Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1913-12-04
WILL BEGIN
WORK SOON
OUTFIT EN- ROUTE FOR PACIFIC
HIGHWAY GRADING.
new STEAM SHOVEL is ORDERED
Contractors VIII Have Crew on tho
Ground Within Ten Days and VIII
Have Steam Shovel in Position
Before New Year.

Work on the Siskiyou mountain
division" of the Pacific Highway
will commence at once. Mr. Nc
Dowell of the contracting firm OF
Keasal & Mcdowell who was in the
city Monday, Tuesday and Wednes-
day, states that brand new steam
shovel has been ordered by wire from
Marion, Ohio, and is already on its
way. 1t will weigh thirty tons and
be one of the most powerful ma
chimes of the kind in use on high
way work. 1t will handle ground COW
cred with scrub oak up to five or six
inches through without grubbing and
will handle loose" rock. Loose
rock, in contractor parlance, is dirt
mixed with rocks running from one
cubic foot to one-half cubic yard in
size. Where the rock runs larger
than that it is classified as solid
rock
Pending the arrival of the shovel.
which is expected in about four
weeks, the contractors have ordered
three cars of minor equipment and
stock shipped from Tacoma and will
establish camp at once. 1t is eX-
| pected that in about ten days the
actual work of cleaning right of way
will commence.
The headquarters office will be es-
tablished on the work. Mr.. Mellow
ell will build a number of board
houses on skids, which will be hauled
from place to place as the work pro-
crosses. In one of these Mr.. McDon-
aid. and his family will reside this
ssEinter, they preferring the bright
cold weather at the mountain top to
the rainy weather in Tacoma.
Work will commence at Steinman
and proceed this way to the Barron
ranch, and then the steam shovel will
be hauled from there to Stineman
over the grade and work be continued
from that point over the mountain.
Mr.. Mcdowell states that the size
of the crew during the winter will
depend entirely upon the number of
men that can be employed advan-
tageously, which will also depend
largely upon the snow fall and the
weather. At present, were the work
opened up, big crew could be used.
There will be comparatively little
team work outside of what the con-
tractors teams can do. but there viii
be some There will also be de-
mand for teamsters and men to clear
right OF way as well as men to work
around the shovel Teams will only
be used to trim up the grade after
the steam shovel, hence the demand
will be small.
Mr.. Mcdowell declares that the
conditions are ideal for getting his
outfit on the ground. The steam
shovel will be unloaded almost at the
very point where work will COM
mence.
The convict camp, which will be-
in charge of a man who has had eX-
perience in handling such camps, will
be in big rock cut just over the
summit of the mountains. 1t is un-
derstood, though not officially re-
ported, that the men receive their
board and 25 cents per day, which is
paid by the county. This money in
the case of single convicts will be de-
posted to their credit and turned
over to them at the end of their
terms if their records are clear. In
the case of those having dependent
, families the money will be turned
over to them.
1t is expected that theer will be
several sub-contracts let on the south
end of the grade,