Rogue River courier., February 03, 1911, Image 1

Iliii
VOL. XXVI.
G HANTS PASS, JOSEPHINE! COUNTY, OREGON, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1011.
No. 41.
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NEW RAILROAD
FOR GRANTS PASS
MILL OPEN UP APPLEGATE AM)
WILLIAMS VALLEYS
CONSTRUCTION IN 30 DAYS
The Grants Pass & Rogue River
Railroad to thetJoseihine
Counthy Caves
The city of Grants Pass is thor
oughly aroused over the latest move
in railway construction, wnlch will
be Immediately commenced and car
ried forward as rapidly as possible.
This is what is known as the
Grants Pass and Rogue River rail
road. The parties interested in the
proposition held three meetings to
day with the trustees of the Com
mercial club and laid before them
the full plans of the enterprise, the
object and aim of the corporation.
Just as we go to press It Is learned
that the trustees have approved and
endorsed the plan and will do all In
their power to assist in the con
struction of the road.
A surveying party under Engineer
J. E. Gardner will begin work imme
diately at the Southern Pacific de
pot, running thence south toward
the river, and it is guaranteed with
in 30 days enough road will be built
to permit the hauling of material
for the bridge which is to be located
at White Rocks. The right of way
has been purchased from the South
ern Pacific passenger depot to the
water's edge and as the syndicate
owns the land on the other side to a
point on the wllderville road, the
line will be located to that place at
once. The balance of the way will
be located as soon as the survey is
completed. From now on every day
and hour will be improved, so as to
complete the line to the Applegate,
up that stream to Williams river,
and on to the Josephine county caves
or the famous Marble Halls of Ore
gon. It is the purpose of the syndicate
organized under the name of the Pa
cific Western company to build a
line of railroad 30 miles in length
from Grants Pass to the Applegate
aud thence to Williams Valley to the
famous Josephine county caves. The
line will start in just south of the
Southern radflc depot, thence run
south to the bank of the Rogue River
at a point just below the White
Rocks, where it crosses and extends
upon property already purchased.
From here the line runs to the Mur
phy road and thence along Allen
Ci ( ok to the low divide at Newhope,
thence up the east bank of the Apple
gate, and following up the west side
of Williams river to a point near the
Williams creek and Sucker creek
divide.
The syndicate is composed of A.
D. Uowcn, H. L. Chapln, J. W. Ilef
forlln, J. G. RIggs and a number of
others of both San Francisco and
Portland. The syndicate will sub
mit their plans to the business men,
composing the Grants Pass Commer
cial club at a meeting to be held this
evening and ask the endorsement and;
co-operation of that body, after which
It is promised active work will be
commenced upon the line of road.
The syndicate have had surveys
made and estimates prepared as to
the cost of the line, together with
estimates of the probable business
such a line will be able to do, and it
Is said the prospects are very favor
able. In conjunction with preparing
the plans for the building of the line
of railroad, the syndicate have se
cured several excellent townsltes and
have optioned several thousand acres
of the very best land In Applegate
nr.d Williams Creek valleys. It Is
the purpose to colonize these lands
ntnl to sell them to the actual set
tier from tin east and elsewhere and
build up a large settlement In these
territories.
With transportation facilities,
there is no doubt but thnt these lands
v III support a lnre population. In
t'Mio cultivation will be the rule and
many places npw raising only cer
eals will be made to produce the fin
est of fruits. '
I', addition nM r.r '. a
ture which will do more to aid
Grants Pass, than all else in the opin
ion of many, will be the transporta
tion to the great caves. These in
themselves, will attract thousands to
the city. As a tourist attraction
there is nothing that can compare to
these caves. Few people, even in
Grants Pass appreciate the vast im
portance of the great natural won
ders. To get people to stop off to vis
it these caves, a mountain resort will
be established near these wonders.
