The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-11-09
TO TAMALPA|S' SUMMIT.
Surveyors Are Stalking Out the
Route of the Mountain
Railroad.
Work on the Line Will Soon Be Com.
menced and Will Be Pushed
to Completion.

MILL VALLEY, CAL, Nov. s.-Work
has been commenced on the Tamalpais
Mountain Railroad. The survey corps of
the Tamalpais Land and Water Company,
under the charge of Gus D. Avery, left last
Tuesday for the summit of the mountain
Camp was pitched in the sheltered spot
selected as the site of the hotel and from
the top of the mountain the surveyors are
running the line down.
Sidney B. Cushing, one OF the prime
movers in the enterprise, representing the
San Rafael Electric Light Company, cut
away the first bit of brush and the work OF
building the mountain road was COM
menced in earnest. A CALL correspondent
elm bed the mountain yesterday and Wis
tied the camp of the surveyors. They are
pushing the work along rapidly, and Mr..
Avery who first asserted that an per
cent grade could be obtained, has now
| found that his words were more than true,
for he has discovered that the steepest
part of the grade is only per cent. The
work of the surveyors has been somewhat
retarded by the late rains but they are
making fast progress and expect to have
the line laid inside of a week. Mr.. Avery
stated that the entire length of the road
would not be over seven miles.
1t is now asserted that the road will not
commence at Eastland station, in Mill
Valley, but will run to Reeds station, some
three miles distant, and tap the line of the
San Francisco and North Pacific Coast
Railroad. Reeds station. on the line of the
Donahue road, is about three miles from
Mill Valley, in an easJerly direction. The
right OF way over private lands from Reeds
to Mill Valley has been offered the road in
case the Supervisors refuse to grant one
ok 4,
the Supervisors will offer any objection to
franchise TO the mountain road. The
rest OF the distance up the mountain is
over the lands of the Tamalpais Land and
Water Company. AS the latter company
is one of the heaviest owners in the noun
tain railroad and is in complete control of
the land, there can be no question of right
of way.
Louis L. James. one of the directors in
the land company, stated positively that
the road would be built. He is confident
that the road will be Il paying investment
and referring to other mountain roads
said that every one of them was paving ex-
cellently, and for that reason he thought
the Tamalpais road would do the same
He spoke of the vast field it could draw
from, and said that it would undoubtedly
bring over $4,000 visitors to Mill Valley
next summer. Already the value of prop
erty on the line Of the road has increased.
Secretary Thomas Fottrell of the Mill
Valley Improvement Club is one of the
best informed men in this section of the
county in regard to the lay of the land
In describing the route of the road he says
that after leaving the Blithedale Canyon
it travels over one of the prettiest parts of
Marin County. From the base of the
mountain it ascends by easy stages on the
saddle on the northeasterly side, giving
the traveller a view of the entire southern
part of Marin County. Just below lies the
bay. An excellent view of the Berkeley
shores and Mount Hamilton is obtained
Mount Diablo, with its snow-covered sum-
nit, looms up maiestically, and the Coast
Range Mountains extending for miles to
the north and south are plainly seen.
From the summit one sees San Rafael
nesting between verdant hills and far out
on the peninsula the walls of San Quentin.
The ocean to the west and the rugged
coast OF Marin are brought within the view
OF the traveller, and the view from the
summit Is considered one of the finest in
the State.