The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-03-14

The Money - the State Rosd Ceaaas-
sfea Not All Wasted.

The Money - the STATE Rosd Commit
sssa Not All Wasted.
wHArcon. March E-TScecial. lin an
swer 20 an inquiry from . subscriber the
PosT-ISrELIrGKscKR said . few days ago
that the state road across the Cascades
from this county could act be completed
until after the legislature makes an add
tional appropriation. the first one having
been nearly exhausted. That u true as 20
road passable for teams. but Commission
ers Crydermsn and Donovan. who have
inst returned from . meeting Of the COM
mission ss Olympia, express the opinion
that an excellent trail for horseback travel
and for driving cattle can be completed
with the funds still remaining from the
state and county appropriations already
made. This amount, when the commits
sion gets ready 20 resume work, viii be
between 81, 400 and 81. 600. At the recent
meeting the commission settled all claims
except two, over which there Is some con-
troversy. One is . claim of Contractor
Breckenridge for about $4o0f extra work.
and the other Is claim Of an engineer
across the mountains amounting to some
thing less than 500 These will be finally
passed upon at the next meeting. which Is
TO be held here in April. The Pcsr-ISTEL-
LrGKscER's statement of the aggregate ex-
penditures several months ago. when the
reckless management of the commission
as first constituted was exposed, was as
nearly correct as q mere estimate from the
poor nhakeshift Of record. independent
Of the vouchers, could well be. Mr.. Cry
derman, now chairman of the commission,
frankly admits that the affairs were badly
managed and that some money was
wasted, but he thinks he came in for
rather more than his share Of the blame.
He believes that the commission will be
able to work tremendously now and With
good results. The plan is for the commits
sion to meet at Marcus in May, and with
one man. who will he general foreman of
the work on that end, and one assistant,
come west as far as possible from the place
where work WAS left of last fall, definitely
locating the route and giving instructions
about the work. They will meet
the commissioners Of Okanogan county
and visit Conconuily and Loomiston to set
tie, so far as the commission is concerned.
the dispute between the people of those
two places as to the route. They will then
come back to this side and as soon as the
season is sufficiently advanced to enable
take foreman and locate the route across
the main range to where tho connection
will be made. somewhere west of the
Methow river. No more contracts will be
let. About the LIST of July as many men
as can be profitably employed will be set
to work on each side OF the mountains
under two competent foremen, who will
be under the immediate supervision and
direction of the commission Mr.. Dono-
van, the new member of the commission,
is one of the most prominent engineers in
the state, and as Mr.. Cryderman is also an
engineer it would seem that very little
additional expense for engineering need
be incurred. 1t is expected that fifty to
sixty miles of trails and roads in Okanogan
county can be utilized, at least until there
are sufficient funds available to make the
various surveys necessary to establish the
best possible route tor wagon road, and
perhaps q railroad. This, Mr.. Donovan
says, would in itself be . work of con-
siderable magnitude. This year. however,
the efforts of the commission will DO
directed solely to completing trail suit
able for pack animals and cattle. and they
confidently expect to accomplish this with
the funds now remaining.