The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1892-01-02


IN every other case where forests of pine,
mr., spruce or redwood are found the tall
lumber grows on the slopes and in the
bottoms of gulches. The ridges that
separate these tree-clad gulches are too
steep TO be accessible by roads, hence in
getting out the timber it becomes neces-
sary to construct roads up each gulch,
thus involving a large outlay. But in
the case OF the plateau mentioned the en-
tire thousand square miles is so nearly
level that 1t can all be drained by a single
| road. Once connected with the main
llne OF the California and Oregon and this
pody OF timber will be readily accessible
III every portion.
The only points from which it can be
reached are at Mott and Lower Soda
Springs, on the California and Oregon
line. In every other direction the mount
ans are too precipitous to allow of even
paSsiple wagon roads being constructed
during the coming season it is proposed
10 construct road from Mott to the pla-
teall, the route following closely the slope
! OF Mount Shasta, keeping as high up on
the talus at its base as is possible, in or
der to avoid the deep canyons and gorges
which extend from it in every direction
Parties who own I 1000 acres of timber on
the Pit and McCloud plateau, and have
| optalned options from the Southern Pa
chic Company for IL, 900 acres more have
erected mill, which will be started up
the coming spring. They have also made
survey Tor a railroad, joining the main
line at or near Mott, and extending some
| thlrty-tive miles directly into the forest
Those behind this enterprise are among
the best known and most energetic of
San Francisco capitalists, and they pro-
pose to push the railroad TO completion at
an early date. That such railroad would
be OF the greatest benefit to them may be
seen from the fact that under present con-
ditions it costs 50 per thousand feet TO
transport lumber from the plateau to the
california and Oregon line, while if
branch railroad We're built as proposed
the same service would be done for but
81 %. This difference in cost of trans
portatlon would in one wear produce a
saving of $4,000 on the output of the
single mill that is now in existence. The
nature OF the region to be traverSed is
such that 1t is estimated that the road
could be built at an expense Of not to ex-
coed $1,000 or $1,000 a mile Surveys
show that there are no serious engineering
dlncultIeS to overcome, but that by fol-
lowing the slope of the great central peak
OF Mount Shasta the plateau can be easily
tapped on good and feasible grade. The
early spring promises to witness active
operations in this section.
Another region where the Southern Pa
| cltlc Company has extensive timber in
| tereStS IS on the Klamath River and it's
tributary country, in Southern Oregon.
1t IS here that sales were made recently
! to Eastern capitalists of z. 900 acres of
timber land, $4,000 acres having gone to
one company and $4,000 to the other. The
| purchasers of this vast area include one
or the heaviest lumber firms of MinneSO-
Ia and Wisconsin, where they have
| turned out from 100000 to 10000 600
| feet annually for the last twenty years.
The gradual exhaustion of the forests in
that section has forced them to look else
where for q source of supply, and they
have now transferred the scene of their
heaviest operations to the Klamath basin.
They have purchased the large mill at
Klamath Crossing, on the California and
Oregon line, and will have it ready for
operation in few weeks.
This mill was erected several years
ago and a dam was put in for hauling logs,
but the inexperience of the parties con-
trolling it led to its being sold to those
who now have its control. The timber
| lands owned by them lie on the klamath
and on a tributary of that stream known
as Camp Greek. They propose to float
the logs to the mill by the use of flushing
dams, California invention for success
fully handling the torrential streams of
this coast, and which take the place of the
annual spring freShetS that are the de-
pendence of Eastern lumbermen in log
ginE.
The company which controls the recent
purchase Of 1900 acres has for its scene
of operations what is known as the Jenny
Creek plateau, and this they propose to
tap by constructing a railroad to connect
with the California and Oregon near
klamath Crossing. There is a feasible
grade up Jenny Creek canyon to the sum-
NIT Of the plateau, where the entire tim
Der belt will be accessible.
The rapidly increasing value of Cali
tornia timber lands, and their manifest
destiny may be seen from the fact that
good forest lands that were offered in vain
Ill 1888 at 81 90 an acre, now sell readily
for $40, while lands that SO short time
since as 1888 were thought to be so abso-
lutely worthless as not to be deserving of
even survey, are now readily salable at
good figures.
Large as have been the operations of
the Southern Pacific in timber lands dur
ing the year, great progress has also been
made in the sale and settlement of farm
ing lands. Some time since the company
adopted the policy of encouraging in
land-holdings and their sale to actual set
tiers in small tracts. They did not go into
this plan with any intention or desire to
reap profit from it. All they wished
was to cover the bare expense of the
operation, and to make sure that the lands
SO subdlVlded were improved. Thus, as
an, example, they purchased some 10000
acres OF tine land in the well-known Ca
pay Valley. This was cut up into small
| farms and offered to settlers for the simple
payment of interest until such time as
trees and vines could be planted and be
brought to q bearing stage. Already over
5000 acres of this land have been sold to
actual settlers, the average holding not
| being twenty-five acres. Each purchaser
was required to sign contract binding
him to improve his purchase during the
next planting season, and sales were alb
1 81,
land simply for purposes OF speculation.
The company was determined that no one
should be allowed to profit by the enter
prise OF his neighborS without himself
lending hand in the general advance
ment. AS result there are more than
200 separate holdings now being improved
in the valley, and last year over l47, 600
fruit trees were planted while the con-
tracts ahead made for the coming season
call for the planting of 10000 more. The
apricot, peach and pear are the favorite,
this valley being an early fruit section,
and those varieties being best adapted for
probably taking advantage of the pecu-
liar climatic features.
A notable example of what can be done
here is afforded by the Tancred Colony,
which is made up OF residents Of Oakland
and San Francisco, who to the number of
forty-one have purchased over 600 acres
of land, and now have Al acres planted,
the remainder of the tract to be set out
this season. These colonists are proceed
ing upon sort of cooperative basis so
far as planting and caring for the orchards
Is concerned, until maturity shall have
been attained. In the meantime they
continue at their usual avocations, and
when the trees attain an income paying
stage each will take possession of his in
dividual holding.
The Southern Pacific Company has
also obtained control of tract of some
1900 acres in Tehama County. which is