Page:Portland, Oregon, its History and Builders volume 1.djvu/393

 mill.

Merit Bellinger lo bushels of wheat at Foudray's mill.

(The five last subscriptions settled by

note.) James Thornton 40 bushels of wheat, delivered at Phoe- nix mill (paid by note). Woodford Reames 20 bushels of wheat, delivered at the

Phoenix mill (paid by note).

E. K. Anderson 30 bushels of wheat at Phoenix.

D. P. Anderson 10 bushels of wheat at Phoenix.

Joshua Patterson 5 bushels of wheat at Phoenix.

D. P. Brittain 5 bushels of wheat at Phoenix mill.

(The last four subscriptions paid by

note.) I. V. Amerman $15.00 (paid — $10 in coin and $5 in

greenbacks ).

Upon consultation with the above subscribers to this fund, the author of this book was appointed agent to collect and disburse the money subscribed by these men in subsisting the surveying party until May, 1864, and to procure further subscriptions along the proposed line to continue the survey north to the city of Portland, and to organize a company and apply to congress for a grant of land in aid of the construction of a railroad from the Columbia river to San Francisco, passing through the Willamette, Umpqua and Rogue River valleys. And in pursuance of this authority, this original subscription of money in aid of such railroad was collected, the surveying party subsisted in Jackson- ville until May, 1864, when it again took up the line of survey where Elliott and Belding had abandoned it, and under the supervision of Col. A. C. Barry, it was extended to Portland, which point was reached on October i, 1864. To carry on the business part of the undertaking and present the proposition to congress, a company was organized under the name of "The California and Columbia River Railroad Company," and of which J. Gaston was made sec- retary, and A. C. Barry chief engineer. The results of this survey were then (October, 1864) laid before the Oregon legislature then in session and a bill, prepared by the secretary of the company, was introduced in the senate (S. B. No. 14) which provided for granting to a railroad to be constructed through the Willamette, Umpqua and Rogue River valleys, the proceeds of the half- million acres of public lands granted to Oregon for internal improvements. This bill was referred to the senate committee on corporations, which reported the proposition back by recommending the passage of an act to levy a tax of one mill on the dollar on all the taxable property in the state, and apply the proceeds of such tax to the payment of the interest on the construction bonds of a company to build the proposed road. The bill became a law, but was never utilized.

Immediately following the legislature, Colonel Barry prepared a report of his survey, with maps and profiles of the line which, together with a report on the resources of Oregon (the first ever made), prepared by the secretary of the company, was laid before congress at the opening of the session in De- cember, 1864. Prior to this in the winter of 1863-4, Hon. C. Cole, M. C, from California, had introduced in the house a bill granting lands to the California & Oregon Railroad Company to aid in building a railroad from the Central Pa- cific Railroad in California, through the Sacramento and Shasta valleys to the northern boundary of the state of California, and to such company as the Ore- gon legislature should designate from Portland. Oregon, through the Willa- mette, Umpqua and Rogue River valleys, to a connection with the said Cali- fornia road at or near the state line. On being apprised of the work going forward in Oregon in aid of this enterprise, Mr. Cole addressed the following letter to the secretary of the Oregon company: