The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1912-02-01
FINISH SURVEY Of NEW LINE
Lewiston Report Says New Road May
Cause Activity of Pittsburg
& Gilmore.

The location of the O. w r. N line from Homestead to
Charleston completed Tuesday the last party OF surveyors
under Engineer Watkins departing from the city for Salt
Lake. the Lewiston Tribune The work was commenced
last Homestead by Engineer Wngat and early IN
September Engineer Watkins and party arrived IN Lewiston
to begin the location from the Charleston end Later third
party under Engineer Martini added to the forces and
Mr. Martin commenced work at point short distance above
Pittsburg Landing and made the location to within few
miles of naa Later he located ten miles OF the line IN the
vicinity Of the Grand Ronde.
The data collected by the engineers and from when tne
estimates been computed show the average cost OF the
line from Homestead to Carkston distance OF l2O miles
will be approximately $4,000 per mile in the neghborood
$10O0000 for the entire line There stretches where
the location productive bars where the cost OF con
sructon will be light but in the mnaa section and at other
points along route where the construction work Will con
st of and cuts through solid rock the cost will reac
$25000O per mile
In the building of this road the company will eliminate
the difficult Blue Mountain division grades and will have
line upon which the cost of maintenance Will be practlca
nothing with bockades, washouts and andshdes un
known The maximum curvature at any point is degrees
and the maximum grade is 4 of per cent The cost or OPP
Grafton and maintenance will be materially decreased that
the saving will than offset the interest on the investment
and the question of providing road over which the s'eo
increasing business the coast be conveniently and eco
nomcallv handled will be solved In comparing the pro
posed road with the line operated by the company over
the Blue Mountains statement made that three OF the lae
locomotives required to take tram OF 20 loas over
the mountain division while one locomotive Oh te same !p
will handle from 60 to 80 from Huntington to Portland
over the Snake river route.
This item of reducing the operating expense is but trlv
a however, in comparison to the other important results at
tanned in the construction OF the road from Homestead
Charleston as the line will open empire rich IN agr
cultural horticultural mineral and timber resources which
now nonproducng because of it's complete isolation where
ever the mountains close in the river rich mineral proper
ties have been developed point of shipping while large
areas of bar lands will be productive of horticultural pro
ducts as any section Of the river below lewiston On the
high bench lands are vast tracts particularly suited to the
growing grains while from the Grand konde section aoh
will come tonnage practically equal to the rich Nez Perez
and Camas Prairie sections.
From the time the work first undertaken last fall the
has been current engineering circles OF the Shor
Line that the construction work would De lnaugulaeo I'LL
r;no and ,e character of work demanded would sugges
that the location been made with view of early activities
Men have been lowered cliffs and bluffs with ropes to OPP
crate their and set the stakes that Will not remain