The Sumpter miner. [volume] (Sumpter, Or.) 1899-1905, 1900-04-11
COLUMBIA SOUTHERN.
A Novelty, in That There Is
No Water in Its Bonds.


year. The new territory to be opened is
limited, though some, still remains, and
one of the largest areas of this character
is the great Oregon plateau lying south
of the Columbia river and between the
Cascade and Blue mountain ranges. 1t
Is a vast region of country, comprising
half the states areas traverSed by nu.
merous streams; embracing great stretches
Of magnificent irrigable agricultural lands;
ferestS of the finest timber in the north.
west, pasture and fruit lands, coal beds,
iron and copper deposits, veins Of gold
and silver bearing ores, the very highest
quality of lime, and possibly cinnabar,
tin and lead ores.
This country Is sparsely settled and
wholly undeveoped; pastoral and placer
mining pursuits constitute the basis OF all
the industrial development that exists in
the whole region. But with the compile.
ton of the railways projected into this
empire Of undeveloped wealth, a new era
will have dawned; and already men who
are getting glimpses Of the future are
crowding In. The hardy and undaunted
prospector leads. the van. His quest Is
primarily for gold and the precious metals
and, in this instance at his heels comes
the railway, without which the stores Of
natural wealth In the region are value.
less.
The Columbia Southern railway Is
opening the new empire. With the cour.
age Of youth, the sagacity of a keen IN.
tellect ,and goaded on by the consciousness
OF an empty pocket, Mr.. Z. Z. Lytle, un.
aided, took up the task three years ago,
Of putting a first class railroad through
the heart Of the state from The Dalles on
river. In one respect at least, his meth.
od is unique, and because Of this departure
from conventional methods, he met with
great difficulty in launching his enterprise.
He Is building the road on bonds at SIC, 900
per mile, while no other standard gauge
road In the country is constructed on
bonds at less than Sac, 900 per mile.
Capitalists expect railroad projectors to
make their money out Of the cost Of con.
struction-in other words to water the
fixed charges. Because Of this new de.
parture, capt. alists were loath to back the
Columbia Southern enterprise, but Mr..
Lytle rested his faith on the great natural
resources Of the country he Is opening.
He reduced the fixed charges to the mini.
mum, and will pass the excess of net
earnings to dividends on the stock, Of
which he owns the control. He Is in a
position to give the public standard
grade service, meet every legitimate de.
mand of the patrons of his road, aid as no
other road can, the development of a new
country, and still grow rich.
The Columbia Southern road Is fairly
under way, being completed to Shaniko,
seventy miles out from Biggs, the point
of junction with the 0. r. & N. on the
Columbia, and with reasonable assurance
that It will be completed to the upper John
Day valley within year.
From the present terminus the road has
two immediate objective points-Prine.
vile, to tap the great timber belt Of sugar
pine and fir on the eastern slopes Of the
Cascade range; and Prairie City in the
upper John Day. The latter line will
traverse mineral belt that gives unques.
tionabIe assurance of great development
and wonderful production.-Railway Age.
General Wanen's New Townsite.