Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1910-07-01
CORVALLIS
AND ALSEA
RAILROAD
COMMISSION DECLARES 1T UN-
sAFE-ABOUT ALL THERE IS
OF IT is 1.-TWO STREAIxS OF
RUST AND THE RIGHT-OF-
Way WITH "wORM FENCE"
EFFECTS.

Alleging that in the judgment Of
ahe commission the line of the Cor
wallis & Alsea River Railroad com
pany between Corvallis and Munroe
In Benton county is unsafe for oper-
ation, and that the company is en-
tfrely ignoring its duties as a COM
mon carrier to provide safe track
and reasonable service, the Oregon
Railroad Commission today submit
2ed the report of Engineer w. C..
Earle and Commissioner Aitchison
ON the line Of road to Attorney GEN
eral Crawford, and asked him to
take such legal steps with relation
30 It as will bring about an immedi-
ate cessation Of ~ traffic until con-
diftions are made safe and sound.
The action of the commission IS
ashe result Of complaint filed by A.
wilhelm & Sons, of Monroe, in
which the inadequacy of the road was
alleged The commission upon maxi
sng an investigation of the matter,
decided that 1t should not make an
order directing an improved service
mntf1 the road was first put in a
sound condition. In its request to
the attorney general 1t first recon-
anends that steps be taken looking
to the cessation of all traffic, save
such as may be necessary for the
rehabilitation OF the road; second,
that as speedily as possible the road
abed shall be placed in a safe condi-
.ion for operation, and third, that
the company be compelled to live mp
80 its duties as common carrier by
saffording better service between
Corvallis and Monroe
The Engineers Report.
According to the report of Engl-
meer Earle who made an inyestiga
tion of the road on June 21, the
lline is in very poor shape, and unfit
and unsafe for operation. He says
mat the rails are surface kinked
and bent and need re-rolling; that
the rails are Joined with 24-inch
angle bars, four bolts in each joint,
and that long stretches were found
where there were but two bolts 20
the joint. That the ties are good,
Out there are not enough Of them
and that the track is not ballasted.
lie says that on perhaps so per cent
Afsn hag hu al
and dumped but not placed, and
ahat where the gravel has not been
dumped there is a rank growth OF
weeds which hide the rails and ties
and that 1t is impossible to see the
rails ahead for distance of 500
feet.
Veritable Death Trap.
None of the right of way, he says,
IS fenced and the cattle guards are
pit guards with the rails carried on
stringers spanning the pit. He fur
ther states that not bridge or cat
tie guard on the entire line is safe
TO carry a train--that they We're not
so constructed in the first place, and |
that every one is veritable death |
trap, He expresses 1t as his firm be-
aief that were the bridges county
bridges, that they would have been
long ago and that entire
ly new bridges must be put in.
The company operates two loco
motives on the road one a Acton and
the other a ALTON. Their total |
weight is given as "A and n tons
and he says that they are entirely
too heavy for safe operation on the
road in its present condition.
The company at the present is not
much commercial
freight, but is handling a large vol
ume OF logs and hauling passengers
as an accommodation.