The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-09-09
THE RAILS SPREAD.
Olympia-Tenino Road Made a
Standard Gauge.
STORY OF ITS CONSTRUCTION.
Work OF General Hazard Steyens-Ncv
Lake Shore Depots-News of
Local Railroads.

q
standard gauge road today. and in a talk
with the PosT-INTELLIGENcER's Olympia
correspondent yesterday, Mr.. r. J. Stew
art told the following interesting facts con-
corning the road:
The building of the Olympia Tenino railroad
by the people of Olympia was the conception
OF General Hazard Stevens, and very largely
due to the untiring energy of that gentleman.
seconded by the public spirited efforts of the
entire comm unity. The Northern Pacific rail-
road has just completed Its line to Tacoma,
keeping fifteen miles from Olympia, and leav-
ing the town completely side-traeked. To carry
out his plan of restoring connections with the
main line of travel, General Stevens first raised
subscription by an hundred signers at $40
piece. For $500 he managed to obtain q
complete survey of and report the proposed
road by I. B. Morris, civil engineer, who had
been chief engineer of the Pacific division of
the Northern Pacific railroad. for which General
Sprague. then general manager, kindly loaned
the surveys OF that company. He then called a
public meeting and laid his plans before 1t,
which, after a somewhat animated, not to say
tormy, discussion. resulted in the foundation
of the Olympia Railroad Union, a company COM
posed OF the citizens for the purpose OF building
the road, and of which the late Marshall Blinn
was chosen the first president, but on his resig-
nation soon afterwards General Stevens was
chosen president, and remained in that posi-
all graded except q small piece near Tenino,
aud county bonds 10 the amount of $4,000 were
authorized to aid the enterprise.
General Stevens boldly declared in the begin
ming that the union would receive no condi-
tional donations, but that everything contri
buted would be spent upon the road, if neces-
sary. Contributions of land, lots, money, pro-
visions, labor, everything and anything which
could be used in the enterprise were solicited
and given, until enough was collected to war
rant the employ ment of small working force
1t was General Stevens idea to make the
breaking ground on April 3, 1874, the occasion
OF a demonstration, and to call out the entire
community to work on the road after the FASH
ion OF an old-time working bee or barn-raislng.
de carefully organized the movement. got out
large posters. and arranged all the details. The
papers and the people took up the idea-all bus
mess was suspended, the men marched out in
column early in the morning with pick
and shovel, led by the Olympia brass
band, and fell to work the grade, and
later the ladies came the ground with q
bountiful repast for the tired toiers. So much
| work was done that day and SO much zeal and
| confidence inspired that the field days became
| one OF the chief means OF grading the road
| They were appointed about once a week nn'il
| the road was graded across Bush prairie and so
| far as it was practicable to transport and use
| such volunteer labor.
General Stevens devoted an entire year to
| this work, besides giving eighty acres OF val
/ liable land aud making TIE journey overland to
| San Francisco and back in tehaIf of the union
! When he resigned as president and went east in
| 1875 he lett the union he had so ably organic ID
! and managed with a road bed nearly all graded
asubsidy Of 5000 in county bonds several
| thousand acres OF land, hundreds OF town lots
AID no debt. In his final report after reviewing
| the movement and enumerating these resour-
| cts, General Stevens assured them that the
nj
of the road, at no distant day, as indeed proved
| TO be the case.
The inquiry by l. A Nadeau, of the
Northern Pacific. and b. T. Carr, of the
Columbia & Puget Sound Railroads, into
the responsibility for the Black River
wreck, was concluded yesterday The
testimony, which is very conflicting, as
each witness tried to excuse himself will
be submitted to a disinterested railroad
man, whose decision will be accepted as
final The loss to the Columbia & Puget
Sound was over $1,000 and that TO the
Northern Pacific between $500 and $500.
A. f. Bailey of the Washington Mill
Company of Hodlock, Yesterday made
contract with Lurber & Eagon, the Union
Pacific contractors, to finish them four
to be used in the construction of the Union
Pacific over the tide flats of Elliott bay.
This is the second largest bill of lumber
ever sold in this city. The contract price
is $4,000 The lumber is to be delivered
at Seattle ia RATS.
The Helena Journal says: The Montana
Central took OFT of this city about 700 men.
last week, to the work now III progress on
the western extension of the Great North
ern. 1t is the intention of the contractors
to complete the road to the summit of the
mountains, distance of. about 1870 miles.
by the first of January.
The erection of depots for the Lake Shore
and Eastern railroad has begun at Nook
sack City, Lake McMurray and Sedro. Ali
three will be handsome buildings, and
they will be finished by the time the road
reaches those points.
Captain +. A. Hill, chief engineer of the
Oregon improvement Company, went to
olympic yesterday TO take over the
Olympia and Tenino railroad, which was
made standard gauge yesterday.
Colonel }. c. Haines. attorney for the
Oregon Improvement Company, went to
Olympia yesterday to conduct condemna
ton suits for the Port Townsend Southern
railroad.
C. G. Jacobs has been appointed assistant
superintendent OF the Olympia branch OF
the Fort townsend Southern railroad, the
appointment taking effect yesterday.
L. H. Warner returned yesterday from
the front on The Lake Shore and Eastern
extension, and reports work progressing
we'll
Work on the Union Pacific terminals
goes alonp Slnxrly for lacl- &c ,,,o+o-;.I