The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-08-17
TOLL ROAD NO MORE.
Travel Will Now Be Free
Through Snoqualmie Pass.
COUNTY SETTLES THE SUIT
The Wagon Road Company Surrenders
Its Franchise and Sells Its ReceNt
improvements.

The complicated litigation which, has
been pending for some time past Though
the efforts of the county to take away
from the Snoqualmie Trail and Wagon
Road Company its franchise for thsoper-
alton of the toll road through Snoqualmie
pass, was brought to an amicabie ternina-
ton Yesterday by compromise. The
county commissioners have passed an
order authorizing the payment to the COM
pany OF 81 900 for the surrender OF the
franchise, and of 81 $50 for Improvements
which it has recently made on the road.
Proceedings are to be brought to condemn
the land occupied by the road. the t&le to
which is still in the state, for use. as q
county road. The company is to stand the
expense Of this. The road is to be opened
at once for free travel.
The general opinion of the county off,
GERS seems to be thai. the settlement If the
dispute is the best step that could shave
been taken. A franchise was granted the
company in 1883 to operate the ROAD, and
since then 1t has been charging exorsitant
tolls. which have stopped travel to a great
extent. Further than this, the road was
not Kept in repair, and from North Bend
to the summit of the Cascades was said to
be impossible even for pack mules: The
people living along the trail suffered great
inconvenience in addition to the expense,
and the former practice of driving stock
from the other side of the mountains
through the pass was stopped. The ontcry
against this condition of affairs finally be-
came so great that legal measures,were
taken by the county to remedy ths evil.
Prosecuting Attorney Miller brought suit
some months ago in the superior court to
have the company's franchise taken from
it on account of its abuse of it. shere
have been numerous delays, and ths: case
has never come to trial. At length il has
been settled by the compromise men
toned In speaking of the settlement
yesterday to a PosT-INTELLIGENCE. re-
porter, Prosecuting Attorney Miller Said:
l think that the best possible solution Of the
difficulty has been reached The lawsuit would
have been very expensive one, and tneTe was
no certainty of its successful Termination 1t
would have been necessary TO bring some forty
or fifty witnesses from all parts OF the state, and
the trial would probably have lasted two S;eeks
at an expense of from 800 to 5000. The-com-
pany has been paid 1000 for its franchfse, so
that the county practically gets the road Almost
for nothing. The $3.50 is for improvements
that the company has made in the lasl few
months since the suit began, and whici. are
worth all that is paid for them. There Will be
no delay now about the opening of the rosd, as
there would have been had We waited for $. trial
OF the case In addition to the doing awayswith
a tedious and expensive lawsuit, there is fur
nished without delay a wagon road from King
county through the pass into kittitas cosnty.
The advantages of the road to the people LIVING
along 1t, and as an avenue of travel through the
mountains, cannot be overestimated.