Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1916-07-11
MUCH SPECULATION
ABOUT NEW RAILROAD
Just Who Is Backing PROPOSE
ton Keeps Curious Ones
Guessing

Is the proposed railroad from this city
the Bend o Hill line or is it backed Dy
the Chicago, Milwaukee & st. Paula
Rockefeller railroad9 What has Judge
Grant B. Dimick of Oregon City. presi-
dent of the Willamette Valley Southern
to do with the enterprise9 And where
does the Santiam Electric company OF
Portland fit into the schemeS
These are some of the questions puz-
zling the minds of men who are watch
ing developments i'll the local railroad
field.
That the Milwaukee, Standard Oil
property, is back of the undertaking
and is working through Dimick, whose
road is popularity believed to have the
backing OF the Roekefellers, is one yer
sion of the affair. As representative in
Oregon, Dimick is thought to have been
chosen to oversee the securing Of a
right of way, terminal facilities and the
preliminary steps in the building of the
new road.
Instead. then, of the road being a
Hill enterprise as has been given out,
it may be the first step in battle for
dominance in this section Of the Rookie
fellers against the Morgans OF the
Southern Pacific and the Hills of the
Great Northern. ,-,
The road, in light of recent devel.
opments, may extend from Mt. Angel
| through this city to Bend. As the Will
lamette Valley Southern connects Mt.
Angel with Oregon City the Rockefel-
lers could thus secure continuous line
from Bend practically to Portland and
| -, al in patnrpl
sources and good patrons OF railroads.
That the line may branch out so as to
include Silverton with its huge new
sawmill is thought probable. At present
surveyors are at work near Silverton
and they may be working for the pro-
posed line. The route has been lined
out as far as Niagara in the direction OF
Bend.
The explanation of the Santiam Elec-
tric company's alleged activity in the
matter is that it is used merely to help
cover up the activities of the Milwau'
kie. 1t is said that the wages of the
surveyors and other help employed in
the field are paid through this company
whose agent makes regular trips to the
scene of operations to square the pay
roll.
Sometime in the fall hackers of the
new road are expected to appear before
the city council and make demands as
to franchise and terminal facilities IN
this city. That they will ask right
of way through Church street to the
: fair grounds, at which place the roaC
will cross the S. Z. tracks is considered
very probable.
Property owners on Church stree
have requested the council to hold il
allowance its order providing for thu
paving of the street in order that it vii
not have to be torn up when the roe'
puts down its tracks. There are to b'
laid, they expect, before next summer
In formation that has been secure'
tends to point out the block bounded b,
High. Ferry, Church and Trade street
as the site for the depot of the neev
line, in this city. This is close to tn
business section and directly on tn
: right of way believed sought by tn
railroad people.
From the depot the line would run ou
: Church street to Mission. AT this poin
two routes of egress are available. On
j is through Bush IS pasture, the othe
along the creek to the Bingham plac
! or east of it and thence southeast ou
= of the city limits.
As it stands, the road could condemn
: right of way through the Bush pas
ture. Should the transfer Of the pastur
. to the city as a public park be consun
mated, however, the road would b
: blocked in this direction as one of tn
conditions under which the offer wa
made to the city is that it Is to be use
for park purposes only. The city ha
not yet obtained title TO the tract but
is believed that this will be settle
soon.
The history Of railroading shows tina
the roads aud their hackers like to kee
= things under cover until all is ready 70
y the big splurge. On this account man
e feel that Dimick or whoever is back 0
j. the line have been content to let tn
o public believe the proposed line was I
d be Hill road in order to keep the RET