The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1896-01-02
GROWING NORTHWEST
Items OF General Interest
From All Sections.
PROGRESSIVE MANUFACTURERS

Mr.. Hammond Pushing His Railroa
Project - Nez Perez Making
Rapid Progress
The latest enterprise at Ashland is
steam laundry, which has just begu
operations.
The entire output of hops this yea
for Oregon was between $4,000 an
100, 600 bales.
A call has been made for $15, 90
worth of school warrants of school dis
trlct No. 1, in Snoohmish county.
The new normal school builing O
Cheney is fast approaching completion
1t will be ready for occupancy in tn
spring.
All the machinery has been pur
chased for the wooden mill at Pendletol
and is the most improved pattern, ant
will be set up and tried in the East be
fore being placed on the cars for ship
mant.
Five thousand tons of coal wa
turned out by the Beaver Hill Goa
Company. They are sinking SLOPE
from the 7OO-foot level and are driv
ing two gang-ways from a 3OO-foo
level, and when this is finished tn.
output will be Is, 900 tons per month
The company has completed a roat
from Marshfield, their shipping point
to Myrtle Point and will extend it tt
Roseburg to tap the Southern Pacific
Several towns and cities in Oregon
and Washington have lately obtained
an excellent and adequate water supply
in an inexpensive manner by the use Of
wooden pipes. The pipes are made
from common pine logs, ten inches in
diameter, followed out with six-inch
bore. 1t is claimed that the wooden
pipes last as long as the iron pipes.
One town has line of pipes seven
miles long that, with all connections,
cost but $4,000.
About the first of the year A. B.
Hammond, the president Of the Astoria
& Columbia River railroad is expect
ed from the East. He has ordered 10,
900 tons of steel rails in England, to be
shipped from Liverpool direct to AS.
toria. These rails are for the 60 miles
of road now building from Goble to
Astoria, and will reach here about
next May in time for the completion OF
the roadbed. The duty on these
rails will be about 81 ton, and, with
this additional light tax, will be
cheaper than the small rails can be fur.
nished in this country. George w.
Fenwick, Mr.. Hammond's brother-in-
law, who has charge of all his mill
and lumber interests in Montana, has
Just visited the mouth of the Columbia
and looked over the work Of grading
the road. He was accompanied by En-
gineer Curtis, and the two went up
the river and made thorough exam
nation of the works. There are about
$50 men, divided into eight camps,
covering a stretch of ten miles, at
work on the grade, and making good
Roadway. A tunnel 175 feet long is
being driven at John Day river, into
rock and sandstone, and about fifty feet
has already been excavated. The pile
drivers are at work on the apporache
to the bridges on the Astoria side. As
soon as the spring weather sets in q
larger force will be put to work, and it
is expected that the road will be fin
ished by next October. Mr.. Fenwiok
is on his way to California, and merely
stopped here to look over the situation.
He is very reticent as to his move
ments, but it has been ascertained
from reliable information that he has
in view the erection Of lage mill at
the mouth Of the river, similar to the
one he now manages in Montana,
which is known to have yearly out
put of 40, 900, 900 feet of lumber.