for $1,000,000 for
a further extension of 100 miles. This road
is on a solid basis; and it will grow and
grow until some day it will break Its'
bounds and try to reach the sea.' It could
go Into California, but the point for It to
strike for Is Coos Bay.
How Oregon May Be Drained.
The Pacific & Idaho Northern runs out
from Weiser in an endeavor to reach the
copper mines of the Seven Devils. Thert.
has long been talk of an extension of this
line to the southwjst across Oregon, and
rumor has connected it with the railroad
building up from Weed, Cal., to Klamath
Falls. And rumor, after all, Is but the
forerunner of news. The consummation
of such a project would also drain Oregon
and further dismember the state. The
thing to do Is to keep, always and pre
eminently before Investors the pre-eminence
of Oregon and the Coos Bay
country.
j It Is well to look at this matter also
at Thunder Mountain. He vouches for
the good intentions of G. B. Hengen. the
New York capitalist, who is promoting
the Qregon & Southeastern Railroad. Thi?
road would have even a lower pass acrora
the Cascades than the one at Diamond
Lake. If it kept on east It would go by
Crescent Lake and across the Fort Rock
desert to Burns.
Electric Line From Drain to Coos
The first of the month an article was
published In The Oregonian In regard to
an electric line from Drain to Coos Bay
which Is being promoted by Congressman
Wilson, of Arizona. This road, extended
to Portland, would give direct rail com
munlcation with this country, and no
doubt would answer all purposes for
long time to come. But it would nevfrr
take the place of a transcontinental road.
Of somewhat greater importance Is- the
move being made by the Santa Fe. au
account of which was published In Tho
Oregonian some time back. This oom
pany hae now completed the third survey
north from Eureka by the way of Coots
Bay to -Drain. This road has purchased
the old Humboldt line Into Eureka. It
would seem to be Its intention to build
Central Oregon Is Unknown.
It is Central Oregon that today ia the
cynosure of all eyes. If Coos Bay Is an
undiscovered country, far less is known
about Central Oregon. And yet at least
a dozen railroads are building or have
been projected to tap the heart of that
country. There is a vast empire thaj
some day will make homes for the" thou
sands, and it has been scratched only
around the edges. "On the map it is prom
inent as a great vacant spot to Indicate a
desert And yet nearly every foot of that
desert can be turned into farms. There 13
j water stored In the lakes of the Carardes
to reclaim it an.
In the past two years the Lakeview
Land Office alone has contributed $7000
to the National irrigation fund, and no
state Is mora entitled to the benfits of
that measure than Oregon. And the state
is receiving its due share of attention. A
large area In Klamath and Northern Cal
ifornia is under consideration for reclama
tion. On the shores- of Summer Lake
130,000 acres have been withdrawn pend
ing investigation. The project around
Burns has been laid aside for the present
for better results at other points. But the
co-operation of the farmers and the Gov
ernment for the reclamation of 200.000
acres on the Lower Malheur seems as
sured. Engineer Lewis and party are now
Investigating the feasibility of storing
water In Crescent Lake for the irriga
tion of the Fort Rock Desert. Here lies
1,000,000 acres of as fine land as there is
out of doors, only awaiting water to blos
som as the rose. Why, In the sheltered
valleys of Central Oregon they grow apri
cots and peaches, and this is more than
they can do at Coos Bay with all its
equable climate.
Flour Now Comes From South.
Coos Bay and Central Oregon are the
complement of each other. Each Is essen
tial to the other. The people of Coos Bay
have Imported all their flour from Cali
fornia. They should eat their bread from
the wheat grown on the vast plains o
Central Oregon. Central Oregon needs the
textile products of Coos Bay. A start of a
woolen mill has been made on the water
front here, and the clip from the backs
of a thousand bands of sheen in Central
Oregon should find Its market through the
sw.an neck of Coos Bay. The people of
Central Oregon will warm themselves in
Winter by the fire of Coos Bay coal. They
will be a customer for the product of the
salmon canneries, and also for the dairies.
Coos Bay is celebrated for Its dairy
products.
Thus any railroad from Coos Bay into
Central Oregon would hardly serve that
extensive country, and there may be
Business for the several roads that have
been projected. One line should go north
and tap the Bend Country', where 150.000
acres of land Is being watered for the
first time this year. The other should
keep south to the Chewaucan and Lake-
view.
Coos Bay Is the natural outlet for all
that territory, and the average distance
to tidewater would be about 250 miles. It
is double that mileage either north or
south. The , haul to Coos Bay would be
far less difficult Those who have studied
the country and the lay of the land know
that it is an east and west line more
than a north and south that is needed
to develop Central Oregon. North of
Bend for 100 miles Is a series of hils and
valleys that makes a railroad impracti
cable. South of Bend for 100 miles Is a
level plateau and about all that is needed
for a railroad Is to lay the ties on the
ground. Even farther south, through
Paisley and Lakeview, there Is but little
grading to do.
