The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1894-03-09
THAT Ex.RECElyER OF OURS.
Owing to the fact that that ex'receiver OF
,urs has seen fit To Distribute that valuable

Owing to the fact that that ex.receiver of
ours has seen fit to distribute that valuable
literary production of his, on ''the Oregon
Pacific r. R., past, present and future,
among only a few of his particular friends
included in the left hand faction of the bond.
carefully perused it, and become highly edi-
fed from the richness of its columns, deem
it duty 1 owe to my friends, particularly
among railroad men, to disburse at least a
portion of its valuable knowledge through
the press for their benefit.
On the title page of this grand work is
the following quotation from d. Fl. Aims
worth:
"The location of railroad is giving it its
constitution. 1t may be sick unto death
with accidents of construction and manage
ment, but with a good constitution it will
ultimately recover"
Of course this eminent author does not
| even yet realize that the Oregon Pacific met
more accidents of management" from
| March 9th, 1893, to January 5tn, 1894, than
during all its previous history. Could any
| thing be ''sicker unto death" than this child
was the first of January last? The doctor
who was appointed to look after its health,
notwithstanding the fact that he had plenty
of medicine, instruments, and good patron.
age to start in with one year ago, lost nearly
everything including the constitution of the
O.. P, and about January 5th, 1894, he
found himself in such a position that he
could neither 60 ahead or back up. Judge
Fullerton then called in DIR. Clark, under
whose skillful treatment the patient has al
most entirely recovered its health, this too
in the face of the greatest business depres-
sion the country has seen for many years, if
ever before.
On page 10 of this splendid work, the au-
thor says: '"rhe o. P. Co. built at Corval-
lis, a wharf.boat, at an expense of 81, 900,
and took it to Salem for use of the river
steamers at that point, but that owing to the
rapid rise in the river and the extreme diff
ference between high and low water, it was
not well adapted for the purpose, and that
he had arranged to have it towed to 1ndepen.
dence for use there" This was last sum-
mer, but when Mr.. Clark took charge of the
road in January last, this wearf- boat was
was liable at any time to break away and
take a trip down to the Oregon City falls.
The ex.receiver does not state that when
this wharf. boat was built, he was supposed
to be filling the position of superintendent,
and that it was upon his express recommend.
alton and his plans the thing was built, and
this 81, 900 placed in the Willamette river to
rot, instead OF applying the money to such
use as would enable the employees to pur-
chase few pounds of provisions.
II On page IA of this great work, he says he
cut for the use OF the o. P. company, a lot
of 90-foot plling, measuring accurately l8
inches at the butt, and twelve inches at the
point, and as straight as lead pencil. But
he does not state that he ordered these piles
loaded fat on the platform of three cars,
thus making rigid wheel base of about 80
feet. Had the tfainmen been as ignorant in
regard to the proper manner by which to
handle this kind of freight as this brilliant
railroad ma n, they would have picked up
these cars when ready, and started for va.
quina with them, and they would have
jumped the track at the first curve they
came to. Now, should not boy three
years old, know better than this?
On page 7s, of this ''history of the o. P.
past, present and future, this experienced
railroad man says: elm view of the stiff
competition for grain, it may, think. be
taken for granted that the ownership IF
grain warehouses along the line, by outside
parties, in no way controlled by the r. r.
company, is bad policy; that the plan of
handling the grain crop along the line of the
D. P. r. R. by means of elevators and
cleaners at principal grain stations, is far
from being the correct one, SO far as the r.
R. compann's interests are concerned; it re-
suits in loss of freight on every pound Of
dirt the cleaner takes out of the grain"
If he could run railroad he might pre-
vail upon the farmers to mix some gravel
with their grain in order to swell his freight
charges. This neat little work is just full of
such bright and witty paragraphs as the
above, and no doubt the wise men of the
east have derived great benefit from the
study of its contents. X