An automobile road will be built
from the end of the line to the caves,
a distance of about four miles, and
preparations are being made to in
stall electric lights throughout them,
and this will become one of the great
tourist attractions of Southern Ore
gon. It has been known for several
months that something was about to
happen in Grants Pass. It is well
known the RIggs-Lucas Land com
pany have been quietly working upon
something, just what it was they re
fused to make public and they have
had many people guessing as to what
was in the air. It is known that their
offices have been recently remodeled
and rearranged and preparations
made for the handling of a large vol
ume of business.
MAYOR ASKS AID
TO KEEP CITY CLEAN
The city administration is very
anxious to make Grants Tass one of
the cleanest cities on the coast, not
only for sanitary reasons but in or
der to make a more beautiful home
city. Mayor Myers, in speaking on
the subject this morning said:
"We waut our city clean and sau
itary and the city council is going
to do everything It can to make It so.
we are met on every hand with
problems and obstacles which make
It almost impossible for us to ac
complish that which we have under
taken. There are places in the city
w here alleys are not laid out and no
I way of extending sewers without mut
ual consent, aud of course such
places are in horrible condition and
are becoming worse, and eventually,
when there is an epidemic, the
causes can be traced to such places.
Many of the people directly inter
ested will not help to solve the prob
lem there Is always some one who
will block the way. We want to
work out these problems and we
want you, who are directly Inter
ested, to help us clean up the streets
and alleys and keep them clean.
Yon are all nrnnd nf n etna.,
- , . w. Mwv,i, v,lJ,UUl
j there Is not a day passes that the su
Perlntendont of streets does not have
to speak to some one about throwing
out rubbish or leaving rubbish in the
streets or alleys. Now, we are will
ing to do onr part and we ask you
to kindly nsslst."
C. V.. CONVENTION'
AT ASHLAND
The Oregon' Christian Endeavor
union is planning to hold a big con
vention in Ashland February 10 to
12. Dr. W. R. Hlnson of the White
Temple of Portland, and Paul C.
Hrown, field secretary for California,
are among the prominent speakers
and workers on the program.
A rate of one and one-third for
the round trip has been granted by
the railroads, but it Is necessary for
delegates to ocure a certificate from
the nsent at the time of purchasing
ticket and bring it to the convention
to be signed by the state secretary.
free entertainment, consisting of
room and breakfast will be provided
for all delegates during the conven
tion. Ashland Is one of the most beau
tiful residence cities in the sttae and
has a reputation for hospitality sec
ond to none.
Indications are. that the conven
tion will bo a great success and all
who possibly can do so should plan
to attend.
John Rlgg, Ashland, Ore., is sec
retary of the reclstratlon committee
nnd delegates should send names to
him.
Mrs. M. P.rown, who has spent the
p:i-t few dnys visiting with her
daughter, Miss Lcvcno Bowen find
Mr. and Mrs. Jack Ellison, returned
Wednesday evening to li-ie homo at
Ko'-i liunr.
CASE FOR THE
SUPREME CflURT
STATE VS. 11 EARN" TRIED
FORE JUDGE CALKIN'S
HE.
A VERDICT OF "GUILTY"
This
Will Re Test Case and
Go to the Highest
Court '
Will
The test case, the State
Hearn was tried Monday
versus
before
Judge Calkins in the circuit court,
and the defendant was found guilty
by the judge. The judge sentenced
him to 15 days in jail and $250 fine.
The parties agreed to all the facts,
the defendant admitting that he sold
the goods, but contended that the
Home Rule amendment repealed the
local option law, and therefore re
pealed the punishment of the crime.
Robert Smith, counsel for Hearn,
immediately took the necessary steps
for taking the case to the supreme
court for appeal, when It will be de
cided once and for all whether or not
the local option law is in force in
the city of Grants Pass. '
This will be the first case to go up
to the highest court on this question.
If the decision of the circuit court is
upheld It will mean that the people
can not hold elections in cities now
under the operation of the local op
tion law before November, 1911, and
possibly Grants Pass may not be per
mitted to vote on the question until
November, 1912, because when the
county is dry as a whole it is pro
vided that no election can be held in
any part of the county for two years
thereafter, and the local option law
passed in 1910.