. Local Traffic Easily Developed.
One of the surprises of transcontinental
railroads has been the amount of local
traffic developed. The Central Pacific was
built to afford a short cut from New
York to San Francisco. But its revenues
was derived from the miners and stock
men along its route. And. so it will be
with a transcontinental road into vCooa
Bay. Central Oregon will furnish the
traffic
Carrying Coals to Newcastle.
Notwithstanding the fact that they do
not grow peaches around Coos Bay they
claim . the Coquille Valley is the orchard
and garden spot of Southwestern Oregon.
The Coquille, like the Nile, overflows each
year, and the land will never wear out
Almost every product of the vegetable
kingdom will grow In that soil. The finest
kind of watermelons are grown on the
Upper Coquille.
And yet as this is being written a steam
er from San Francisco Is unloading wa
termelons at the wharf a block away.
This is not all. The rest of the cargo Is
comprised mainly of cauliflower, tomatoes,
grapes, muskmelons. sweet potatoes and
other fruits and vegetables. Was there
ever before such another case of carrying
coals to Newcastle? Would It not be a
good- idea for Coos County at the fair
next year to save samples of these vege
tables to show what fine stuff it can lm-
Dort from California?
It would need fie art of an orator like
Henrv Grady to call attention to such
anomalies. But Coos Bay has a better
excuse than did the South for its lack of
self-support. There are not people
enough here ttf do all the work that is
needed to be done, and after all it may
be more convenient to Import vegetables
than to take tho time and trouble to
raise them.
These imported vegetables may seem
like a small affair. But there are mat
ters of state that deserve more grave con
sideration." The United States Custom
House at San Francisco Is finished In
Orejron oak from Coos County. It was
selected by the authorities' from an ex
hiblt including nearly all other woods.
Opportunity for Furniture Factory.
In the next block Is a store with furni
ture for sale made of this same Oregon
oak. The trees grew here, but the lum
ber was sawed and sent to San Francisco.
The furniture was made there and shipped
back here. What a waste of energy that
is. Some day Coos Bay will manufacture
Its own furniture, and for the rest of the
country. A start Is being made even now
by persons organizing a woodenware fac
tory. It Is proposed to manufacture
everything in that line that at present is
not monopolized by Portland.
But a greater waste of transportation Is
cited than that of Oregon oak to Call
fornia and hack again. A gentleman is
here who ran a furniture factor' in Chi
cago. He shipped Oregon pine and Cali
fornia redwood to Chicago and then back
again to Oregon as furniture. The seats
on which our children learn their lessons
at school were made from Oregon and
Washington lumber Imported by Grand
Rapids, Mich. It Is now proposed to
manufacture school furnituro at Coos
Bay.
There are matters even of greater mo
ment. The soap in the room where this
was penned was manufactured In Con
nectlcut. For the last census year the
manufactures of soap and candles In the
United States were worth more than $50,
000,000. The chief constituents of soap
are carbonate of soda and animal grease,
facture of glass in the 1900 census year
amounted to nearly $0,000,000. Coos Bay
witii a railroad into Central Oregon should
supply the world with glass.
Baking powder may seem like a small
item in the economy of the household.
But we manufactured In the United States !
in 150 more than $10,000,000 worth of bak
ing powder. The chief constituents of
baxlng powder are tartaric acid; import
ed mostly from France and worth 30 cents
a pound, and bicarbonate of soda, worth
ZVs cents a pound in New York. Baking
powder retails in the stores here at 50
cents a pound. There are no wholesale
houses In Coos Bay. The point is that
in Central Oregon on the desert there is
bicarbonate of soda enough to supply the
United States with baking powder for
the next two or three centuries. We
should manufacture all our baking pow
der on Coos Bay. The price could be re-
.duced one-half the present retail rate.
On the bay are 63 gasoline launches.
Nearly every farmer keeps a gasoline
launch, just as people in another country
keep a horse and wagon. The Inlets run
ning back from the bay are the public
roads of Coos County. The cost ot run
ning the launch is about 20 cents an
hour, and there is one advantage over the
horse, no expense when the beast is not
at work: The use ot gasoline is always
dangerous and inconvenient, to say noth
ing of the expense.
It has been found that a pound or so
dium as the primary element in an electric
battery has four times the heat energy
of a pound ,of gasoline. It costs in Eng
land about 25 cents a pound to produce
sodium, and it sells In this country at
50 cents. The' principal things to he con
sidered in the manufacture of sodium are
the carbonate of soda, lime, charcoal and
electric power. There Is in the water
falls of Coos County, as one -man ex
pressed it, electric power enough to turn
the world. There is the carbonate of soda
in Central Oregon, and the lime and char
coal can be easily had. With the cost of
sodium reduced one-half, as it can be on
Coos Bay, every launch and every auto
mobile in the United States will be run
by sodium.
