The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1896-11-01
WORK ON THE
RAILROAD LINE
Is Rapidly Progressing Under the
Various Contractors.
IT is BUILT FOR SOLID WORK
Resources OF the Surrounding Country
Immense Timber Reserves Trlb-
utary to the Railroad.

WAL " Wv Ah'ffFs~
Knappa, October 30. is96-CTo the Ed
itor). -Railrond work at this point con-
tlnues. Krappa Cut and Knappa Hin
Cut. 800 feet east from Warren Slough.
were completed several weeks ago.
There was only sufficient dirt in the
Knappa cut to extend the 34-foot sur
face grade 600 feet. The balance Of
the 1900 feet To meet the Corey grade
il being laid up with shovel and wheel
barrows. and the work Is well along.
Fourteen men are at work here. The
grade from Warren Slough 90 Knappa
HIN Cut 500 feet. is nearly completed.
From this cut eastward for 5000 feet
the right OF way had not been cleared.
but last Sunday boarding house scow.
with ten men. was towed into the
slough. and the men were set 20 work
Monday clearing the right OF way. The
dredger across Blind Slough was idle
for six days by some misunderstand-
ing VI q signal. the heavy clamshel
was dropped with a run, one wing
striking a log ave feet under ground,
and swapping on the center bar OF the
wing. The section was sent 10 Port
land for repair Mr.. Hitchcock. fore
man OF the dredger. came down Tues
day morning with the repaired section.
and the dredger In again at work. Mr..
Hitchcock informs me that the two
dredgers above westport were working
ahead at a good rate. not encounter
ing the sunken timber which he hnds
ON Blind Slough.
A few weeks ago | was down In As
toria. and for the first time took a look
nj the road coming into town. As !
looked at those massive tlmbers. so
lroned and bolted. overlaid by those
immense steel rails. knowing that the
land grade was being constructed six
teen feet wide or the surface, where
other roads have but twelve to four
teen feet, involuntarily asked my
self this question why is this road
being so massively, thoroughly and
carefully constructed?" | answered the
query by saying to myself the gentle
man and his associates, who are build
ing this road. know their own business,
and ! viii await developments.
| also took n walk down to the pas
senger depot. Here I found one OF the
handsomest and most complete build
ings. for the purposes for which II was
erected. that have ever seen. Only
n commencement has been made here,
the large warehouses on the river
front and the extension Of the wharves
are yet TO be made. Coming upon the
steamer was particularly interested
In the rip-rapplng that had been done
on the grade, where II was exposed TO
60 the action OF the waves At Eddy
Point IL shows up handsomely. being
laid with blue rock with the regularity
and smoothness OF brick wall. This
heavy grade Is evidently being con-
structed for q heavy and increasing
business Just here l am reminded OF
n little anecdote
About 81 man named Barton. under
the first donation law settled on claim
back OF Knappa, then known DIS The
Prairie" The claim was afterwards
purchased by the Rev. James Brown,
who still resides on II, Barton is rep
resented as having been a very candid,
deliberate and slow-spoken man. One
day he was down at Astoria and was
introduced by the late A. Van Dusen,
Esq. to an itinerant preacher who had
come down the river The preacher
stated TO Mr. Barton that he intended
to make occasional visits TO the lower
river, and would call at THE Prairie"
''wel," said the candid Barton "a little
preaching now and then, sir, win be
most acceptable, SIR"
| infer that little local business
along the line OF the railroad would
not be unacceptable to the railroad
company.
Within three miles of Knappa is a
point that promises TO afford not lit
tie business, but to become an import
ant factor In furnishing traffic for the
railroad company. From Westport to
the upper mouth OF Blind Slough is a
large amount Of timber that win be
brought down 10 the Columbia river.
This timber is estimated at forty to
fifty million feet. We next come to the
valley OF Gnat Creek. This stream
empties into n branch of Blind Slough
two and one-half miles above the rail-
road. Crossing this valley 1t extends
back OF Westport and to the Nehalem
divide 1t is estimated that in this
valley there are five million feet Of
timber. A Michigan firm called the
Whitney Company owns several thou
sand acres Of land in this valley, own
ing the land at the mouth of the creek
and the surrounding country, and lit
orally controlling the entire output Of
the valley.
This company is very wealthy. Three
years ago last winter Mr.. Curtis, agent
OF the company. put logging engine
at work clearing Off old logs. stumps,
etc, from a fiat Of thirty acres lying
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