The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1911-11-23

stht.e u oftlOC AtIlldl ludf1O duG
: the question need not be repeat.
: ed. A good, and as near as pos.
| slble water grade, wagon road at
this stage is needed by the camps
OF Central Idaho far more than
a railway that will not build. but
IS satisfied with the running of
survey lines once every so often
to hold right Of ways.
The camps are not remote only
lnasmuch as the indescribable and
lrreparable condition of the pres
ent road makes them remote. In
fact they are too close to civiliza-
ton to be deprived of the means
that would bring about much ac-
tivity and insure success to them.
and to the nearby towns. The
means today lay in good roads,
the lack of which not only re-
tards progress and works hard
ship on every claimowner but al
so casts shadow on the whole
country.
In as brief a way as possible
let us size up the conditions that
the camps are handicapped with
today due to the lack of a good
roadway.
Elk City is distanced from
Grangeville less than 60 miles. 1t
takes two days tiresome travelling
to reach it via stage, and you
must start on the trip at 4 80 a.
m. Three to five days time is
consumed by freighters hauling
in supplies. Freighting charges
are from $4,000, to $4,000, per
ton. Golden in the Ten Mile dis
trict, is only SO miles distant. One
practically spoils two days time
in reaching this camp over the
short cut trail. Packers charges
are $4,000 to $4,000 per ton on
supplies taken in. Three days
time is usually required by the
packers in packing load to
this camp.
The Buffalo Hump, Orogrande
and Dixie camps are even worse
off in this respect than the two
other camps quoted.
1t will be seen by this that
while the operator pays high
freighting charge, distance con-
sidered, the freighters and pack
ers are far from reaping a rich
harvest in consequence. Losses
OF animals while so engaged are
not uncommon. Theirs is not an
enviable lot. There would be
some satisfaction in it were it
known that some one or ones
were reaping vast fortunes in
consequence Of these prevailing
conditions, but this is not the
case. Lucky are the freighters
and packers that break even dur
ing the season.
The outgoing travel from the
camps is as bad as the ingoing. |
Under existing circumstances it 1
is practically impossible to at
tempt freighting or packing ores
from the various camps out to
Grangeville or Sites.
The prospective investor is
likely to pass judgement on the
camps long before he arrives in
them, using as a basis for calcu-
lation the roads and the physical
culture exercise handed him graf
IS in journeying over them.
While he is in the camps the re-
turn trip haunts him, and he is
very likely to draw hurried con- {
illusions, which might be guessed
1t, regardless of the merits of
what he came to see, to expe-
lite his return out and have the j
rip over with. Some will say
he camps can well do without
uch prospective investors. Well,
hey are doing without them to
great extent, but how much is
ioingY The fact remains that
'apital is sorely needed by all of
he camps, and much depends up
m the first impression formed by
he investor of the country in
To remedy existing conditions
$ far from child's play. The
light number of taxable proper
rites in the various camps
will hardly allow for county dis
rict road bonding. State aid in
he premises cannot be looked
or inasmuch as practically all of
he country effected lays within
he boundries Of a forest reserve,
While the Forestry Departmnt APP
,arently have not the funds with I
which to defray the cost of ex- 3
ensive roadways if it had the !