If the decision of Judge Calkins
is reversed Grants Pass may license
saloons, but if license should be
granted before the supreme court
acts on It, .every licensee will be sub
ject to arrest, for such license will
not protect the saloon men.
The liquor cases would, ordinarily,
have come up in April, but the test
case was rushed in order to get a
two months' start.
Attorney Smith's brief will be filed
In a few days, and In all probability
a final decision will be made early In
the summer.
OREGON TRUNK TO
BUILD SOUTHWARD
Louis L. Hill, president of th
Great Northern railway, with other
officials of the line, is in Portland,
and to an Oregonlan reporter Mr.
Hill announced that ho h03 arranged
to take another trip into the interior
of the state in the coming spring or
summer,
Although he did not venture to
speak authoritatively on the future
construction work that may be done
on the Oregon trunk south of Bend,
Ore., Mr. Hill said that that portion
of the state eventually will have to
be developed.
"Mr. Stevens has charge of the
work in this country," he said "and I
don't know what his plans are. A
number of routes have been surveyed
south of Bend, however. One ol
these provides, however, for a term
inus at Medford. That Hue will have
to be built. Another leads to Klam
ath Falls. It is probable that an ex-,
tension will reach that place too, In
a short time.
"But whe nit comes to entering
California I believe that our system
will draw the line. We expect to de
velop Oregon, but don't see any rea
son why we Bhould go to California."
Mr. Hill Is even more enthusias
tic over the development of this state
than Is his father. He says the peo
ple of Oregon are not doing enough
to exploit their wonderful advan
tages, lie wants the legislature to
make an appropriation for advertis
ing purposes and with that end In
view will visit Salem Monday, nnd
oiyinpla Inter In the week. He points
to the success of a similar scheme
already in practice in Minnesota,
Montana and Washington.
"i ;,. U L-alem aa! u.l the
boys there what I know of state ad
vertising from my experiences In the
states that have tried It. It will not
be mere theory. It will be definite
facts.
MASS MEETING OF MINING
MEN' FEBRUARY 10TH
The board of trustees of the Grants
Pass Commercial club has appointed
Friday, February 10th, at 8 a. m., as
the hour for a mass meeting of the
mine owners, operators, prospectors
and all others interested in the min
era lwealth of the county for the pur
pose of forming In connection with
the Commercial club a separate de
partment pertaining to mining only;
the board has under consideration a
permanent organization to be con
ducted by the members of the club
who are more particularly Interested
or engaged In mining, a large num
ber of the mine owners now being
members of the club.
This mining department would be
known as the bureau of mines of the
Grants Pass Commercial club; and
the bureau would be conducted by
practical mining men, and the secre
tary of the club would be kept fur
nished with data and statistics per
taining to the general mining situ
ation In the county, thereby enabling
him to give reliable information to
parties seeking such from time to
time.
It will also be the object of the
bureau to foster the development of
legitimate mining and to seek legis
lation protecting the Interests there
of.
Every mine owner In the county
should make a special effort to at
tend the meeting, which will be held
at the Grants Pass Commercial club
rooms on Friday, February 10th at
8 p. m., at which time the entire
board of trustees of the club will be
In special session for the puropse of
conferlng with the miners.
HOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE
GRANTS PASS COMMERCIAL CLUB
INCENDIARY FIRE AT TALENT
MEDFORD, Jan. 31. -Citizens of
the little town of Talent, Just south
of this city, are today searching for
some clew us to the origin of a dis
astrous fire believed to have been of
incendiary origin, which destroyed
the building occupied by the Marlon
Tryer hardware store, the C. W.
Welters mercantile store, the State
Bank of Talent, J. F. Norman's bar
her shop and John Conway's shoe
store.
The fire started shortly after J
o'clock Tuesday morning and al
though calls for assistance were sent
to the fire departments of Medford
and Ashland, the local volunteer
brigade at Talent succeeded In get
ting the flames under control before
the apparatus arrived.
