Page:Portland, Oregon, its History and Builders volume 1.djvu/428



Pacific & Eastern (Medford to Crater Lake) 31 miles

Pacific Railway & Navigation (Hillsboro to Tillamook) 98 miles

Rogue River Valley (Jacksonville to Medford) 66 miles

Salem & Falls City, Black Rock & Dallas 23 miles

Spokane, Portland & Seattle and branches 421 miles

Sumpter Valley Railroad (Baker City to Prairie City) 95 miles

Umatilla Central (Pilot Rock Junction to Pilot Rock) 14 miles

Oregon Electric (Portland to Salem and Forest Grove) 69 miles

Portland Railway (electric, Portland to Cazadero) 37 miles

United Railways (Portland into Washington county) 2>7 miles

Columbia river logging roads 60 miles

Total mileage 5,269 miles

To the above should be added the new roads being constructed through the Des Chutes canyon :

The Oregon Trunk Line (Hill road) 150 miles

The Des Chutes Road (Harriman line) 150 miles

Grand total to be in operation by May, 191 1 5,569 miles

CONSOLIDATION OF LINES.

Since the foregoing statement was prepared, all the railroads in the states of Oregon and Washington connecting with the Oregon Railway & Navigation Com- pany's railroads, embracing the original main line, and the feeder branch lines above named, together with the lines of what was known as the "North Coast Railroad" in the state of Washington, has been consolidated in one system, and under one corporate ownership and one corporate name — "The Oregon & Wash- ington Railroad Company."

THE FIRST STREET RAILROAD.

The first street railroad in the city of Portland was something of a joke. It was in 1872 that Ben Holladay was at the zenith of his power and pomposity when legislatures and courts were his willing creatures, and governors and sena- tors were his worshipping servitors. Ben was laying claim to everything in sight within the horizon of his mental or visual perceptions. It struck him forcibly that there would be vast possibilities in a franchise for a street railroad from one end of First street to the other, and the city council lost no time in making the necessary grant of the right of way for the track, and the right to collect fares. And thereupon the great Holladay set one of his railroad section bosses to dig- ging up the street and laying down a track with iron rails weighing fully fifteen pounds to the lineal yard. And by the time this work was done, a little old worn- out car, discarded from a San Francisco horse line was brought up on the steamer, carried over to the north end of the line at "G" street, and a mule hitched thereto, and Portland's — no, not Portland's ; Portland did ' not own anything while Holladay ruled the town — Ben Holladay's street railway was ready for operation. One man drove the mule and the passengers made their own change and dropped it in a box, and the mule made a round trip between "G" and Ca- ruthers streets in one hour. This little old pretense of a railroad was operated for about twenty years. Poor old Ben lost all his money and power, and fell down to where there were "none so low as to do him reverence." But his brother Joe ("Joe with the old umbrella") had got possession of Ben's property and es- tate to keep it out of the hands of the creditors, and still the ancient mule with his tinkling bell made occasional trips along First street to hold the "franchise" until the nuisance of it got to be unbearable, and finally Joseph Strowbridge, Gra-