The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-05-01
TEE IOWA ROLLING nILx-


TEE IOWA ROLLING MILL
0srlahgssa Nss WarrssA Over shs Pres
psss 81 Lestne H
TACOMA, April 1z.-fSpecisL There b
m interesting story connected With the
Tacoma rolling mill bonus, which. II true,
reflects no credit on the persons who At
tempted to secure SIS, 900 from the citizens
Of Tacoma on plant rsiisbly reported not
70 b worth that amount ell told. How
even, it II understood the plant - coming
TO Tacoma, or rather Lake View, twelve
miles away. and IL win b. welcomed even
st thss distancs. becanss the building up
Of Lake View - . suburb will help Ia
coma, which viii b the natural base of
supplies. When the proposition to move
the Iowa Rolling Mills from Burlington,
Ia, 70 this city was FIRST broached the idea
was received With enthusiasm and SIS coo
20 50. 90 Of the SIS 90 subsidy ssked for
within ten days Was quickly raised. and to
which subsidy the Tacoma bureau Of the
Posr-IsrEILIGEycER chopped In its mite in
good faith. A few days ago the regulation
subscription note given by the Posr-Ix-
TKISIsEscER bureau was returned. where
upon . careful Investigation Of the whole
proposition was started BY the bureau.
Some apparently startling facts have
bsen cleaned from day TO day, and today,
upon the arrival Of the Burlington, Ia.
Gazette, containing the following, il MAS
considsrsd time 70 drop the cat out Of the
bag:
"lf this Mr.. Evans succeeds In getting
IS 600 bonus In Tacoma he can we'll afford
20 remove the Milf he can get IL to re-
move. Gentlemen who were here nego-
tiatiug for the mill about month ago.
experienced men in the iron business-re-
fused to gives$25. 800 for the plant, and
insinuated that IL would take cut Of
several thousand dollars to make them
even interested. Il viii be hard luck il We
l0ss the mill. with it, $i75.000 worth Of
machinery, located on forty -eight acres Of
ground This Tacoma story. though,
should b taken with grain Of salt In
ell probability Burlington viii live to zee
the mill rot where it ssandA"
or course. the Burlington newspaper in-
tends to be sarcastic when the reference
II made to the $l75,00 plant and the al
legged forsy-eight acres Of ground. The
Gazette WAS moved to these remarks upon
receipt Of Tacoma paper. which placed
the value Of the plant when planted here
as $500. 900. and stating that it was now
located on forty-sighs acres Of ground;
that over fifty acres would be required for
the Tacoma location. and further that the
mill was worth $175.000 The Gazette re-
fers to the property ~ '.the little rolling
mill on the edge Of the town" Also that
IL 10 tied up by burlington bank.
Nov the question arises, was there Q
plan to blk gullibls Tacoma out Of $685.
900 bonus for plant. which il said to have
been for sale at the time the scheme was
launched. for the face value of Q mortgage
Of less than 5,0O0f In making . thor
ough investigation the PosT-INrxLIaGxx-
CA bureau has encountered much scanda-
ious gossip touching upon the alleged at
tempt to blk the people Of Tacoma. This
sort Of gossip has connected some people
prominent in the last city administration
with the hiking coup.
OF course, people began to sniff and con-
lecture when the Tacoms Land Company.
through it, astuas manager. Isaac w.
Anderson, refused TO donate to the bonus
until the plant WAS examined BY an ex.
pert The manager OF the proposition to
bring the plant here did not take kindly to
this suggestion. Mr.. Evans at tho time
said to reporter of the Tacoma bureau Of
the Posr-ISrELLIsKScKR.
I'VE are willing TO send . disinterested
man to investigate the matter, but We do
not wish the Tacoma Land Company TO
send man, and allow him to be preju-
diced by the reports that the Burlington
people viii make. because the Burlington
people are naturally sore about losing the
plant and will do ali they can to prevent
It,"
Finally Mr.. Evans vanished from the
scene. and siill later there WAS much COM
ment upon the action of the land company
In refusing TO donate the bonus Father
Wright was accused Of going back on Ia
coma. and Manager Anderson was consid-
cred sort of traitor in camp. also being
interested in . foundry At Edison which
hoped some day to develop into big roll
ing mill Mr.. Anderson did no; say much,
but he limited some things which served as
| tips for developing the story. Il. NJ h.
Lehman, who was the attorney for the
| rolling mill folks, says:
II explained TO Mr. Evans that MANY
things initiated against raising the sub.
sldy. and asked him if arrangements were
| made To donate the land at Lake View if
he and his would consider the matter.
| After he returned East he wired me that
they would accept land TO the amount OF
The <S,un We have arranged for tho
land AT Lake View, and IL is now being
transferred and placed in escrow"
Mr.. Lehman also explained the reaso n
Why Mr.. Evans would not tell the Cham
| Der Of Commerce where the mill was To-
Gated MAS because the title was not per-
fectcd. and arrangements we're being AIDE
TO sell il under mortgage foreclosure.
| which has since been completed, Mr..
! Brown, the principal owner and holder of
the mortgage, bidding the property in, the
face vaius of the mortgage being abou,
| $1,000. one commercial agency reported
the plant 10 be worth from slS. 600 TO SO .
100; another. that the machinery alone
VAS worth sss.oa In this connection Mr..
Lehman dissvowed knowing anything
| aeoa: the representative OF the agency
making the s9s,on estimate being a reia-
tive OF one of the interested parties. The
| plant has not been operated in eighteen
months, and " IS not . success. Lehman
says IL vas too near Chicago and could not
stand competition. The plant turns ou.
/ iron only. Three hundred and fifty acres
/ 81 land are To be donated. After sas land
/ company and others refused TO contribute
cash bonus, tho scheme wss abandoned
and the donation noses ordered returned.
I Nhsteom News
WHsrcea, April ~ Special Ths
Yorktown left thss morning Tor Fer,
] IowG<ena.
/ The coanierfsissrs, Adams aud Darling.
have bad prei "a nary near az. and have
been he'd 20 answer before Tie United
States grand iary.
Buekingham's Dye for the whi.kers IL
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