Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-05-18
RAILROAD BUILDING.
Report of the Committee on the proposed
Extension of the Colusa Narrow Gauge.

report OF the Committee on the Proposed
Extension of the Colusa Narrow Gauge.
Yesterday afternoon meeting of the
Sacramento Board of Trade was held to
| consider the report of the committee APP
pointed heretofore to go over and examine
the route of the proposed railroad to Lake
port. The following report was submitted,
read and ordered on file to be acted upon
hereafter:
Members Of the Sacramento Beard Of Tiddc-GES-
TLEMEN The undersigned being the committee
selected to examine facts bearing on the extern
sion of the colusa Narrow-Gauge Railroad from
Colusa Junction into Lake county, as requested
by certain citizens of Coiusa, hereby submit the
following report
We found the railroad graded equipped and
trains running regularly from Coiusa, on the
Sacramento river, 10 Colusa Junction, situated
little north of west some ten miles from Colusa,
on the Northern Railroad.
The read from the river to this point is direct,
has some heavy piling, but much of the way is
moderate grading, and will soon have TO be lev
eled up and ballasted to be in first-clasS condi-
ton.
The total cost that far is some SO 900, with a
trifiing debt against the company. very ex-
tensive frame grain warehouse IS now being
erected at this junction. The Northern Railway
viii at once send an agent to this point to
occupy the same depot as the Colusa Railroad,
and act in conjunction with this company. The
awaiting the arrival OF the train;
Both committees being Joined at this point
by W. S. Palmer. of San Francisco, engineer of
the Colusa road, who had maps showing the
different routes proposed. proceeded to follow
up as near as practicable what is known as the
northern or Stone Corral survey. The proposed
route takes from the junction northwest diTec-
ton, with regular easy grade TO stone Corral
some nine miles. where the elevation above the
sea is about 500 feet.
The elevation AT the river is about 100 feet.
and at the iunclion abOut lttD feet. 4 great deal
of land westerly from the junction has much
alkali in it. and will have TO be drained, irri-
gated and titled to be productive. Alter leaving
the junction three or tour miles good lands were
found, and immense fields of heavy grain were
seen north, south and west The growth of the
grain, as well as all other vegetation made the
fact at once apparent and we were constantly
reminded of it the entire trip, that We were
viewing country at the most promising por-
ton of most favorable year. From Stone
Corral we went westerly through an easy pass
in the foothills about a mile to Antelope valley.
This valley extends some fifteen miles almost
directly moth and SOUTH The proposed route
half of this valley some ten miles
where the elevation is about LOCO feet
Thence westerly, with heavy grading. some
three miles to the tunnel. The tunnel will
be from 800 to 600 feet long. The elevation of
the road at the summit will be about $50 feet
thence about mile to Leesville, where the
elevation is about 400 feet The total distance
from the Colusa junction to Leesville is about
twenty-four miles. The maximum grade for a
distance of about three miles in the vicinity of
the tunnel is about $50 feet to the mile The
engineer estimates the entire cost of the pro-
posed extension to be $4,000. That estimate
includes construction, equipment depotS etc
While 1t Is proposed to extend the road from
Leesyille northwest, thence southwest and west
eriy into Lake county passing with one branch
some six miles south of Bartlett Springs vet
your committee proposed to examine the enter
prise only so far as 1t bears on its extension to
or near Leesville.
Leesville is situate near the divide which
separates Bear valley on the south from Indian
valley on the north, and is the point which
taps these two large valleys. In order to get an
idea of the character of these two valleys we
took the stages early in the morning and drove
northwesterly down the eastern division of In
dian valley 10 Smithyille, on Stoney creek, some
20 miles elevation ,140 feet ard en- route
found great many old farms, large tracts OF
good valley lands, resembling the best lands in
Antelope valley, also numerous hills and hill
sides with clay and red lands all susceptible of
the highest degree of cultivation and capable of
producing the grape, fruits and grain. Being
at present remote from market and having to
cross quite heavy mountain ranges which run
parallel north and south with the valleys to
get to a market, the holders of these lands ask
only from SO to $50 per acre for them.
Many settlers could now go into those valleys
and secure portions of those large holdings at
moderate rates and add much to the production
and consumption of those comparatively new
sections. From Smithyille our party turned
directly south, passed up the western portion of
indian valley INTO the upper portion of Bear
valley; passed a line directly west of Leesyille
thence down Bear valley, to near "Eppersons;''
thence east and northeast by easy grade back
to Leesvllle, which weTeached about = o'clockP
NJ. of the same day. The trip through Indian
aud Bear valleys was very interesting and
while the mountain outlines were more marked
ana the valleys not so broad, yet there was
striking resemblance in them to the view which
was presented by Napa valley few years ago
before vineyards and small holdings beautified
and enriched that now famous section
From Leesyllle we returned via the Mountain
House. the heavy grain fields of the foothill
section, and thritty-lOoking farms west of Will
ans to about two miles west of that place,
thence north to the Junction and from there TO
Colu-a.
We would here submit an approximate es-
innate OF the tributary acreage and probable
receipts of the Colusa road and its proposed ex-
tension when completed to Leesvilie.