HISTORY OF ASTORIA RAILROAD 237
Coast, which had been attempted by Reid and then by Schofield and Goss. They entered into a contract with the Subsidy Com- pany to begin construction within ninety days after July 6, 1894. But in September Remington dashed the Astoria hopes by wiring that he could not proceed (Oregonian, September 2, 1893.)
But next month Astoria's drooping spirits were revived by J. C. Stanton and J. S. Smith, who came to Astoria, offering to build two railroads both the Nehalem and the Goble routes for a subsidy of 3,000 acres of land and forty-foot right of way through the river front of Astoria. These hopeful visitors had already formed a construction company in New York to do the job, capital $1,000,000. But they, too, soon faded away. Next came E. L. Dwyer, M. Robinson and St. John Robinson, who at Astoria, January 20-22, 1894, representing "English capital" said they could build Astoria a railroad in twelve months.
Shortly afterward a project of substantial promise developed, supported by the Union Pacific, and authorized by its Board of Directors. The general manager of the Union Pacific, Edward Dickinson, caused to be incorporated in March, 1894, to build the road, The Columbia River Railroad Company, by R. W. Baxter, general superintendent of the Pacific Division of the Union Pacific; A. J. Borie, superintendent of the Ore- gon Division, and E. S. Van Kuran. The capital was to be $3,000,000. The route was from Goble to Astoria and to Tillamook and Nehalem. Work of securing right of way began at once. On March 16, 1894, Baxter asked Astoria citizens to meet him at Portland to sign the subsidy contract. Financial depression soon ended the negotiations.
Another promoter, attracted by the subsidy, was Edward Browne, a New York attorney, who came to Astoria in May, 1894, offering to put up $300,000 to be secured by mortgage of the land subsidy and saying he had $350,000 in hand. But in June a more substantial offer came from J. C. Stanton and J. T. Campbell, professing to have $2,000,000 in New York for immediate construction and to be supported by large stock- holders of the Union Pacific (Oregonian, June 22, 1894.)
