Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1911-10-06
ENGINEER FAVORS
ELK CREEK ROUTE

LIN INLEk kVuIk
w. ]. Winner, the pioneer roae
builder and mining operator OF Jo
sephine county. is an ardent supper,
ter OF an auto truck highway to the
sea, and as published some days age
IN The Courier, he recently wrote tc
Engineer j. S, Howard of Medford
who 80 years ago surveyed the route
from this county to Crescent City
as result Of Mr.. Winners efforts to
furnish anew somei Information on
his work. Mr.. Howard writes Mr..
Winner again, and In his second let
ter states that the Elk creek route
would be 20 miles furtherl Howev-
er, A. ]. Howell, one of the first pio-
aeers In the gold camps Of Josehine
county, today stated that the Elk
creek route would only be ten miles
further. Engineer Howard did not
survey this route and no doubt esti-
mated thed istance as 20 miles. Mr..
Howell has gone over 1t often, timing
himself and estimated 1t at 10 miles.
Mr. Winner stated today that hA
was inclined to favor the Elk creek
route provided Del Norte would
adopt 1t.
The latest letter from Engineer
Howard to Mr.. Winner follows:
Your favor of yesterday came
this morning. Answering your
queries | will say that while did
not survey road line up Elk creek
went over that line and the winter
trail down the Smith river to Gas
quet's. | examined carefully the
whole route and took attitudes, but,
as | said before, those records were
destroyed by fire. = But recollect
that the pass at the head OF Elk
creek is much lower than where the
road crosses now
Il did not adopt the Elk creek
and Smith river route because II
was about twenty miles longer than
the line | adopted via the Howard
pass and down Patrick's creek and
the middle fork OF Smith river; and
for the further reason that the con-
struction OF the Elk creek line was
much more expensive. The cross
section along those side hills along
Smith, river was steep, and contin-
ued so down to the river edge, And
owing to the greater length OF road
and expense the road would have
cost more than double that OF the
route adopted
"Tho route via Elk creek Is just
the route for a railroad owing to
the long approach TO a lower divide
and water grade down Smith river;
and the alignment is very good
"The greater length of the Elk
creek route and the cost of con-
struction almost prohibits lts adop-
tlon for n wagon road.
"On the route as surveyed Il
there were no greater grades than
six per cent.
"lf about two miles Of the present
road beginning at the last crossing
Of the Illinois river at the foot OF the
mountain were macadamlzed, that
is covered with about fifteen inches
Of crushed rock, and some OF the
turns made easier, as first surveyed,
and the rest OF the road to the sum
NIT we'll rounded up and treated
with crushed rock well rounded up
and treated with light surface Of
crushed rock we'll rolled and the
road well drained so that the road IT,
self would not be used as a ditch as
at present, II would be a good road
TO the summit Then from the sum-
NIT on to Patrick's creek macadam-
lie such portions as are all soil for
nation and the other portions along
a rockbed grade would only need sur
facing and drainage and you would
have a road that could not be beat
en- anywhere for a mountain road.
II guess had the misfortune to
be born about 25 years too soon or
| would be delighted to superintend
the resurrection OF the Crescent City
road, but, being In my SOth year,
must stand back.
Yours most truly.
~. 9. HOWARD"