'ilio total loss Is placed at between
J2.".,000 and $30,000, part of which
Is covered by insurance.
MX AL .U TO ( I, I'll
JOINS ASSOCIATION
John T. klrkup, secretary of the
State Auto association, was In this
city yesterday for the purpose of en
listing tho co-operation of local
auto owners In tho fight for good
state roads.
Mr. Klrkup succeeded in affiliat
ing the Grants Pass Auto club and in
addition he secured the names of a
number of other auto owners. Be
fore he left the city for Medford he
secured about 35 names, and other
applications will follow.
11. C.vKlnney, of this city, la vice
president of tho state association
for Josephine county, and ho will ap
point a committee of five men in
this county whowlll act In the in
terests of tho state association. Tho
committee will put up sign posts, In
dicate distances and directions, nnd
In general try to facilitate the con
veniences of auto owners.
Although tho association Is but a
year old It has accomplished a groat
deal for the good road movement,
nnd the cnniinlgri of Mr. Klrkup
throughout the slate will do much
toward stirring up Hie necessary
enthusiasm In the various cities nndwnyg j0ubl track electric line
towns of Oregon. j running between San Francisco and
-
City Engineer 1". E. Hobson re -
lurueci eciin'siiny vermin rrom nun
BIO RAILROAD
A
MEETING
CITIZENS
UNITED IN
WORK
BOOSTING
ENTHUSIASTIC GATHERING
Commercial Club Rooms Filled with
People to Hear of New
Proposition
Wednesday's meeting at the Com
mercial club to forward the construc
tion of the first aide line railroad
that is to be built out of Grants Pass
turned out to be without exception
one of the largest and best gather
ings oT the kind that has ever oc
curred In this city. Nearly mry
business and professional man in
Grants Pass was present and seemed
to be In active sympathy In provld
ing ways and means of starting con
struction work on the road which Is
to open up ono of the richest terri
tories in the state of Oregon. The
road goes up the Applegate, Williams
river and so on to the Marble Halls
of Josephine county, which will soon
become the resort of thousands of
tourists, who have been kept out' of
the country for the simple fact that
there was no way to reach them from
any point on the railroad.
The meeting was presided over by
L. B. Hall, the president of tho Com
mercial club, and speeches were made
by Mr. Cunningham, one of the best
posted men who has ever been in
this section. Other speakers were
M. J. Anderson, II. L. Chapin, of
Portland; Hon. R. G. Smith, Prose
cuting Attorney Mulkey. The
speeches were all good and were list
ened to with great attention. Tho
proceedings were Important through
out. The main object of the meet
ing was to give our citizens an op
portunity to become acquainted with
a view to interesting the homo peo
ple in the raising of capital to assist
in carrying through tho work of con
struction. In order to give our readers n
clear understanding of what is pro
posed by the projector of this road,
A. D. Bowen, 1 no Courier Interview
ed that gentleman at some length In
regard to the enterprise. Mr. Bowen
expressed himself as more than
pleased with the reception accorded
by the business men and others of
this city.
He was particularly pleasing In hM
remarks concerning the live charac
ter of the Commercial club aud the
way that organization handles large
propositions, such as he and his as
sociates have presented.
"I never met a class of people In
my vnrled experience In railway pro
jection who Impress me ns favorably.
It Is extremely gratifying, I can tell
you," said Mr. Bowen. "The meet
ing last night puts the matter beyond
tho question of a doubt. No one who
was present could remain In doubt
as to the brilliant future of this fav
ored reglon With peoplo so united
no one can hold them bnek, and my
associates and myself will pull off
our coats nnd work with a will to
ward not only carrying our own en
terprise through as outlined, but
aiding to our Interest nny other In
terprlse that has the benefits of this
city as a motive."
