Page:Portland, Oregon, its History and Builders volume 1.djvu/432

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308
THE CITY OF PORTLAND

and unusual opportunities for the observation and investigation of all manner of engineering problems, that he is entitled to permanent recognition in this work. His first work was in the construction of fortifications for the Union army in the war to suppress the Southern rebellion 48 years ago. After the suppression of the rebellion, he was engaged in constructing railroads and other public works for Peru and other South American states; until he came to Oregon in 1880 and took charge of the railroads being constructed by the Oregonian Railroad Company of Dundee, Scotland. Before going to South America, he constructed a railroad from Newark, New Jersey, to New York city, the whole distance on piling twenty feet above ground, where trains could make a mile a minute and not run over men or carriages. He was also general manager of important lines in Mexico and Costa Rica. His various titles indicating his eminence as an engineer, and his large experience and construction work are as follows: M. Am. Soc. C. E., Hon. M. Nat. Soc. E. & A. of Peru., M. Nat. Geographical Soc, Washington, D. C.; Cor. M. Nat. Geographical S. of Lima, Peru; Late chief engineer Newark & New York Ry. Co.; Chf. Eng. Penn. & Sodus Bay Ry.; Umpire Engineer Oregonian Ry. Co.; Assistant General Manager Mexican Central Ry.; Gen. Manager Tehauntepec Interoceanic Ry.; Gen. Man. Chimbote & Huaras Ry., Peru; State Engineer and Inspector of the Railroads of the North of Peru; Chief Engineer of the Government Commission of Irrigation for the Department of Piura, Peru; Chief Engineer of Commission for Devising Water Works and Sewerage Systems for the Cities of Callao, Piura and Paita, Peru, South America.


THE GREAT TRACTION COMPANY.

It is a fitting close to this chapter on the railroad development of this city to sum up the great work with that of the Portland Railway, Light & Power Company.

This corporation took over in 1905, all the electric railways of the city, and combined under one ownership and management, the works of a half dozen or more corporations which had been slowly, for twenty years, building up and extending their lines in all directions throughout the city, and to Oregon City, St. Johns, Vancouver, Montavilla, Mount Tabor and Mt. Scott. By bringing all these lines under one responsibility, and one managing head, great economies could be secured in operating the lines, and much better and quicker service furnished to the people in the outlying districts. The extent of this work is hardly known, and not well appreciated by the great mass of the population of the city. And the statistics of the street railways business are far beyond the conceptions of any but the most optimistic friends to the development and extension of the city. The following items are down to date of September, 1910, and are authentic: Portland has now in operation in the city, and to Oregon City and Vancouver, single track street railway, 161 miles; passenger cars owned by the company, 431; passenger cars in daily operation, 314; car barns for storage of cars, 6. Power stations to generate electricity: One at Oregon City, one at Cazadero on the Clackamas river, and two steam stations in the city; one steam station at Vancouver, one steam station and one water power station at Silverton. The total capacity of these stations is 50,000 horsepower. The power generated at these stations is distributed by twelve sub-stations. The total number of employes of the company make an army of four thousand men.

The number of passengers daily carried by this great organization of electric power, cars and employes is two hundred and fifty thousand, making a daily income of $12,500. This organization is now managed by B. S. Josselyn, president of the company; F. I. Fuller, vice-president; C. J. Franklin, general superintendent; C. P. Osborne, operating engineer; L. D. Pape, chief inspector; Fred Cooper, superintendent of transportation.