The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1897-01-15
Information without the Vouchers.

sition is on that the people living on
the west side of Puget sound are in
terested in, or will be interested in
during the present year many con-
sentative persons engaged in lumber
ing and timber interests are convinc-
ed. Matters have not shaped them.
selves so that anythingsdefnite can be
given out, but operations by either
the Oregon improvement Company or
the Peninsular Railroad Company are
among the possibilities. There would
be nothing surprising should each of
the above named corporations engage
in building during the coming spring
and summer.
1t is doubtful if the filling in of the
gap between Olympia and Port Town
send would be made unless there were
some other big interests involved than
those of running railroad, the brief
ends of which are not now paying OPP
Grating expenses. According to the
acknowledgements informant, the
Port Townsend Southern's completion
would be incidental to putting in
road that would tap those three very
important mill towns-Hadlock, Port
Gamble, and Port Blakeley. Any road
that would touch those towns would
be assured of almost unlimited bust
ness, as it would make them heavy
competitors with mills on the east side
of the Sound, as direct shippers East.
Any transcOntinental road that haul
ed cars from any one of the mill towns
named above could absorb the local
rate, as is now being done On the Seat
tie & International, the Seattle &
Northern, Everett & Monte Cristo and
other roads tributary to any one of
the three great transcontinental system
entering Seattle.
The lumber business of the three
mill ports mentioned would be the
excuse for completing the Port Town
send Southern, and the scheme of
development of the proposed reorgani-
cation of the Oregon improvement
Company. The equipment of the Port
Townsend Southern is four locomo-
tives and thirty-six cars, and the road
is standard 4S1.
In connection with the possible
development in railway systems on the
other side of Puget sound are projected
extensions of the Peninsular railway,
the operations of which in the past
have confined to logging. The official
Railway Equipment Guide of the year
credits the line with thirty-six miles
OF track, three locomotives and 104
cars. The line is standard gauge, 4-85
No denial is made on the part of the
| officials that extensions are to be made
to the systems during the present year
The road is now operating much more
territory than the Guide credits it with
there being now sixty miles of track
age owned by the Peninsular road. 1t
would require comparatively little
building in order to connect the Pen
insular system with that of the Port
Townsend road should such measure
be deemed to the advantage of both,
which it is claimed it would.
The tearing up of the American
Lake line from Tacoma to American
Lake a couple of weeks ago, after the
sale of the railroad iron to S. G. Simp-
son of this city, is suggestive of ex-
tensions, when the business relation
ship that exists between Mr.. Simpson
and A. H. Anderson. the president of
the Peninsular road is understood
both being heavily interested IN log
glng as partners. The tearing up.nof
the road commenced at mid night bet
ween Saturday and Sunday, December
70 and u, and before Monday, when
an injunction might have stopped the
work, the rails had been removed
There have been a number of heavy
purchases of timber lands OH the west
side of the Sound where it is said, the
extensions of the Peninsular road will
be made.
The officers are either disposed to
dodge discussion of their intentions
or to deny any extensive improvement
to the system, but logging men who
are in a position that entities them to
an opinion say that short cut or two
would deliver Gray's harbor logs,
which are 5Ocents cheaper than Puget
sound logs in direct competition with
the latter.
The most interesting feature of the
whole discussed scheme of railroads
on the west side of the Sound is the
possible completion of the Port Town
send Southern and the Importance
the building of the road would be to
he tire, big mill ports.-P.