Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Bend bulletin. (Bend, Or.) 1903-1931 | View Entire Issue (July 3, 1912)
The Bend bulletin. WMnMMMMBMMMMMIMIMi Section 3 Tnnsftttii'm Past and Prcseit VOL. X, BEND, OKEGON, WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 1012 NO. 17 The Railroads Have Revolutionized Interior Oregon Transportation Two Lines to Bend Make Town Distributing Center for Territory Larger than Three Eastern States it --- ....J.4-- -- - - ---- MMM H -- MBjOBfcaPBtMp'Nh. x-SkbjS-Tv H !ktK is fTcBHwppKyni-jgi H ii---Ewii-Bi9BH-Hr BRV "haii.hoad k(i:m:h at uksik BHv i x HHmiM------- . -. t. ..,wr y !Fk I 2MMBHHMBIr Left "Hill" Hmtlry ?.ajlnK Ccn.rr "HfJO," tlie HHKr 1 v. '"ITB'' l'couiotl at Hlght "Jim" 1 1 III Telling of IIU IIBIB I lJL; 4 '" Vntral Orrgon. 9E T -P T I BCT TT ir i- 1 PytYs j i Vk uMto57r . HHVI 1I WBpW'FFt Rk -M-'4' i Jyf'Jp IIP' If V '"f 4K J-P-EVfk J to " t uLa't w f-dlBErl9l , : How Things Grow in Bend. ' : : : 4 I Tlic "(Ynlrnl Oregon Hnllrond" of the 1'm.t. v t . mrfw-rrr- --- - - --- Z-rr- I . ,H .A iiffc .i. A ; J BURNS AND SOUTH ' : -. s&k&L M&MmM&ftSzBk 4. 4s? I COUNTRY BRINGS BIG : jJMkjLHiLlffl i FREIGHT BUSINESS llNHHH3m : i r.iimrUKt'r l)ciot KIlCi jkr. ?i ,. l7irt' .1" Passenger Depot IT 1'iuHciiKfr Depot J WiPSl'??M-W-BBIB) hef -T) ilWfclTniWlT-IIWTWBiTiBrniBnM '1 I 4 t V KU7,A"TT-:"jr- ; rrvntimmammmmmamMntt t tt&fi, 'WW . J",,i' 1 :flLlHBrV I lflHrfl W F WT a3Hi-RnplH I T ..M . (t wX - tHn-R9Si t Ht?B ",stJ MfilViiB. "t . l'AwtciiRcr l)r(Kl -Mlto, Mou'iuIht. 10. t in-"";1 bc ' -- "" " -- - , r -""' - - 'Mi huh ! 1 ' iiHH-iHfe---kiL4 i& ' :: KgS?.A ,.,,m, :,------il----rt------W-Pg--l :; t '' BHHHSDm ' !,;; - l'MneiiKfr Depot fill e, Kebnury, 1013. J -mK-1' ht'pUMlbir, 1011. c Hit , October) 101 1. Rite, Kebnury, 1013. --t-t- ' iv . A . .. . .4 . . I . . k V . -. llttlng thn terminal of tho Joint On-Kot. Truiik-DoDchutoa rtilUxiads, lleiul has Itocoiuo tho UUtrlhutlng lo I nt fur a vmt territory routh and toutlioiut of hero, and tho railroad frflelittiit tatloa for nu Area that li , lurj.or than Connecticut, New Jersey and Uhode Uluud combined. (These tates total 14.0S5 squaro miles; tho ' territory that comes to lleud for Its , freight embraces between 10,000 and 20,000 squaro miles. For tho benefit !nf those not familiar with Central , Oregon dlstauces, It may be well to (add that Crook county alono has I some G026 squaro miles, or about as much us Connecticut and Hhode Is land combined.) Foreseeing a big business passing through this point, the railroads, nt a cost of about $6600, constructed a largo warehouso operated by the United Warehouse Company, a cor poration composed of local men. The warehouso building Is 00 by 208 feet and has a floor spaco of 12,480 feet. It Is coustdeicd ono of tho best equipped structures of Its kind In the stnto, and Is tho largest warehouso In Central Orogon. Yet with nil Its size, at tho busiest seasons so fnr this year, It h'aa been necessary to lite tho platform for storing goods, nud oven tho spaco beneath tho plat, form for frolght that could bo safe ly handled that wny. Tho town receiving tho greatest volutuo of frolght hero, except of course lleud Itself, Is Hums. Tho enterprising Harney county mer chants soon loprned, after tho rail road was completed to this town, that this was tho most economical as well nu tho quickest way of get ting uhlpmontB from Portland nud other polutB. Tho result has been n transformation In tho history of freight handling In Central Oregon tho Inauguration ot regular auto truck sorvlco. The Ileml-Ilurns lload. Tho distance from llend to Hurns Is 140 miles, from Vale to Duma 138 miles. If that were all. Hums might yot be getting tho bulk of Its frolght Jho same way I. did before tho Deschutes valley was furnished rail transportation. It la tho excol lence ot the Hend route which his givon It supremacy. Tho lleud to Hums roud Is level and open to traf Ac practically tho year round. The Valo-llums road crosses threo ranged of hills that nro virtually mountains when It comes to hauling freight up them. It Is u hard wagon freight ing proposition most of the year and Impractical for auto trucks. 