Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-16
JOHN F. STEVENS
PARTNER OF HILL
IN NEW RAILROAD
FORMER PANAMA CANAL CHIEF
MAKES STATEMENT
SAYS HE AND GREAT NORTHERN
HEAD ARE TOGETHER
Both Are Prepared to Fight Hartman
in Constructing a Trunk
Line Into Central
Oregon
LRy Associated Press.l

PORTLAND, Aug. 15.--The oregon
Trunk line. which is contesting the
Il route up the Deschutes canyon into
Central Oregon with the Hartman sys-
tenn, is controlled by John f. Stevens,
former chief engineer of the Panama
canal. James J. Hill, as an individual,
is financially interested i'm the oregon
Trunk line. to any extent necessary To
carry the road through to successful
completion.
This was announced by Mr. Stevens
late this afternoon and finally settled
the disputed question as to who has
been behind Porter Bros, contractors
and ownerh OF the Oregon Trunk, VINO
have been making a spectacular fight
recently for advantage in the Deschutes
canyon
That Mr.. Hill has been behind the
proposition has been surmised from the
time the Oregon Trunk began active
construction work. 1t is the presump-
tion in local railroad circles the road
is the beginning of a line which will
eventually terminate at San Francisco.
Stevens Makes Statement
Mr.. Stevens statement in full fol-
lows:
"On being asked several days ago If
/ had any interest In this proposition
or IL I represented any railroads that
ter statement still holds good
"Snce that time. however, l have
acquired q controlling interest in the
project have all necessary financial
arrangements completed and the road
will be built as fast as 1t can reason
ably be done with men and money. The
matter Is a personal one, and | have
no objection to saying that j. j. Hill
as an individual is financially inter-
ested to any extent necessary to carry
the road through to successful COM
pletion.
."Plans in detail are not fully de-
veloped, but will become apparent from
time to time as conditions may seem
to require. 1t may be said, however,
the Oregon Trunk railway proposes to
provide as quickly as practicable a
northern outlet for central oregon, re-
gardless of the designs of any other
transportation company
Says There Is Room for Two Roads
When shown the statement of John
f. Stevens announcing he and James
J. Hill were behind the Oregon Trunk
line. ]. p. O'Brien, general manager of
the Hartman lines in oregon, said:
"If Mr. Stevens and Mr.. Hill and
their associates want to build rail-
road into central Oregon let them go
ahead. There is plenty of room in the
Deschutes canyon for two railroads
and | don't see who is going to stop
them from building. We have pretty
positive opinion of what our rights are
I'm the Deschutes country and we pro-
pose to maintain and protect them.
1.-THE last reported sale of the Ore
gon Trunk line will in no way affect
our preparations. We have promised
to build a railroad into central Ore
Gon. We have the money to build such
a road and shall proceed with building
it Just as soon as the courts will give
us the right to proceed. We had men
in the Deschutes country and were en-
gagged in actual construction work be-
fore the oregon Trunk people started
their operations. Today we have 1900
men at different points on our survey.
That is all there is to be said about it,"