The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1892-11-04
A RAILROAD PROJECT.
a LINE FROM EUGENE TO CORVALLIS ONE
OF THE POSSIBILITIES.

tien of Lane county:
''Some of our leading citizens are discuss
sing the matter of building railroad from
Eugene to connect with the IOregon Pacific
road at Corvallis. In this way Eugene
would be connected with deep harbor al
ready improved, and the road wonla trav.
erse rich country now sparsely settled.
The idea is to run west from Eugene to
point well into the hills, thence through
Monroe and straight to Corvallis. The
country to be traversed in this way is level
and the road would not he an expensive
one. It has been estimated that the cost
would not exceed $4,000 mile, and prob
ably not more than $1,000. There would
be no cuts or fills to amount to anything,
and no bridging of consequence. Connec-
tion this way would be of vast benefit to
this part of the country in the matter of
shipping rates. Wheat at Corvallis is al
ways to cents higher than it is in this
city, because of their advantage in ship
ping, One cent per bushel would carry it
from Eugene to Corvallis. The Oregon
Pacific people have intimated that they
would subsidize such movement to the
amonnt of forty or fifty thousand dollars,
and the people of Corvallis would assist the
project largely. The right-of-way could be
obtained without trouble, and altogether it
looks like very feasible project. -
OF all the contemplated railroad lines in
Oregon, this one gives promise of snrer re-
turns and less outlay thar any yet pro-
liected. This road would tapa rich section
of the country that is comparatively iso-
would bring it into close connection with
the best markets and cheapest transporta-
tion in Oregon. to say ssotning of the COM
mercial traffic that would naturally go over
a line connecting with the seaboarI from
an impo rtant center like Eugene. An i'm.
portant item in the construction of this
road is the comparatively level country
over which it would pass, thus insuring its
completion at a minimum outlay. 1t would
give Eugene City and Lane county close
connection with San Francisco by deep
water harbor already improved, that has
no superior between that place and Port
land. 1t would not only afford the mer-
chants and consumers of Lane county lower
freight rates on in ported goods, but enable
them to get better prices FOR their products,
la result that cannot be obtained in any
other way.
Aside from the beuefits that would ac.
crue to the people of Eugene and vicinity,
and the country through which this road
would pass, it would tend to build up the
commercial Importance of Corvallis as well
as the bay. The advantages of such a road
to Benton county cannot be overestimated.
Corvallis would certainly derive immense
benefits from being the connecting terminus
of another railroad line, and will not be
slow in giving such an undertaking sub
|stantial encouragement. The building OF
this road is not only one of the possibilities,
but one of the probabilities of the not far
distant future. if all parties interested will
do some earnest and effective work.
No GooD LAND LEFr.-A great many peo.
pie are waiting for the Siletz reservation, in
the southern part of Til!amook county, to be
Iopened for settlement, believing that this
will furnish them an opportunity to secure
sone fine land. There has been much in.
lquiry about this and "a commission is now
Negotiating with the Indians for the pur
chase of the land by the government for the
purpose of opening it for settlement The
commission finds, so the writer is informed,
that all the good land of that reservation
was long ago allotted in severalty to the
Indians, the same as that of the Grand
Ronde reservation. All that remains is
that away back in The mountains. Even
the timber Oh it will not for great many
years be of much value, for the Indians own
all the land in front of 1t and control all the
water powers, and there will be no way to
get the timber out to market. Visitors to
the coast country have seen fine lot of land
on this reservation lying idle, and, supposing
it belonged to the Indians In common, have
been petitioning the federal authorities to
buy it and open it for settlement, with tine
result that finally this commission has been
Iappointed for the purpose of negotiating
with the Indians to that end. The com.
mission finds the state of affairs above set
forth-all the best land near the coast al
lotted in severalty, OF course the Indians
do not make much use of this good land
They were born tired, and there is no way
to educate the laziness out of them-espec-
tally the bucks. The commission has had
several "powwows'' with the Indians about
purchasing from them for the government.
the land that has not been allotted them in
Iseveralty. But the government does not
propose to pay them all the mouey down.
1t will pay them 5 per cent year for the
present, and they object to this. They
want the whole wad to blow in. So the
matter stauds. What the outcome will be
this writer does not venture to predict.
tGen. w. FL. Odell and Judge r. P. Boise,
Iof Salem, are members of this commission.
l-Salem Statesman. The writer of the
above is slightly misinformed regarding the
quality of land that will be open to settle.
msnt on the reservation. The Indians got
most all the open or prairie land, but there
yet reineins considerable good brush land,
also some valuable timber lands aside from
that allotted to'the Indians. The commits.
sion, which has been in consultation with
the Indians for some time, has rect M
mended that each adult be paid SIS down,
and each little Indian S75 when he becomes
pf ond oil fo rooaiyo nor oaat