'Dobe mud and difficult grades restrict Its possibilities. An Interesting comparison ot the speed of tho two routes from Fort Jand to Hums by way of Vale and to Hums by way of Hend shows the difference. About tho best railroad time from Portland to Vale for frolght Is tour days. From tho lat ter point to Hums wagon freighting requires anywhere from 8 to 18 days an average of 10 days at tho best. Portland to Hend the (tme Is about 1G hours. Loaded Into tho auto trucks here, tho freight Is delivered at Hums two days later lees thun tour days from shipping point to des tination. Hates Favor Hend. As for rates, the comparison Is oqually Interesting. Tho wagon rate from Vale to Hums varies from a minimum of 1 cents, during a very limited period, to S cents dur lug tho winter. Two ct-rits seems to bo tho year round average, and tor practically four months freighting must bo discontinued except for very light loads us oxorbltaut rutes. Tho rato from liond to Hums by onto truckB or wagon la 1 i to 2 cents. In tho railroad haul Portland to Valo and Portland to Uend thero Is an nvorngo ot 11 cents n hundred la fuvor ot Hond, On the class of frolght which tho merchants mostly rocelvo It Is oven greater than this, making tho advantage from 35 to 200 per cent. Tho Central Oregon Trucking Com pany, with two three-ton trucks; be gan freighting to Hums the past spring. At first thero was not a groat volumo ot business, but In a short tlmo tho merchants of tho Har ney county town awoke nnd began having their goods routed this wny. Soon the two nuto trucks wero not Able to carry It all, tho rosult bolng that two moro cars were put In oper ation by this company. In addition to others. , Hut tho Auto trucks nro not the only factors In tho distributing and trelghlng business from llend, or in deed the most Important, so far as tho toUl volume ot tounoge Is con cerned. Today, as In tho past, tho big horso freighting outfits handlo an enormous bulk ot business. Ilc tween fiend and Hums dozens ot out fits operate, while tho traffic to tho south, La Pine, Crcscont. Sllvor Laku and Paisley Is handled prac tically entirely via tho "elght-horso railroad." Tonnage Una HIr Proportions. An Idea ot the freight passing through tho warehouso Is gained from the following figures: From March 4 to April 10 there were 22 carloadsW emigrants' movables. In cluding everything from furniture to stock. Tho total amount of freight during the same period was 263 cars, a dally average ot C carloads. Tho road to Hums Is a most ro- markablo one, tho auto truck haul from hero to that town being, it Is said, tho longest In. tho country. Thero nro no difficult hills to bo climbed, tt being almost possible for passenger autos to mako the entire run of 146 miles on the high speed. The country Is level or slightly roll ing, the soil being mostly clay, A few sandy spots here and there do not scriousy Interfere. Tho road was built through the co-operation ot Crook and Harney counties, tho peo ple ot llend and Hums and tho set- iiciB.uiuuB uv .uu.c. iuo expense was very small, considering tho great distance. Not only do tho peoplo ot Harney county get their freight here, but as stated above, nlso thoso of La Pino, Crc.ccnt. Fort Hock Fremont. Sil ver Luke and even Pnlsloy, to tho far south. With tho exception of Pais ley, these plnces all hall to haul In thotr frolght from Shanlko boforo tho Oregon Trunk-Deschutes lino was built. The 100 miles of roads that were too often Impasgablo, botween here and Shanlko, am traversed no moro sluco llend has become the railroad terminal tor tho Interior em pire Oood roads mako Ufa much moro ploasant for tho freighter with his eight or ten horses drawing from ono to throo wagons loaded, aud the peoplo of the south couutry find tholr freighting blUs cut in halt In many cases. Paisley Also Uses Uend. Evcu the merchants ot far-away Paisley como hero now for freight. for it means a saving to thepi ot about a hftlt cepl ft pound jirobably more over getting It by way ot tho narrow gauge road to Lakevlew, The distance from hero to Paisley Is 155 miles, the wagon haul costing from 1 to 2 cents a pound. On Fourth Railroad Day Marked Awakening