Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1916-02-04
REPORT OF NORTH AND SOUTH
RAILROAD COMMISSION FILED
WITH GOVERNOR-LINE
Is FEASIBLE.
To Honorable Moses Alexander,
Governor Of the State of Idaho,
Roiaa idaho


To Honorable Moses Alexander,
Governor of the State of Idaho,
Boise, Idaho.
The undersigned, appointed by you
to investigate the possibility of the
construction of north and south rail-
road as provided for by house concur
rent resolution No. 8 Of the 1915 SEES
sion of the legislature, respectfully re-
port as follows:
In the latter part of August, 1915, the
commission, in company with yourself
and j. 81. Smith, state engineer, trav-
eled over the road between New Mead
oWs and Grangeville, Idaho, holding
meetings and making diligent inquiries
at various points to prospective out
lets and grades from Salmon river to
the table lands of the Camas and Nez
Perce prairies, and also as to the con-
ditions along the Salmon river between
Whitebird to Lewiston.
We have correspondent with various
railroad officials for the purpose of OBJ
tanning data, which in most cases has
been cheerfully furnished, while in
some cases our requests for informa-
ton have not received the courtesy of
acknowledgment.
After canvassing the entire situation
from many angles with such informa-
ton as is available, we recommend the
construction of a standard grade rail-
road bed by the state Of Idaho, be-
tween New Meadows (the northern
terminus of the Pacific & Idaho North
ern railroad) via the Little Salmon and
main Salmon rivers to Whitebird, and
thence ascending via Whitebird and
Chapman creeks to connection with
the Camas Prairie railroad which
serves the great productive regions be-
tween Grangeville and Lewiston.
For the proper understanding of the
nature of the region to be traversed
we give herewith the distances between
various points.
New Meadows to higgins.
O From New Meadows to Round
valley, Is miles. This stretch runs on
practically level grade through a
prairie country, where the greater por-
ton of the work can be done by teams
and scrapers.
(2) From Round valley to Fall creek,
on the Little Salmon river, IL miles.
This distance covers the heaviest and
most costly stretch ON the entire length
of the proposed grade. The descent
through the Little Salmon canyon to a
point a short distance below Fall creek,
runs through a narrow canyon on
grade which exceeds the maximum for
railroad purposes, thus requiring a
route through the hills west of the riv-
eC to obtain the distance necessary to
get suitable grade.
(3) From Fall creek to higgins, 10
miles. This stretch follows the west
bank of the Little Salmon river, with
nFOhahlU fhrnn- fourth nf k6o
lance covered by gravel bars and flat
river bottoms, with occasional rocky
bluffs entailing heavy work.
For this distance from New Meadows
to Higgins (the mileage OIL which by
Wagon road is 40 miles), we have been
furnished by Colonel E. NJ. Heigho of
the Pacific & Idaho Northern railroad
with profile and alignment maps, COW
ering line located on a maximum
gradient of 2 per cent, and recommend
ed by his former chief engineer, Mr..
Lee M. Highley. This line was never
crOss-sectiOned, and cost estimates can
only be approximate, but its construc.
tlon would be enormously expensive. |
Since our interview with Colonel |
Helgho in August, he has sent another |
engineer over a portion of the route,
and this engineer suggests the wisdom |
of abandoning the original location for |
a distance of three or four miles ON an |
approximate three per cent grade, thus
keeping the line closer to the river and |
eliminating much of the cost. If this
suggestion is adopted, it is estimated |
that the 35 railroad miles between New
Meadows and higgins by the proposed |
railroad can be built at an approx
mate cost of $1,420,0OO, although re-
survey would be necessary to arrive at
exact figures. This estimate includes
the use of 75-pound steel rails, and of
steel and concrete bridges where need
ed, and of ballasting the entire 35 miles
ready for service.
higgins to Whitebird.
higgins is located at the junction of
the Little Salmon and main Salmon
rivers. The latter stream, after ira
versing the heart of the state from east
to west, here takes a direct northerly
course. For the purposes of this re-
port, we cOnfine our observations to
that portion of the river between Rig
gins and Whitebird creek, distance Of
81 miles on grade of approximately
eight feet per mile, which for conven-
fence we have divided into sections as
follows:
" higgins TO Lucille, IL miles. For
the first two miles, the wagon road
(Grangeville to New Meadows) lies on
the west side of the main Salmon riv-
or to where the stream is crossed by a
steel bridge, and thence continues on
the east side of the river to Whitebird.
The first six miles north of higgins is
heavy rock work, with occasional bars,
to Fiddle creek. From Fiddle creek
north to Lucille, the formation is most
~ heavy gravel, with long stretches of 6
easy construction.
(2) Lucille to John Day, miles. Thip I
gap runs almost exclusively through s
glacial debris, at one point for about i
of a mile forming an al {
most perpendicular gravel bank rs feet e
above the river. c
(3) John Day to Slate creek, miles 8
The wagon road over this gap lies in T