DIVISION SIX — BUSINESS. 443 



I must here explain about "Sam Correll. ' When in 1885 Dr. Reid ad- 

 vocated by articles in the Valley Union the lyas Flores canyon route for a 

 road to the mountain top, as a better thing for Pasadena than a road to Wil- 

 son's peak, the Las Flores ascent was objected to as being impracticable ; 

 but Samuel E. Correll, who had been up that way several times, made a 

 challenge that ' 'he could take a loaded burro and start from Las Flores in the 

 morning, with only a hand-axe to cut his way, and by night he and the 

 burro would be at the top. ' ' His proposed route for this test was up to the 

 spur where Echo Mountain House now stands, and thence to the pine crest 

 of Echo ampitheater. But before this, old Dr. B. A. Wright had ridden a 

 horse up the west wall of Las Flores canyon to a point or ledge of rocks 

 called " Jacob's ladder," which was just about as high as Echo Mountain. 

 However, nothing ever came of these adventures. 



Mr. Macpherson's actual first survey for any sort of mountain railroad 

 was his own individual project, on a street car plan, with a grade of seven 

 and a half to eight per cent., to be operated by traction motor cars, so con- 

 structed that all wheels should be dri ve- wheels. ^^^ He commenced his sur- 

 vey at Altadena and ran up into Rubio canyon on substantially the same 

 line where the Mount Lowe Electric railroad is now in successful operation. 

 But at that time [January, 1890] the name " Mount Lowe " had never been 

 heard of, though now familiar around the world ; and electricity for oper- 

 ating railroads was not then a well established success. At a point a little 

 below where Rubio Pavilion now stands he crossed to the east side of the 

 canyon and pursued a winding way eastward along the ins and outs of the 

 face of the mountain to Eaton canyon, then up its west wall to a point far 

 above Eaton Falls, into the northwest part of Grand Basin, and so on 

 around, making a total distance of twelve miles to Wilson's Peak or " Har- 

 vard Telescope point, "--for no one had succeeded yet in breaking away from 

 "Wilson's Peak" as the objective point for any sort of roadway to the 

 mountain top. (This was partly due to the fact that there was here a 

 bountiful spring nearer to the summit than anywhere else in the entire 

 range.) He ran his lines, set his stakes, projected his curves, noted cuts and 

 fills for earthwork and rockwork, made his estimates of cost, prepared his 

 profile map, with plans and specifications, and so went into the capital 

 market with something definite and tangible to show for his project. And 

 this is the shape the matter was in when Prof. Lowe was first induced to 

 give it any practical attention — 1890-91. 



* Surveyor D. J. Macpherson with six assistants started last Monday to make survey, set stakes, re- 

 cord field notes, and prepare profile of route, statement oC cuts, fills, bridges, culverts, tunnels if any be 

 necessary, and all the facts and data for a detailed estimate of cost to build a narrow gauge railroad from 

 the Altadena station on I^ake Avenue to Wilson's Peak. It is believed that a route can be found with a 

 grade of 8 per cent., or a rise of 424 feet per mile ; and a car can be built to carry its boiler, engine, coal 

 and water supply, and load of passengers all resting on the drive wheels, so that it can easily climb an 

 S per cent grade by ordinary traction. Mr. Macpherson is in the field for business, and his projectlooks 

 the most like " getting there " of anything that has yet been attempted.— Pa^at/^fwa Standard, February 

 8, 1890. 



