Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 7.pdf/113

Rh in California in May and reached Jacksonville in October. Before reaching Jacksonville they had sent forward a letter to the writer of this paper, then residing at Jacksonville, requesting him to canvass Jackson County for aid in paying the expenses of their survey, which work he performed. Upon reaching Jacksonville, Elliot and Belding disagreed as to which of them should have control of the line of survey through Oregon; Mr. Belding claiming that under their agreement he should select the route, and Mr. Elliot as stoutly claiming that as chief of the party and the original proposer of the undertaking he was entitled to such control. But the question which proved fatal to the ambition of both gentlemen was the fact that their party of twelve men had received no pay for six months and there was nothing in the treasury to further subsist the men and teams. The whole party was stranded and their proposed railroad venture wrecked. Mr. Elliot left the party in possession of all its equipment and returned south to California, and Mr. Belding also left and proceeded to his home in Portland, and this ended the connection of both gentlemen with this preliminary survey.

The subscriptions in aid of this first work on an Oregon railroad (not considering mere portages on the Columbia), and the first money expended in the actual construction of such road, followed up by connected and continuous work until the road was in operation, were contributed by the following named persons: C. Boxlery, John Robison, D. E. Stearns, G. Naylor, John Holton, M. Michelson, R. B. Hargadine, E. Emery, Lindsay Applegate, O. C. Applegate, John Murphy, J. C. Tolman, P. Dunn, H. F. Baren, Enoch Walker, Wagner & McCall, B. F. Myer, W. C. Myer, W. Beeson, J. G. Van Dyke, John S. Herrin, Amos E. Rogers, John Watson, Emerson E. Gore, M. Riggs, William Wright, Frederick Heber, S. B. Vandike, John Coleman, Joseph A. Crain, J. T. Glenn, Wm. Hesse, W. K. Ish, H. A.