The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-05-02
How the Narrow Guage was built

OlNmplanS OF the proposition OF
the Oregon improvement Company
fol- terminal facilities at the capital.
The sale of the Tenino & Olympia
road TO the improvement company
was finally consummated in this city
yesterday. "This Tenino & Olympia
branch road" an old resident who is
conversant with its history, said last
evening, "has somewhat interesting
history. General Sprague, E I'm und
Rice and Isaac w. Anderson, also
Robert Wingate and others have dur
ing late years been financially interest
ed III it. Before going east last sum-
mer General Sprague sold out-$10O-
600 was the consideration for his half
interest believe and Mr.. Rice and
Mr.. Anderson became the principal
owners. At that time it was thought
Mr.. Rice would use it in connection
with terminals for the great North
western system. Sam l.. Crawford,
an old newspaper man, says that in
1873, when it was learned in Olympus,
that the Northern Pacific had given
up the idea of building its line to
Olympia, giving it the go-by, the peo-
felt decidedly blue. Hazard Stevens,
son of Hon. |. l. Stevens, first COVER
nor of Washington Territory, togeth-
or with the newspapers and prominent
citizens, began an agitation for the
building of a railroad from Olympia
to connection with the Northern Pa
ciic at Tenino. Many of the citizens
who had wrapped themselves up in
the idea that Olympia was the only
town on Puget Sound, and thought
that the Northern Pacific, or the first
transcontinental road, WAS bound to
build in there, were so dazcd and stun
ned by the fact of exclusion staring
them in the face that they failed to
realize the situation and were slow
to act in Il rational way.
after the meeting with many dis
coura cements, Mr.. Stevens issued his
famous circular proclamation, in
which he declared that unless the peo-
pie walked up and Put their shoulder
to the wheel, they would see grass
growing in the streets OF the capital
city in IL short time. Many different
theories and schemes were talked Of
some wanted to build u road with
wooden rails, some wanted u Standard
guage road, some wanted Il narrow
guage, and IL few wanted 10 road at
all. Notably among the latter was IL
prominent physician, DIR. Steele, still
Il respected citizen OF the capital.
He said publicly thai the people were
getting along well enough, and, so far
as he was concerned, he had IL good
practice. if another railroad were
built other doctors would come to
town and divide the practice. He
didn't see where the benefit was to
come from, and he was opposed to the
idea. Mr.. Stevens gave up the ghost,
liyurativcly, pulled up stakes and
went to Boston, where he is now Il
prominent lawyer and respected citi-
zen. The good seed sown by him,
however, finally bore fruit. The PEG
pie aroused from their lethargy and
held several public meetings, at which
il was determined that the narrow
guage road should be built from Olym-
pia to Tenino.
Every Thursday was declared a
public field day, when every patriotic
citizen was supposed to close his store,
office or place of business and take
up Il shovel, pick or AK and go on The
railroad and work hard all day. The
good women OF Olympia in order to
do their part, furnished baskets of pro-
visions to the laborcrs. In this man
ner the greater portion of the road
bed was prepared for the ties and rails.
con the day OF the roads com
pletion, when the old engine came
III without headlight and there wes
public meeting to procure one,
remember that Charley Changers
mule, a common nuisance, was secur-
ed and on its back was dashed a noun
tain howitzer. The animal was then
marched to the top of Capital hill,
when the cannon was touched of. The
rebound Was too much for the mule
and 1T was thrown over the embank-
fment. Did the mule live? Well, you
never heard of Il mule dying, did YOU?
1t wasn't hurt.
"A.hout that time Judge Obadiah 3.
McFadden WAS elected a delegate TO
congress to succeed the famous Seluc-
Jus Garfield. One of the first acts of
Mr.. McFadden was to get through
congress law authorizing the county
OF Thurston to issue bonds to the
amount of $4,000 to aid in construc
ton and equipment OF the railroad,
pledging the credit of the county for
the security of the bonds. After that
the road had smooth sailing. The
bonds were sold and the road Was
built, but there was little traffic for it
and proved Il financial failure.
"When the road had had several
years of Indifferent operation it was
bought by General Sprague and Rob
ert Wingate of Tacoma, J. r. Brown
of Tenino and others. Branches were
built out into the timber sections and
quite traffic was built up in the
transportation of logs. Better terms
were made for train connection with
the Northern Pacific at Tenino. and
the road was placed on reasonably
paying basis. For some time there
have been rumors in the air to the eff
feet that the Northern Pacific contem-
plated buying the Olympia & Tenino
road. Under the agreement with the
people of Port Townsend, the Oregon
improvement Company, in order to
earn the 81 100000 subsidy offered bv
that community, agreed to build and
equip a standard gauge road from Port
Townsend on the west side of Puget
Sound to a connection with some
transcontinental line of railway with
IN given time.