Bisbee daily review., 1905-09-24
HORACE STEVENS LETTER.

Houghton, Sept. -Special-The strange action of the Tamarack com pany in refusing a right-of-way to the Keweenaw Central railway is ex- plained by the decision to build or at least the announcement, by the Du- luth, South Shore & Atlantic railway, that it will extend it's Mineral Range line through Keweenaw county par alleling the Keweenew Central. The South Shore should have taken this step some years ago, instead of wait ing until a line covering the same territory is well along toward compile tion. The advent of the South Shore as competitor of the Keweenaw Cen tral presents a bewildering change of front in the Keweenaw county sit uation, and is apt to have some far reaching results. The relations be- tween the arrangements of the Copper Range and Keweenaw Central, while affable, have not been especially close, and were not expected to be- come such, but in the presence of an attack by common enemy a CO., alition between Copper Range and the Keweenak Central is almost cer-
 
 both interests may be opposed to such step on first consideration. The D., s. s. & A. railway also par alleled the Copper Range line one year after the latter was built, by an extension of tfe Mineral Range ending at Mass City, but was unable to seriously injure the Copper Range because the latter affiliated more or less closely with most of the develop ing mines along it's line In fact the Copper Range has the rock ton mage of all the producing mines along it's main line. with the exceptions of the Mass and Michigan mines, which ship to the Mass mill, at KeHeenaw Bay, on the Ontonagon county b. 1nch of the Mineral Range. Notwithstand- ing the commanding lead that the Copper Range has secured in the South Range traffic, it is probable that the Ontonagon county branch of the Mineral Range is more than making expenses, as it derives a good business from the agricultural and numbering interests of the district traversed.
 The situation in Keweenaw county is somewhat mixed at present, but will clear later, and the outcome can be predicted with reasonable certain ty. The Kewenaw central is injured by a competing line-or will be in- jured if the second road is built, as probably will be done-but it has cer- tain strategic advantages that may be compared with those that enabled the Copper Range to make a great sue cess, notwithstanding the handicap of a parallel line. The Keweenaw Central railway is subsidiary to the Copper Range Consolidated Co., and in such case the railroad is but a means to an end, the end sought being the development of mines, for which rail roads are absolutely necessary. The Keweenaw Copper Co. owns eight old mining properties in Keweenaw county, and it's holdings are so dis. tributed as 10 intercept pretty much of anything found vaulable in the greater part of the county. The Ke- wenaw people also have a working alliance of some sort with the Caiu- met & Hecla, for which MT. Chas. A. | Wright, promoter of the Keweenaw Copper Co.,, secured immense landed 1 holdings at the same time lands ] were secured for his own company. | MT. Wright also has retained an in- ! terest in the lands turned over to the Calumet & Hecla, so that the Kewee- naw Central has the advantage of l an intrenched position.
 HORACE J. STEVENS.
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