The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1904-10-22

Facts About it-Cost, Character
and Earnings. Estimated
Mass Meeting in Cor
Wallis.

proposed electric railroad between
Corvallis and Eugene. That in-
cludes branch road from CervaI-
lis to a connection with the Southern
Pacific at Airlie. which is a part of
the plan. It will cost $1,8oo, 900
10 build the line from Eugene to-
Coos Bay the latter of which it is
proposed to have for the ocean
terminus. 1t will cost $4e8, 600 to
build line from Eugene to the
Blue River mines and Belknap
Springs, which line it is proposed
to include in the system. These
are the estimated figures of the
engineers. from surveys completed
last week. The figures refer to the
roadbed and track aud do not in
clude rolling stock, power plants
and other requirements necessary
to the operation OF the system.
When these are added, the estimat.
ed cost of the whole undertaking
runs up to So 800, 900, or there
abouts, including a line of ocean
steamers to be operated in connec-
tion with the road between Coos
Bay and San Frapcisco..
Contrary to general understand
ing, the proposed rosd which it is
claimed may be built within the
near future. is not planned on the
ordinary street car model. It is
proposed that it shall be standard
gauge with rails OF standard steel.
The cars will be of standard pas
senger size and convenience, and
the track can be used interchange
ably with Steam cars, Should the
proposed road be built to Corvallis
cars from the Southern Pacific
could be transported over it, and
vice versa. It is asserted that an
electric road can be operated at
less than half what it costs to oper-
ate a road with steam as the motive
power. A further feature is that
the cars of an electric road stop
anywhere for the accommodation
of passengers, and are far more
convenient on that account for To-
cal traffic.
| In the case of the proposed road,
it is the plan to get the power from
the Mckenzie river at what is
known as Miners Rapids. 1t is
possible there to get 1900 miners
inches with steady flow. and with
a head of As feet at the power site.
The ditch is planned to be seven
feet deep with six feet of water in
it, "a feet wide at the bottom. The
distance from the power site to Cor
wallis will be II miles. A hun
dred and sixty eight miles of cleo
trio railroad is now in operation in
Tacoma and vicinity from a power
site as miles distant from the city.
If the road is built, the company
will be able to supply power for
manufacturing purposes at IS per
horse power per annum 1t will
also be in a position to supply ell
ectric lighting at very low rates.
The above facts were brought
out at a mass meeting held at the
court house Thursday night. The
meeting was attended by Mr.. Arch
er and Mr.. Deers, engineers. con-
nected with the Willamette Valley
Electric Railroad company. They
say the company has found men
in the East, who are willing to take
up the entire bond issue, provided
$50, 900 in cash be raised by sale of
stock along the route to be trav-
ersed by the proposed railroad.
The stock it is proposed by the
company to redeem in seven years.
The engineers estimate that the
first years gross earnings of the
system will be something over a
million dollars, and that the oper-
ating expenses will be about 5000
900. In making estimate of pas
senger earnings, based on statis-
tics always used in such cases, the
local passenger traffic along the
line between Corvallis and Eugene
is figured at about $4,000 per
year. Electric roads figure that
every man, woman and child along
the route pays them SIS per year,
and the number of these on the
Corvallis-Eugene line is over
II 900,
At Thursday nights mass meet
ing resolutions were adopted,
pledging hearty moralssupport to the
enterprise. The meeting was ad-
dressed at some length by Mr..
Archer aud Mr.. Deers and there
were brief speeches by local citi-
zens. The stock that is to be
placed on the local market is not
yet ready to be offered, and will
not be for some time. At the meet
1 ino Mr. Archer referrit1o to the