Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1905-06-23
100 TEAMS A DAY
WADE THROUGH MUD
Grants Pass and Takilma Road IN
Bad Shape Smelter Starts
and Teams Haul Matte.

Intyre Transportation Company that
has the contract for hauling matte
coke, ore and supplies for the Takii-
ma Smelling Company, was in Grants
Pass Tuesday from TsKilma. Capt.
Mcintyre stated that the smelter
would blow-in this Thursday night
and thereafter it would be IN con-
tinuous operation, day, night ana
Sunday, until the rains OF this fali
turned the roads into a sea OF mud
and stopped the further hauling OF
matte and coke. Everything is in
perfect shape for a big seasons ran oil
the smelter and Capt. Mcintyre ex'
poets to employ 80 or more teams, be-
side his own teams, in hauling matte
to Grants Pass and return load OF
coke.
OF the condition of this road, over
which there is an average each day
of 10 to 100 teams hauling lumber
ore, mine machinery, farm products
and goods and supplies for merchants
and farmers, Capt. Mcintyre does not
give an encouraging report for road
that is in county that is claiming
position in the good roads movement,
now bringing practical results in road
improvement in many Of the counties
of Oregon. In places on this road
there are mudholes as bad, or worse
than there were during the winter
months, which are caused by the
farmers allowing water from their
irrigation bitches to flow into the
road. The heavy teams are stirring
up the mud until the holes are be-
coming almost bottomless, yet the
teamsters wade through, and the road
supervisors and the county authorities
take no heed. Another serious OBJ
stacle on this, the most Travelled road
in Southern Oregon, is the lack OF
turn-outs where teams can pass on the
new cutoff road, that was built last
winter from Anderson down Clear
creek to Deer creek. Capt. Mcintyre
says that at no place on this road can
two wagons pass, even il drawn but
with one team and it would be an
impossibility for six-mule freight or
ore teams to pass each other. The
only thing that could be done should
two freight teams meet on this grade
would be that one of the teams would
have to be unhitched and led by the
other wagon. then the wagon unload
ed aud taken to pieces and carried by
the other one and then the load trans.
ferred to it. In the case of load of
matte or coke it would take the
teamsters full days hard work to get
their teams past one another Light
farm wagons and buggies can
pass one being driven out onto the
brink of the grade, at the imminent
risk of the vehicle and team plunging
down the hill and land wreck in
the bed OF the creek. 1t would re-
quire but small amount of work to
put in turn. outs, and without them
the road cannot be used by freight
teams and these teams will have to go
the old road and pull over the long
hills on that route. Capt. Mcintyre
feels that the county should make this
needed improvement as he and the
other residents Of that section do.
mated literally toward the cost Of
building the road.
Capt. Mcintyre will be in Grants
Pass again this Saturday to meet
Charles L. Tut, the owner of the
smelter, and take him to Takilma.
Mr.. Tut has recently come with his
family from their home in Colorado
Springs to their summer residence on
the banks of the Columbia river a
short distance above Vancouver,
where he has fine farm. Mr.. Tutt
will spend couple .of weeks at
Takilma, looking after his business
interests in this section. Mrs. Nc
Iutyre who has been spending
couple of months at Takilma, will
accompany Capt. Mcintyre Saturday
| to return to Grants Pass.