Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1906-03-01
The Engineers are now at
Work on Tunnel Through
From SchOfieId TO
Clear Lake

- "f r'"7'H tUNN ABOUT thut time
{. But every appearance indicates tha
Il the line will be under early constuc
/ ton.
% There is now piled up In the Draft
yard 43 cars Of 52 pound steel rails an,
tie plates. This is but a small begin
/, ming and will 10 for the 6rst ten milc,
Of road. 10 Is aid that 25O moro car
; Of rails and plates will be uuloadcd al
Drain.
II is thought, however. thhs the work
Of laying steel will be- carried on from
enls and that rails will be- taken "a
Coos Bay by ships Tor this purpose
There be NO authority other than thc
rumor for this belief n e is desired
TO facilitate construction track LAYING
will begin at both ends.
This steel in the Drain Yards h. an
new from tbc iron worka It ls no, the
heaviest rail that is used on mountain
grades but there are no heavy grades
or curves ou the line 90 Coos Bay aud a
heavier rail is not needed
Il is fact that the limo from Drain
90 Coos BAY Il almost a water grade
all the way and FOR more than half the
distance can be- kept az tide level.
Drain is lees than 300 feet above .oa
level Someone said gs5. AZ SCOTS.
burg the line reaches tide water and
by the stage road Il is 80 miles. The
railroad line h dve miles less.
The line all the way follows down
Elk creek and the Umpqua and even
with Drain az 800 the fall h only ten
feet 90 the mile, or about ono.tenth of
one per cent. This Is less than HW'sI
North Bank road and about one-half Of
the per eenlage OF the Southern Pa
cihe line through Nevada.
II Is doubtful II the work on tho
grade can begin by April unless the
contract Is lea by sections. The worst
part OF the line Il yet 10 b. located. |
This Is between the Umpqua an,b tho
bay and three or four preliminary sur,
veys have already been made
II is said that the engineers are now
looking az a tunnel site through from
sehoheld creek 10 the Clear lake side
Of the hills, Clear lake itself viii b.
the source OF the future water supply
Of the city OF Coos Bay and Is PSI feet
above the sea. IL will be impneiieable
for the line 10 climb that elevation.
But Eel lake, which is bat d short
distance from Clear lake, is only 80
feet above the sea, and Il Is thought
that a 1000 foot tunnel will take the
road through from the Umpqua side
20 the Eel lake level,
II this tunnel Is not practicable Il Is
said that the line viii 60 around by the
Umpqua light house aud follow the
ocean wall down 10 Ten Mile creek
This makes a level road, but the dis
tanee is heightened, and the main OBJ
lection 10 this route Is the sand which
is sure 70 blow in on the track
The engineers are now al work on
a tunnel through from sehofeld. In an
tieipatiOn that the road will 60 that
route they are already laying out a
townsite az ReedspOrt, the point Of di'
yergenee from the Umpqua. a mile ami
a half above Gardiner Reedsp0rt Is
also as far as ocean vessels can get up
The Umpqua, about u miles from the
mouth.
Agent NieF has secured the right Of
way as far as Elkton and is now work.
ng own 10 SeOttsbuTg.
The first station out from Drain will
,e six miles in Putnam valley, or Tin
'ot valley, as the Old timers call il.
NE Southern Pacific paid Mr.. Putnam
$500 for the station site, strip Of
round 800 feet wide and a half mile
D length, which also includes a right
I way through his farm. Putnam will
e the depot for Hardscrabble and
ieh farming country.
In the first part Of its course below
rain Elk creek makes a straight shoot
nd the railroad track will follow close
long the bank Of the stream.
But in the last l6 miles before empty
z into the Umpqua az Elkton the
eek makes many turns among the
of the coast range. The
.ilroad win cover the distance in
,out fve miles, bot 10 eat out the
miles Of the creek Windings Il Is
,eessary 20 bore two tunnels, one 4