Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1893-01-20

the real fact.
The Directors of the Kittitas Valley
Irrigation Canal company were in ses.
sion at Tacoma last week for the pur-
pose of letting the contract for the big
tunnel. 1t is the purpose of the COM
pany to complete the tunnel before
spring opens.
The solons Of Che Tacoma School
Board are sorely perplexed over the
question Shall school ma'ams be al
lowed to marry and retain their posi-
tions. Probably if there be q time
during the life of young lady when
her mind wanders from her routine
school work, it is when she is about to
be married and not after marriage.
The decision of the Waterville Elec-
trio Light and Water company to shut
down operations on the first of the
year, aroused the people OF Waterville
from their lethargy, and a rousing
meeting under the auspices of the
Board of Trade resulted. 1t was de.
cided that the city accept the PROPOSE
ton Of the company to sell the plant.
Stevens county possesses perhaps
the largest ledges OF slate and marbl e
yet found in the State. The slate is
pronounced by experts to be equal to
any found in the United States, while
the marble is also of excellent quality
and varies in color from a rich dark
green to pure white. These ledges
will be an important source of reve-
nue. in the not distant future.
The farmers OF Eastnr1 washington
arc getting on their war paint and
preparing for a crusade against the
railroads for the purpose of getting
lower freight rates. They will ask the
present Legislature to come to their
relief. The Pdlouse Gazette estimates
that the farmers OF Whitman county
will pay the railroad for hauling their
100000 bushels of wheat this year
81 $4,000.
The heavy timber and spars which
are being used in Tandford, Norway,
for the construction of the Fran, q
vessel to be used for Arctic explora-
tions, came from Port Blakeley. The
cargo was shipped from Puget Sound
LAST February in the Norwegian bark
Collector, and consisted of heavy lum-
Der and spars. The lumber is of the
very best quality of fir that could be
obtained in the State of Washington.
Cowlitz county will be we'll repre-
sented at the Worlds Fair. Its ex-
hibit will include maple and oak
burls of particular size and beauty.
The former is Al feet in diameter, st
feet in length and IA feet in circum-
ference. The burl will be cut in the
center. one-half OF which is to be pol
ished and placed on exhibition at the
Worlds Fair, with one pair elk, two
pairs of deer and one pair of mountain
sheep horns.
During the severe weather at Christ
mas time two Indians, Joe Dick and
Alex Peter, perished from exposure
near Toledo. The dead body of Joe
Dick was discovered in field between
the Catholic mission and the river.
The next day the corpse of Alex Peter
was found in an adjoining field. One
o! them had removed his pants and
coat and crawled under the edge Of
a log, evidently imagining himself in
bed. Whisky TASKS were found on
their persons and in the boat.
Smallpox on the Sound has been a
godsend to one man at least. w. H.
Weston wanted in Tacoma for larceny,
was caught and placed in the Seattle
city Jail. Chief Davis went after him,
but when he learned there had been
smallpox in the Jail three weeks before,
refused to take away the prisoner.
When assured that there was no dan.
ger from the disease the chief replied:
" No, stree, don't want him. Why,
if was to take that man to Tacoma
and smallpox should break out there,
l would be run out of town." and
Weston walked out free man.
The body of G. w. Botsford, the
man who was lost in the woods in
Lewis county, was found near Win
dom. He started to where his cabin
mates had killed deer, and took an
ak, compass and some matches, say
ing he would follow their tracks in the
snow and blaze his way, so if the snow
filled up the tracks he could follow
the blazes back, and he would bring in
part of the deer, and told them not to
be uneasy if he failed to get back that
night, for if he didn't get back before
dark he would build fire and stay
all night. So they did not look for
him until two days afterward.
The Indians on the Grande Rond
river promise to give big medicine
dance in few days. The Asotin
Sentipel says that there is no telling
how long it will continue as the one
last year was kept up for a period OF
over two months. The lodge in
which the dance will be held is al.
ready erected and covers a space 100
feet long and "a feet wide. Five
small fires are constantly kept burn
ing in the center OF the structure. 1t
is an old.time custom among the Nez
Perces to give these dances annually,
and in the early sixties, when the site
of Asotin was the camping place for
the Indians, a dance of this kind was
in progress for three months. There
is generally no intermission except
when one drops over from exhaustion,
and then time is given to drag him
on the outside and his nlace ia ut