The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-09-23
RELICS OF THE PAST.
Story o. ! Telegraph Line That
Was Never Built.
ALoNo The COAST TO sIsERlA.
\ Ysv Rssslns Hsiss TEN ~ Crest
sehsms which Was Never
Carried 5hreush.

While travelling through Skagit county
recensiy correspondent OF the Posr-In-
1Hzx1eExcKR met J. II. Fravel, . well
known pioneer Of Puget sound. at his
ranch. at the base OF the Chuckanut range,
near the town Of blanchard. While con-
vessing with Mr.. Fravel md enjoying
through his doorway the matchless view
over the azure wataEs Of eamish bay and
Rosario straits. and the dark green slopes
Ut Guemes. Sinclair, 6amish. Fidaigo and
Hat Islands, glowing in the light Of an
Italian afternoon, the pioneer related very
interesting "reminiscences Of his personal
connection with gigantic enterprise now
well nieh forgotten, in which. ahouta quar-
Ter Of century ago, millions Of capital was
INTERCEPTED This great enterprise was the
scheme for securing transoceanlc tele-
graphic communication BY the way Of
Behring's strait and Siberia Cyrus Field
had Just made an attempt to lay another
cable across the Atlantic with the Great
Eastern, and the cable had snapped in
mid-ocean. Many capitalists Of the East.
believing that Fields idea Of trans-Atian-
tic cable could never be realized. formed
corporation to extend telegraph line from
San Francisco up the coast TO Behring's
strait and connect BY cable with . line
across Siberia, to connection with the
telsgraphic systems Of the Old World.
II think il vas in 1885, said Mr.. Fravel,
that the construction deet Of the COM
pany began operations on Puget sound.
The company had for the construction Of
the line large force Of men, organised and
uniformed, like IN army. Tho steamer
George 9. Wright was the flagship of the
expedition. r. r Haines was superin-
tendent of construction It was lively times
on Puget sound that season. A large NUM-
Der of ships loaded with supplies and mate
rial composed the feet, among them the
Fremont, Milton. Badger. Palmetto. Night
ineaIe, Jennie Pitts, Egmont and Others.
The line to New Westminster was called
the California State Telegraph Company.
Beyond that it was known IS the Collins
Overland and Western Union Extension.
The line followed the eastern shore OF the
Sound to New Westminster. That soli-
tary pole standing in the mud on the bank
Of the slough yonder isa remnant Of the
original line. Another line was con-
structed by the way OF Fidalgo and the
San Juan islands TO Victoria. The line
was constructed about 500 miles north Of
New Westminster to Skeena, when the
complete success Of Cyrus Field's Atlantic
cable suddenly put stop to the construct
ion. The large organization engaged on
the construction was mustered out, and
the materials that could b recovered were
taken away. Thousands Of tons of wire
and material distributed along the line
through the woods Of British Columbia
remain there to this day. Years afterward
. party Of woodsmen brought to Victoria
. cargo Of the wire which they offered for
sale. The assigns of the company seized
It Immediately. The Seabeck mill sawed
out thousands of the poles for the line
which we're piled up on the mill wharf and
lay there until burned wifh the mill . few
years ago. The captain Of the ship Egg
mont. which lay in Esquimalt with cargo
of submarine cable. got drunk and ran off
with the ships papers. The vessel lay in
the harbor for two years, unable to clear.
Her owners finally patched mp Hawaiian
papers for her, and she sailed away.
1.-THE line was operated to 6kesna for
two years The American end Of the line
was absorbed by the Western Union. It
went out Of existence two years ago when
the company abandoned its system from
Seattle northward. George II. Mumford.
afterward vice-prssident Of the Western
Union, came out here In 1872 and wound
up the affairs Of the company. Every bill
was paid in full"
Mr.. Fravel was In the service of the
company on construction. and for fifteen
years afterward - operator ct Blanchard.