Near midnight on October 4, 1911. the first passenger train came la over the rails rails that had been laid but a few days to llend. The next day. October 5, was "Railroad Day." The golden spike was driven, the cornerstone to Head's stone depot was laid, and the railroads were of ficially welcomed to Central Oregon and officially made acknowledgement to tne royal welcome given them. James J. Hill and Louis V. Hill weio here, and the high officials of the Harrlmsn and Hill systems. "Hill" Hsnley, probably best known of all Central Orcgonlans and clouo friend or "Jim" Hill, was a. central figure. To him much of tVe credit for the railroads' building was given by Mr. Hill, and he It was who gavo Uend's native stono depot Its start, by laying the cornerstone, while all Uend, most ot Central Oregon and a goodly representation of men and women from Portland and Seattlo applauded. And during that day and the next there was celebration In Hend. J. J. Hill told of his faith In Central Oregon a faith that had brought about tho Investment of millions ot dollars and predicted the great things that the future has In atoro for tho Httlo developed Interior coun try, Day find Ills Meaning. Hut with all tho fun nnd jollity ot "Kallroad Day." It had a far greater meaning than most such celebra tions. It commemorated not sim ply the arrival of two railroads at a previously rail roadless town. It did far moro than that. It was a big doublo ml lot tone Id tho develop ment history not only of Central Ore gon, but of all tho state. Hend' railroad day marked the opening ot a new era In tho history of all tho torritory cost of tho Cascade moun tains nn era whose Inevltablo pros perity could not but moan a similar prosperity for all Oregon. Tho ar rival of the railroads at Uend marked tho end ot an unparalleled situation unoquslcd for Ita economic Inertia and wasted ttosslbllltlbs and ihn opening to development of tho great eat and richest undeveloped cmiilre In all the West. Tho articles In this Bectlon deal briefly with Central Oroeon'a ante. railroad days, with tho old methods of transportation and tho now. with probable futuro railroad develop ments, with horse and autnmablln transportation, with tho commercial growtn tbat Is directly dependent upon the railroads. With roada and. especially, with the development ot the near future which will mean tonnago to tho railroads that hava built to Hend. Hut bit: as all tho auhlect la.lt can only bo scratched hero) October's, 1911, was tho real opening ot it all, and so It Is that "Kallroad Day" will go down In Central Oregon annals as the brightest day on tho calendar. class freight, in which class falls most ot the material uiied by general merchants, the rail rate from- Port land to Lakevlew, Paisley's railroad point, totals $2.50 a hundred, In cluding wArehose And transfer charges. On top of that tho 45-mtlo LAkevlew-Palsley wagon haul has for lis lowest rato 50 cents a hundred, making a total of about 3.00. The total rate from Portland to Paisley, by way of Hend, Is about $2.50. These figures apply on one of the. first shipments tried. It Beems prob able that an even greater advAntago In favor of Uend will develop as tho business Is enlargod. Wholesale .Stocks Carried Here. In addition to the largo volumo ot freight passing through Hend, It la possible for tho merchants ot the In terior to buy At wholesale hero. Tho warehouse always has on hand largo stocks ot flour, sugar, dairy and ta ble salt, gasoline and oIIb and It buys hides aud polts. A local com mission firm, tho Control Oregon Urokorago Company, nlso wholesales smoked and salted meats, lards, com pounds, etc. ot which It carries large stocks ready for shipment. In this way tho Incouvontenco and de lays ot tho old methods aro greatly eliminated. Ot course an Important Item of tho freighting business, from the stand point of the town, Is that all thoso who haul freight from Uend spend money hero. For Intvtanco, overy olght-horaQ outfit that comes for a load, buys food for freighter and teams hero, the autos buy gosallpo And supplies And have repair work done, nnd all contribute to the sup port of local business In ono way and another.