Uses of Sodium Not Known.
It may be wondered why sodium ha
not already come Into use to run auto
mobiles by people who do not care for
expense. Sodium is the most abundant
of the metals, being the base of common
salt, but Lewis and Clark had made their
famous journey across the continent years
before Sir Humphrey Davy isolated so
dium and the world knew that there was
such a metal. And the development of Its
use has been even slow since that time.
It Js only within the past year or two
that it was discovered that sodium would
greatly facilitate the cyanide process in
the saving of gold from its ores. The
manufacture of cheap sodium is one of
the most enticing problems that any
country has to solve. But to do this one
must first have cheap carbonate of soda.
The United States now uses over 500,000
tons of soda annually, and it costs from
$10 to $15 per ton to manufacture by the
artificial processes. Central Oregon can
turn out a far better quality of natural
soda at a cost of $1 a ton.
Golden Falls, on Coos River, 340
feet hJsh, 29 mlle up Coos River
from Marahfleld.
We shlD our cattle to Chicago to be
slaughtered and bring back the by-prod
uct as soap, and even ship back the
meat
There are carbonate of soda beds in
Central Oregon to supply all the soap
used In the United States for the next
100 years. Here on the bay Is the place
where our great cattle herds of Central
Oregon should be slaughtered. A railroad
should tap Central Oregon to bring out
these cattle and to transport the car
bonate of soda. Here we should manu
facture soap not only for the United
States, but for the Philippines and Japan
Opportunityfor Glass Factory
Carbonate of soda is also used In the
manufacture of glass, and here in the
sandstone formation that carries the coal
beds of Coos Bay should-be foundfthe
silica to 'manufacture glass. The manu-
Opportunity for Shipbuilding.
Coos Bay already has a record of build
ing 500 ships. These were mostly small-
masted schooners that ply on the coast
trade. But Coos Bay should become
great shipbuilding port. The Port Orford
cedar of Coos County Is celebrated the
world over. There Is none other like it
in the world. In the ribs of a ship It will
last for 100 years. The fir In this county-
is said to be the toughest known and la
excellent for the masts of ships.
This county is the home of the myrtle.
Myrtle is said to have been used for the
furnishing of King Solomon s temple, but
where It came from no one knows. There
aro but few places throughout the world
where it grows. It is a. superb material
for the mulshing of a ship's cabin. It
will polish like Ivory and It is said here
that it will make good billiard balls. It is
admirably adapted for. the manufacture
of croquet balls, the consumption ot
which Is very great. It has double the
weight of ordinary hardwoods and re
sembles lignum vltae. The . myrtle stumps
are said to be worth $63 dollars a ton,
and 1000 feet weighs five tons. The other
part ot the tree is worth $35 per ton. The
leaves of the myrtle make bay rum. A
ship finished In this material would be
expensive, but elegant.
Iron Is Close Enough.
It will he said that Coos Bay has not
the iron and steel to build large ocean li
ners. This is true, and the Iron industry on
the Pacific Coast has not yet been greatly
developed. But south of Central Ore
gon across the Nevada line is an abund
ance of iron ore. In one ledge exposed
above the ground is 40,000,000 tons of the
finest kind of ore, running from 60 to SO
per cent iron, with no .phosphorus and no
titanic acid. Much of it Is the pure ox
ide of iron. This iron ore.wlll be smelted
at San Francsco or could be brought to
Coos Bay. But even with the furnaces
in San Francisco, with the Santa Fe ex
tended up the coast, the iron could be
laid down here very cheaply or brought
up on the water.
Here Is the coal td supply the ships to
make steam and to load them with a
cargo for other ports. Tho Oregonian has
already announced the fact that John u.
Sprockets will -soon put on a line qf
steamers to carry' coal from uoos nay
to Portland. Beaver Hill coal meets with
nrood demand In San Francisco, and it
should disoluco the Sound coal in Port
land. Two hundred and fifty squaro miles
of Coos County Is underlaid with coal,
nftw mines are being opened up every day
and arrangements are being mado to ex
plolt the Umpqua coal fields on a large
scale. This coal Is the lignite,- as must
necessarily be the case from its location.
Geology, teaches us that the Pacific Coast
is a younger formation from that of the
Atlantic, probably millions of years. It is
ago that has made the hard coa- or Penn
sylvania. But this same lapse of time
has also denuded the hills of tho Atlantic
seaboard of much of their soli. Here 13
the reason for the greater fertility along
the Pacific.
