Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-14
Hartman and Hill Interests
CIashed in Oregon.
LARGE UNDEVELOPED AREA
Late Financier Promised Many
Splendid improvements.
PEOPLE WERE DISAPPOINTED
There Is Need for More Railroad
Tracks, No Matter Who
Builds Them.
RY WILLIAM e. CURTIS.

By WILLIAM e. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The Star and the
Chicago RecordHerad.
THE DAILES. Ore. September 8. 1903.
II you will look on your map OF the
Pacific northwest you will see great
triangle formed by the Oregon Short
Line and the Oregon Railway and Navi-
CATION Company's tracks on the north
and the Southern Pacific on the south
and west. Ogden. Utah, and Pocatello.
Idaho. are at the apex; Portland at the
northwest and Sacramento at the south
west angles. This triangle embraces two
thirds Of the area Of Oregon. the north
ern one-third Of Nevada, about one-hfth
of California and three counties Of Ida
no. a territory about as large as Illinois
and Indiana combined. 1t is the largest
section Of the United States without rail-
way facilities, and it seems strange that
no company has ever built In there.
The most important part of the terri
tory Is central Oregon. 200 square miles
of wonderful latent wealth which only
awaits transportation facilities to realize
Q development as rapid and as prohtaole
rs other portions of Oregon. 1t Is larger
than the famous Willamette valley, and
IL similar in the variety of its resources.
There are millions OF acres of agricul-
tural land. enormous forests and vast
ranges upon the mountain slopes upon
which herds of cattle and sheep are
now grazing. The country ID already
quite well settled by farmers and ranch
men. It produces several million pounds
of WOOL several million bushels of wheat
and other staples which are hauled IN
caravans of wagons by teams OF SIX TO
twenty horses over the trails to the near
est railway points And And notw III stang
portation both wool growing and the Gull
tivation Of the soil profitable.
AS in other parts OF Oregon the ram
fall Is sufficient for wheat. oats and other
grains, but vegetables and fruit require
irrigation, and large tracts OF arid land
must have artificial moisture IN order to
be utilized. The water supply Is album
dant. The map shows innumerable little
streams and several large rivers. and the
settlers in many places have already
formed cooperative companies for build
ing irrigating canals.
In the mountain ranges which traverse
deposits of gold, "copper" silver and lead.
but they have never been developed or
even explored, SO that the mineral wealth
of the triangle have described Is merely
forestry, fruit raising and dairying VIII
furnish occupation and support Tor nan
a million people at least.
While there are no reliable statistics
ayAllAOle, IL Is eSllm6ISu tudl a. IO6oS
one-half Of the territory is unoccupied
government land subject to entry. and a
considerable part OF 1t Is In forest re-
serve.
Hartman Lines.
The Oregon Short Line, the Southern
Pacific and the Oregon Railway and Nav
igation Company. all controlled by the
late Mr.. Hartman, have built short feed.
ers from their main tracks into central
Oregon, but the difficulties and expense
of construction have deferred them from
furnishing the transportaton tnat Is r.
tory There have been numerous surveys
for lines north and south and east ana
west. and typographical maps 0! the en-
tire district may be found on ME In InS
offices of the engineers of both the Hill
and Hartman systems. which. as every
body knows, are antagonistic and are
supposed to be determined TO resist en-
croachments upon their respective terri
tory. Thus far Mr.. Hartman has gone
only as far aorth as Butte. Mont, and
TO Seattle, but Mr.. Hill has recently IN.
vaded the Hartman territory at cost
Of $50, OOO, 600 by laying a track along the
north bank of the Columbia river from
Spokane to Portland.
A treaty Of peace has recently been en-
tered into by the rival systems 80 Tar
as the Puget sound country ID con-
esrnsd Joint tTs anac as E, be .,v e
a MONOPOLY along the coast of the
sound from Seattle to Vancouver. B. C..
has been signed by the oficials OF the
Union Pacific, the Southern Pacinc' 1ne
cific. Under this arrangement. the
Northern Pacific will construct two or
three. and II necessary four, tracks
from Seattle to Vancouver, and Will haul
the through cars Of all the soaus par par
mony and cooperation does not apply
to the development Of central Oregon.
Promised Good Things.
Mr.. Hartman promised for several
years that he would furnish the people
of that section with the facilities they
REQUIRE, but did nothing. There was a
great deal Of complaint about his indif-
ference, and newspapers of Oregon de-
manded that he spend at least portion
of the large sums OF money that have
been earned by the Oregon Railway and
Navigation Company in that state by
extending its tracks to those sections
which have no railway communication.
In February, 1905, w F. Nelson, now
dead. and v. D. Williamson of Portland
gon Trunk railroad. under the laws OF
Nevada, with a capital stock of $1,000.
co. and obtained right OF way through
the canyon Of the Des Chutes river. which
rises In CenCIAt OIcSOu duo uO"S Aneo
the Columbia near The Dalles.
This canyon is said to furnish the only
water level route for railroad into
central Oregon, and in some places Is
SO narrow as to admit OF only one track.
Secretary Ballinger was director OF
the company until he went into the cab
met. But they did nothing to utilize
their rights, and the existence OF the
company was practically forgotten until
the latter part of August. when 1t was
announced that John F. Stevens. for
merly chief engineer Of the Great North
ern railway and at one time president
of the Panama Canal Commission. had
purchased the franchise and intended to
build a road into central Oregon, con-
meeting with the Hill line upon the north
bank Of the Columbia river.
Since Mr.. Stevens resigned from the
Panama canal he has been vice president
of the New York. New Haven and Hart
ford railroad. and has been actively en-
gagged in electrtfying its suburban service
into New York city. He retired from that
position the middle Of June and shortly
after came west. Under the assumed
name Of James F. Sampson he spent two
months making a reconnaissance OF the
railway situation in central Oregon. The
Hartman people, having discovered his
presence. and suspecting his intentions.
the Oregon Railway and Navigation
Des Chutes canyon along the bed OF that
river. Two or three thousand men were
employed as rapidly as they could be pro-
cured and there was great show or &C
tivity. This was explained when Mr.. Ste
vens disclosed his presence in q rather