The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1905-02-23
APPEALS
FOR THE RAILROAD


FOR THE RAILROAD
Hood River, Or, Feb. 22-Editor
Glacier: The projected railroad for
which surveys are now being made
! through our neighborhood constitutes
the chief topic for thought and conver-
sation among the inhabitants of the
East Side. The diversity of ideas con-
cerning the route that should be chosen
the kind of railroad that should be
built, and whether this particular road
should be built at all are about as num-
erous as the property owners. them
| selves
From the many surveys that have
been made by the company in compL- |
ance with the wishes of land owners,
it is very evident that the company is
anxious to obtain right OF way along
| the line OF least resistance, and if possi- |
| ble, no resistance al all.
| The matter would be easier of solu-
| tion were it not for the fact that many
are welded to the idea that an electric
road is the need Of the valley instead of
the steam road now contemplated. The
friends of the electric road say that if
this company can be kept out, that in a
very short time an electric road will
start out westward from the city Of
| Hood River and skirt the entire valley,
ramifying through all the principal
! thoroughfares, and even among the by
ways, hedges and fruit farms every
where, and perhaps wind up by carry
| ing on a Irritation with our venerable
Mount Hood itself.
We are told that rights of way across
tillable lands will scarcely be required
from anyone, because of the ease with
which trolley cars can follow along
county roads, turn fence corners, dodge
around stumps, mullen stalks, natives
and other objects that happen to raise
| their heads. The fact that this is an
utterly impracticable plan, even If cap
ital could be found to carry it out, does
not appear to have entered into the nod !
dies Of anything like a majority OF the
people.
Ii a railroad is to be built anywhere
in the valley it should be standard
gauge road built on reasonably straight |
| lines and practicable grades, so that the
regular freight cars used by all railroads !
could be pushed up into the valley, and
loaded ready for shipment to any part
OF the United States.
! Trolley cars can make all the crooks !
and turns before mentioned, but ordi-
nary freight cars cannot-beCause they
are not built that way. If all our fruit
must be loaded into freight cars, such as
can follow county roads and turn fence
corners, it is evident that fruit will all
have to be transferred to other cars at
1.-THE O. r. 4 n. tracks, thus making the
costs greater than would prevail if it
was first hauled to the Hood River sta
ton over good roads by wagons.
| ANY man with a reasonable mind can
easily see that an electric road con-
structed on the plan which our dreamers
advocate is out of the question, and
when practicable road is constructed,
it will necessarily have to 60 through
somebody's land. am not telling any
one that he ought to donate to the
company slice of valuable orchard !
land but am confident that if a rail
road is ever likely to be acceptable to
the people of the East Side iruitdistrict,
that now is the proper time to make
concessions. have no reason to doubt
but what this company stands ready to
pay reasonable damages to anyone
| whose lands are seriously injured.
An electric road for local freight and
passengers will not pay the cost of oper-
ating in the valley for the next 20 years,
to say nothing OF interest earnings on
capital invested. Nothing but a stand
ard road with the numbering business tol
back it will ever come IN time to do
this generation any good
am told by those who know, that
the much-talked-of electric roads of the
East are built about as solidly as steam
roads, and on grades entirely feasible
for quite lengthy trains OF standard
freight cars. The companies who build
these roods are always careful to link
several important cities and towns
together for the very evident purpose of
augmenting the passenger business.
II this railroad is forced to keep down |
along the bottom of Hood river canyon,
we farmers of the lower valley may as
we'll begin at once to vote taxes right |
aud left for building macadam roads |
We are told that this company will be
so thoroughly independent Of the farm
ers that freight charges will be cont of
sight" This may be true and it may
not, but have just the same amount
of confidence in one corporation that |
have in another, or even a combination |
of farmers themselves. The laws OF the
land, the limit which the traffic will
bear, and our wagon roads are likely to
be our chief regulators in the matter of
tariffs, nomatter what kind of a road is |
! built.
Does any one suppose that electric |
| u,;l.a,I ag9,,,a,; ;1 r. l., tLo bnL;t of
| taiiiodu cuih pahlco are III ti'o n"pi' VI
| doing business Tor their healthf /
oplne to the contrary, partly because
persons who I'VE III the SUBURBS OF
Portland have told me that the rate on
fruit or other freight delivered to their
stations, out OF the city by trolley cars,
Is much higher in many instances than
the rate by rail from Hood River to
Portland, distance OF % miles. -,
In spite OF this reasoning, many VIII
still be found clinging to the trolley car
] d. la.V UN as n