Continuing Mr. Bowen Bald: " I
have been for tho past ten years In
California, where I organized and
built tho Petaluma & Santa Rosa
railway, nn electric line some 85
miles In length, connecting at tho
town of Petaluma with a line of
steamers for Ran Francisco. The
character of the country served Is
similar to the country we propose to
go through with the Grants Pass &
Rogne River railroad. Tho road Is
now n paying proposition and It has
doubled nnd trebled tho price of
land through which It runs. After
this I organized tho Ocean Shore rail
iPnnta Cruz, a distance of 83 miles
. The capital of the rood Is $5,000,000
experts wno examined the nnme,
have reported In the highest terras
upon it and the road Is one of the
biggest Independent projects organ
ized in California in recent years.
In addition to the two projects
Just spoken of I have been connected
with the Redding & Red Bluff rail
road, tne Wastonvllle Transportation
company and the Monterey, Fresno
and Eastern in California.
"During tho past two years I have
been much of the time in the east,
where I had my headquarters in
Kansas City. During these two years
I projected 350 miles of steam road
north from the city of Edmonton, Al
berta, Canada, and secured govern
ment aid to the extent of $20,000 a
mile. The amount needed, $7,400,-
000, was secured from J. P. Morgan
and Is now deposited to the credit of
the railway company In the banks of
Canada.
"In addition to this work I hats
been engaged In making reports on
independent lines In Montana, Texas,
Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and 111,
inols. I came back to the coast last
June and was so favorably Impressed
with the situation as I saw It In
Grants Pass that I made up my mind
I would endeavor to get some friends
Interested. How successful I have
been In the latter project I leave it
for you to say.
"Yes, you have a splendid coun
try and it impressed me wonderful
ly. It has taken us several months'
hard work to round out the matters
so It would be attractive, but it looks
very encouraging now. I was for
tunate in interesting Mr. II. L.
Chapln, an expert land man and a
man who has made a great success In
these ventures, and backed by his
judgment and money we will be able
to put a lot of new people in the
country and make our railroad line
productive of -excellent results, t
"From now on we hope to take
nil the peoplo into our confidence and
keep them thoroughly advised of
each Btep. We have nothing to hide
now; wo want all the people to be
our friends and we will try and merit
this friendship and confidence.
"We have opened offices In the
Conklln building, and while the of
ficial office of the railroad will be
In Portland, the main office will, of
necessity, bo In Grnbts TaBS."
When nsked concerning the be
ginning of work upon the road, Mr.
Bowen said he expected to begin the
active survey for location at once and
hoped to have work begun onv tha
bridge across tho river not later than
March 1.
II. L. Chapln, of Portland, Ore.,
manager of tho Land Company of
Rogue River, when interviewed by
The Courier representative made the
following concise statement:
"We have secured In round num
bers seven thousand two hundred and
fifty ncres of the best land In the Ap
plegnte and Williams River valleys.
These lands all lie within two miles
(,t om railroad survey and, of course,
will bo tripled and quadrupled In
value by tho time our rails have been
laid into tbeso beautiful valleys. An.
organization Is now being perfected
with branches in many pastern cities
for tho selling of these lands In small
trncls. This means tho rapid settle
ment of thoBo fertile valleys with a
complete system of Intensive farming
Introduced, that will bring a marvel
ous Incrcnso of fruit, grain, vegetable
and dairy products.
"In addition to the land project
aro tho townsltes under a separate
corporation, There will be throe
principal ones.
"Tho first one on tho south side of
tho Rogue river, known as South
Giants Pass.
"The second, at the confluence of
Williams with the Applegate, and
the third at Munger creek.
"All will hare graded streets and
complete water systems and will have
such fostering caro of the parent
company as to insure quick and suc
cessful growth."
Mr. Chapln in so enthusiastic of
Grants Pass thut he has already in
duced two of his friends to make
this city their home. These are W.
C. Hall, of Grand Rapids, Mich., and
Nelson Pike, of Portland, Oro., who
will soon be engaged in business in
his city.
Mr. nnd Mrs. W. G. Smith, of Waif
Creek, spent a. short time In this rlty
with friends this week and left Wed
nesday afternoon for California,
where they expect to reside In future.
R. 1.. Deniaree went to Woodvllle
Wednesday afternoon, nftor spending
a iliort time here with his wife.