However, this is a digression, and the
coal supply is only incidental to the build
ing of ships. But the fact that cheap fuel
can be had right at their doors will be
a great stimulant to the establishment
of all kinds of manufacturing Industries
on Coos Bay.
Climate Is Excellent.
The climate will play an important part
in the shipbuilding industry. Here men
can work outdoors all the year round.
Experiments have been made to deter
mine this very fact, it is true, the Win
ters are long and rainy, but they aro not
uncomfortable, and the rain is a gentle
mist Statistics are not just at hand to
show the average temperature, but save
for the rain there Is little difference be
tween Winter and Summer. People wear
the same clothing the year round, and an
overcoat is needed as much in June as It
is in January. The ground seldom freezes
and water-pipes are not burled but laid
on top of the ground. The climate Is
said to be preferable to that of either
San Francisco or Puget Sound. And it Is
very healthful. But one case of typhoid
fever was ever known here, and that was
Imported. Laborers here can probably
provide for their families more cheaply
than anywhere else on tne coast and IblK
13 an item to be considered.
The harbor is also an important figure
in the shipbuilding industry. There Is
now on the bar at the entrance to Coos
Bay 24 feet of water at low tide. It is
but 300 feet across the bar, and then the
line descends abruptly to great depth
in the ocean- The jetty built by the Gov
ernment on the north side, although but
partially completed, has accomplished
what was expected from Jetties on botn
sides. When this Improvement Is com
pleted as planned, the bar will have 35
feet of water at low tide and the largest
seavgolng vessels can cross. Coos Bay
is unlike all other harbors in that no
large rivers empty Into it to bring down
silt The Coos River Is but a short, clear
mountain stream. When tho harbor Is
once dredged it will not fill up again.
Gold Belt of Southern Oregon.
Civilization is co-existent with the min
ing Industry. Civilization began when
man left off the use of the stone pestlo
and mortar and learned to - manipulate
metals. Nothing else so stimulates n.
man's activities or excites his cupidity
as the mining industry. Wa have but to
witness the rush to Alaska to bellev
thi3. Man had' no commerce until he dis
covered the precious metals. It Is tho
mining of metals that has built groat
cities.
But it is a historical fact that cities
seldom rise where the metals are mined.
Virginia City, once a- flourishing town ot
30.000 souls. Is now almost a thing" of the
past But the millions that came from
the Comstock lode have built the palaces
of San Francisco. Leadville made Den
ver great. The wealth of Cripple Creek
has made millionaires of humble citizens
of Colorado Springs. Men will mino at
Thunder Mountain but make their homes
in Boise, Idaho.
As a gold-producing state! Oregon 13
not to be classed with Colorado and Cali
fornia. But the gold mining industry in
mis suue is in us miancy. sso country
ever seemed more promising. There is a
gold belt In Southern Oregon running
from Bohemia to Gold Beach. It embraces
the counties of Lane. Douglas. Jackson.
Josephine and Curry. The stories of tho
nnd3 at Gold Beach rival those of Nome.
The discoveries made last Winter near
Grant's Pas3 surpass anything found at
Tonopah. The developments at Bohemia
warranted the construction of a railroad.
and tnat camp will be a sreat cold oro-
ducer.
Coos Bay in the Future.
All this helps Coos Bay. With the
building of railroads here must center thd
traffic with the mining camps. Here will
be built the manufactories to suddIv the.
needs of the miners. As time goes on new
territory will be opened up and hundreds
of properties yet undreamed of win ba
exploited. Here on Coos Bay is a desir
able place to live and build homes. Here
will rise the city that the miner's wealth
makes possible. The villages now scat
tered over the peninsula will one day be
united in one solid city. Here Is the
ideal Summer home, where the trout sport
in the mountain streams and all kinds ot
berries grow wild in great profusion.
This is a beautiful country. Charles
Fletcher Lummls, in his great work, "The
Right Hand of the Continent." speaks
glowingly all the way through the book
of the beauties of Southern California.
But at the end he makes the confession
that Northern California is more beauti
ful. Nature In the North.' has done un
aided more than has been accomplished
by the art of man at the South. And
Southern Oregon Is but a part of North
ern California. Here the soul of the poet
Is filled with beauty.
Is it any wonder, when we contemplato
the great possibilities of Coos Bay. that
we speak of it as an undiscovered country?
Everybody go:ng to the World's Fair
should use the Denver & Rio Grande, tho
"Scenic Line of the World." either going
or coming. See the Mormon Capitol, tha
Canon of the Grand, the Royal Gorge and
Pikp's Peak God's art gallery of Nature.
SORES
"Wheeling, W. Va., May 28, 1903.
Some yeara ago while at work, I fell
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John W. Fundis.
Care Schmulback Brewing Co.
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ever but is guaran
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without charge.
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The Swift Specific Company, Atlanta, G.
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