The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1923-03-01
BUILD RAILROAD TO
PINE CREEK FORKS
is RELIABLE REPORT
Confer on Feight Rates to
Bunker Hill Smelter--Saw-
mill at Forks
"HE MINER has made repeated

TIME MINER has made repeated
attempts at railroad building up
Pine creek, but is forced to ad-
NIT that after many years of
persistent effort it has nothing to show
except two miles of rusty rails rest
ing on the remnants of a roadbed left
by the ravages of high water In
spite of these failures, this paper like
the men who are steadily increasing
the ore tonnage available for a rail-
road on Pine creek, has not been dis
couraged Railroads have a habit of
extending their lines wherever there
is profitable business in sight, and
while adverse conditions such as war.
flood or a democratic administration
may hold them back temporarily, they
can be depended upon to proceed
when these distractions TO progress
have been removed. That is the sit
uation today, and in the meantime
Pine creek day by day in every way
has become a more inviting field for
invasion by a railroad Not only is
there more ore in sight for shipment
than there was in 1917 when the o.
w. r. e n. laid two miles of track
and then abandoned the enterprise.
but the outlook for a permanent mar
ket for the ore is decidedly better
through the plans of the Bunker Hill
& Sullivan company to establish
zinc reduction plant at Kellogg.
Build to the Forks.
This improved situation with re-
spect to mining on Pine creek, togeth-
er with the large timber operations |
of the west fork. have evidently i'm
pressed the O.-W. r. & n. company |
with the Importance of the traffic
that is available for a railroad on Pine |
creek, and information received this
week from reliable sources indicate
that the company is preparing TO oc-
cupy the field. According to this in
formation, the railroad company with
in the next few weeks will start work
repairing the two miles of track, and
this will be followed by extending the
track about two and a half OF three
miles further, or to the forks of the
creek. Companies having ore to ship
on Pine creek have recently been con-
suited regarding freight rates, evil
IDENTIFY with the view to determining
what the traffic could stand and the
approximate profit to the railroad,
and it is stated that satisfactory
rates from Pine creek to the smelter
at Kellogg have been agreed upon.
While the Miner has not been able to {
secure official railroad confirmation of
this information, it was obtained from
reliable sources and justifes the eX- I
pectation that railroad construction
will be under way on Pine creek be-
fore spring is far advanced. i
Sawmill at West Fork
In addition to the business to be
furnished the railroad by the mines, y.
the construction of a sawmill near the
forks of the creek is also an import ,
ant factor in attracting the railroad
at this time. There is a large body of q
timber on the west fork and the COM
pany that owns it is now preparing to
place a sawmill at the forks. which \
will be the point to which the track \
viii be extended Thus with the mi il
ming and lumber industry combined. e
1t is certain that the Pine creek Z
branch will add another profitable Fl
feeder to the O-W. R. & N. system. t
On the other hand, the construction 7
of the branch will add another produc- a
tive field to the Occur dAlene dis a
trict. o