The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-11-26
A Branch Road From Mill
Valley Junction.
TO TUNNEL A MOUNTAIN.
Extensive Beach of BolinaS to
Be Reached.
AN INTERESTING ENTERPRISE.
1t Will Cost Much Money, but the
Backers Are Rich and Expect
a Golden Harvest.

There is to be railroad from Mill VAL
ley junction to Bolinas Bay. 1t will be
thirty miles long and will pass through 4
tunnel 1900 feet in length. Those are the
facts according to the specifications.
The conditions which have brought
about this enterprise are potent and evil
dent. At Bolinas Bay there is one of the
most extensive beaches on this coast. 1t
is shallow, white-sanded and adapted for
bath ing The temperature of the water
the year around is said to be about O. deg,
being steadily supplied and warmed by the
Japan current. The beach itself is a
model of its kind. 1t runs in semiclrcIs
distance of four miles from the quaint
little town OF Bolinas to Willow Camp.
All along this distance there is q shallow
bed of surf and gentle swell. Willow
Camp has long been favOrite place for
the encampment Of hunters ana outing
parties. The only objection to the place
heretofore has been that there was 10
hotel and no store for the securing of sup
plies. Ali these objections will be oh
waited when the new railroad is built.
And it will be built, not by the North
Pacific Coast Railway Company as a part
of lis system, but by an independent COM
pany of capitalists who control most Of
the lands adjacent to Bolinas Bay and the
SnOre line ina connects with IT,
lie Roy G. Harvey is the active promoter
of the scheme, and he has things in such
shape that the work of building the new
road will commence Immediately. Mr..
Harvey represents a syndicate of Eastern
capitalists VINO realize the financial adj
vantages that are offered by the locati IL.
A few days ago these gentlemen, by their
authorized agents. went over the route
that has been surveyed and viewed the
ground from Mill Valley junction TO Be-
linas Bay. They found everything DrOmis-
ing and highly satisfactory. The result
tons to have the branch road
built at once. Willie it is true
that the new road will not be a part
of the North Pacific Coast ROAD, it wiz
still be operated In conjunction with that
road, as agreed to by a lease already made,
and special trains will be run for the bene-
fit nj the Bolinas road in addition to con-
meeting trains with all the regular traffic
of the main road.
But it is no joke to build railroad from
Mill Valley to Bolinas. 1t will require
much labor and a great deal of money
The only way by which the sea shore can
be reached is by a tunnel through the
Coast Range of mountains south of Mount
Tam alpais. The chain of hills is unbrOken
and therefore it will have TO be tunneled
or Overrdden. The overriding pronosition
is impracticable, because the hills are too
fore. according TO the surveys made and
| accepted, tunnel 1900 feet in length will
have to be dug between the interior valley
| and the slope that goes 10 the sea.
The new road will pass by some points
of much historic interest. The battlefield
OF Waterloo and the pass of Thermopyl8
are trifiing incidents when compared 10
the historic relic that rests in the wooded
canyon near Willow Camp. Here stands
the wooden and much-decayed figure of
Buddha, as planted by the Bohemian Club
three years ago. The wooden god still
stands and doesn't care, but his slumber-
the bowling whistle OF the locomotive.
Even wooden gods cannot remain indiffer-
ent to the march OF progress.
In speaking of the new road j. B. Stet-
son of the North Pacific Coast Company
said yesterday:
1T is thing that has been wanted for
a long time, but no one has bad the cour-
age TO put 1t in motion. Mr.. Harvey has
an advantageous lease with the railroad
company, and he also has an unlimited
amount of capital to back him up in the
enterprise. Pay? OF course it will pay.
Why should 1t not pay? The beach is the
finest that can be found between Sitka
and San Diego. The water is of an even
IS simply fauItless. If Mr.. Harvey and
his moneyed friends had not taken this
matter 10 hand we certainly would. But
those people have control OF all the avail
able land near the beach, and, therefore,
nave great advantage in a financial way.
The building Of the new road will cost a
good deal OF money, but the returns will
be fabulous ana the results to the country
at large will be beneficial"