The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1917-03-15
Southern |
TAPS RICH TRACT
RAILROAD EXTENSION IN ORE
CON OF IMPORTANCE.
Presented Big Problem for Engineers
and Cost Much Money, but Will
Open Up Immense Reserves
of Timber.

No railroad development in the
Northwest in the last decade has
opened up greater possibilities for the
rapid development of that part of the
state than the recent completion of u
Sl3,GOO,OOO extension into the Coos Bay
country of southwestern Oregon. Here
was an isolated section of Pacific coast
territory, possessing harbOr that may
some day rival that of San Francisco,
and tapping u land rich in timber,
minerals, and farm lands, some 400
miles south of Portland. Up TO the
time that this extension was opened,
it has been completely shut off from
railroad connection with the rest of
the world and was reachable only by
sea, or by a difficult overland route
through mountainous country by stage
from Il point ON the main line of the
railroad into California.
Despite these handicapS, the towns
OF Marshfleld and North Bend, Occu-
plying positions similar to San Fran
cisco on San Francisco bay, grew rap
idly in population and prosperity.
Thick forests of huge timber In ada
cent forest lands made numbering the
chief industry of the bay, with gigan-
tic SawmillS convenient to the water.
Then there was the pulp business,
which in these days of European war
has taken on a new Importance, and
one of the largest mills in the West
no
appropriated nearly $4,000 to the
improvement of the bay channel. The
agricultural resources of the country,
comprising as it did vast acreages
given over to many different crops, at
tracted attention.
SO promising was this great terri
tory that the railroad company, the
Southern Pacific, decided TO stretch
its lines to the bay and end the isOla-
ton that had existed for SO many
years. With big problem before
them, the railroad construction en-
gineers decided to build a spur from
the main line at Eugene, although the
distance by the Zine of least resist
ance" was at least 120 miles and the
mountainous territory brought back
recollectlons of the building Of the old
Central Pacific nearly half a century
ago in the early days of the West.
There were many rivers to be crossed,
mountains to be penetrated, and I'M
certain, marshy ground to be filled in
or trestled.
But modern railroad engineering
balks at nothing, even removing noun
tains when necessary. Owing to the
lay of the land, the surveyors and
engineers decided that the easiest way
was to run the spur directly west from
Eugene to about 30 miles and turn
southwest, gradually approaching the
coast and nearly reaching 1t at Coos
Bay. There were the SuiSlaw and
Umpqua rivers and the bay itself to
cross, but that could not be avoided.
The construction Of the line was start
ed forthwith. The result of this
work Is now apparent and the Coos
Bay extension was officially opened
last August.
The exact distance between Eugene
and Marshfield by rail is 121.6 miles.
To construct the new extension, 1t was
necessary to build many tunnels and
bridges, besides the rOadbed. In fact,
the total length of the nine tunnels is
1925 feet, while the total steel
used in 81 bridges required was
S,134 feet. Five and One-half miles
of trcstles were built, while the other
supplies used included $4,000 tons Of
track steel, 9,1O0 tons Of bridge steel,
10000 yards of concrete, $4,000 barrels
of cement, and 100000 feet of Ore
gon fir timber.
The time required for the trip be-
tween Portland and the Coos Bay
country was cut down perceptibly by
| the extension. Another significant fea-
ture of the extension is that Of the
freight movement. Heretofore it was
possible to send car from Corvallis,
in the same state, to New York In the
same time that it took San Francisco
or Portland shipper to get his con-
! signments into Coos Bay. Now Coos
Bay receives its freight In two days.
Perhaps the most interesting fact
about the new country, which Is a
third larger than the state of Rhode
Island, is the immense timber reserve
1t opens up to the rest of the coun-
try. There are approximately 2l,OOO,-
100000 feet standing. the larger part
of i. privately owned. 1t is chiefly FIR
and spruce, tremendous in height and
girth, and characteristic of the Won
derful timber resources so abundant
in that section Of the country.-Popu'
La Mechanics Magazine.