Los Angeles herald., 1906-09-09
INCORPORATE THE
OWENS RAILROAD
FILINGS ON STREAMS ARE FOR
GENERATING POWER
Ten Million Dollar Company Proposes
to Build 22e-Mile Line-Fur-
nish Electricity to Des-
ert Mines I
S on streams In

The mysterious filings on streams In
the owens river valley by George
Chaffey, which worried the water
board about a year ago were partly
explained yesterday by the filing Of
articles of incorporation for the Los
Angeles and owens River railway
The filings on these streams were
for the purpose of developing power to
run the railroad, which will be ope-
rated by electricity. Power Will also
be furnished to mines In the owens
valley.
The incorporators of the railroad are
William j. Hunsaker, S. T. Jewett A.
M. Chaffey George Chaffey c. w.
Gates, r. j. Waters, w. NJ. Rose and
gorge B. Reeve. The road is incor-
porated for 10000 000, Of which $780,
800 has been paid up.
Walter NJ. Rose is attorney for the
new company and yesterday he freely
told about the plans of the new rail-
road.
Planned Year Ago
"This is part of the plan Mr.. Chaffey
had in mind about year ago when
he made filings on streams in the Ow-
ems valley" said Attorney Rose. 1.-The
streams are for the purpose of devel-
oping power so that we may run the
railroad by electricity.
1--WE also propose to furnish power
to the mines in the Owens valley and
on the desert.
1.-The road will be about 32S miles
long. We will begin building a little
above Bishop and expect to carry the
line south on the west side of the river
through the valley and as far south
in the desert as johannesburg, where
we expect to connect with the South
ern Pacific.
"Mr. Reeve and Mr.. Jewett are the
guiding stars in the new enterprise.
Mr.. Reeve was for many vars gen.
eral manager and vice-president of the
Grand Trunk railroad and has been
retired from the railroad business only
about two years. Mr.. Jewett is one of
the pioneer railroad men in this state.
He built the San Gabriel road in 1885,
This afterward became part of the
Santa Fe and was used by that road
as it's entrance into Los Angeles.
"Messrs. Jewett. Reeve, A. NJ. Chat
fey. George Chaffey and Hunsaker con-
stitute the board of directors for the
first year.
Mines and Ranches
"This is great mining country
where the new railroad will penetrate
we believe the road will be valuable
feeder to Los Angeles. Lack of rail-
road has been all that has kept back
this section of the country from devel-
Opment.
Transportation facilities to the
ranches and mines in and around the
Owens valley are as bad now as they
were in the most primitive era of this
state Only by a circuit of thousands
of miles is 1t possible to get to the mar
kets of the world
Neither the city attorney nor the
water board knew anything of the new
railroad until the articles of incor-
poration were filed yesterday.
These two departments of the city
looked anXiously on while Mr.. Chaffey
was making his filings on streams in
the Owens valley last spring, and it
was in anticipation of something of
the kind that the resolutions of the
water board were sent to washington
Friday, asking that any claims for
rights Of way in the Owens valley be
refused legal standing until the city's
water supply from that source was as
surrd.
The incorporators of the railroad
claim they have no sinister designs on
the Owens river water supply, but in
tend to build their railroad anyhow