The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-12-30
THE STATE ROAD.
Lack of Funds May Cause It's
Utter Failure.
SEATTLE TIDE LAND CONFLICTS
Delay Work In the Land Commission
er's Office-Meeting at Snohomish
10 Aid the Armenians.

Olympia, Dec 9.-Specjal.-Report
that reach the capital from the state read
commission Indicate that unless heroic
measures are adopted by some OF the To-
cal authorities in the section OF country
through winch the road is proposed 20 De
built. all the money appropriated from the
state treasury, save only such as may
have been expended in preliminary ex-
animation Of possible routes, viii he con-
verted 10 the treasury as unexpended.
The fact that the Appropriation appor-
toned TO the Cascade division of tbs pro-
posed road had been found inadequate 10
the building OF such road as the COM
mission had desired to build has already
been published in the Post-lnteilz encer
Coupled with this statement was the an
nouncement that the commissioners We're
preparing estimates from the notes al
ready taken on the probable cost OF build
ing a read. such as is contemplated under
the law, but emitting from the account
the probable cost Of bridging all forbade
streams that may be encountered on the
route.
While no official information as 70 the
result of this estimate is yet oStainahle.
enough is known 10 make 1t reasonably
certain that a seven-foot road across the
Cascades can in this way be built for the
money available for this purpose under
the appropriation.
the commission. AT least such a cond!-
ton as was not contemplated by the legis-
lature that enacted the law under which
the commission IS operating. 1t viii be
remembered by those who have followed
this matter from its ineipiency that the
$4,000 appropriated by the last ieg.sla-
ture for building a road across the Cas-
cade mountains from the Columbia river
TO Skagit valley was SO segregated that
only a stated portion of the whole appro-
priatlon could be expended on any one
sub-dison Of the proposed road. Begin
ming at Marcus, on the Columbia, in
Okanogan county. $6.000 is provided for
building the road 10 the Metlow river,
opposite the mouth of the Twisp. This
amount IS conceded to be ample for the
purpose designated. The sum OF 10000
is apporuoned to spanning the Cascade
range from this point To Marblemount at
the mouth of Cascade creek. Though this
amount is known to be inadequate to the
building Of good wagon road, your cor
respondent is informed by one in posi-
ton to know that on the plan outlined
above, and by cutting stumps low, in
stead of grubbing, and perhaps in some
instances increasing the allowance Of
maxsmim grade above IA per cent, it Will
be possible 10 overcome the difficulties OF
this portion of the road.
From Marblemount down the Skagit val
Samish valley at Blanchard the proposed
state road follows the course of a fairly
good county road, so there is no need of
any expenditure Of state money between
these points, and none has been provided
therefor. The remaining $1,000 of the $780,.
600 appropriated is apportioned TO the con-
struction of a road around the front of
Chuckanut mountain, from Blanchard TO
the line between Skagit and Whatcom
counties, and there intersecting a road al
ready constructed from Fairhaven south.
Here lies the difficulty that now seems
insurmountable. The Skagit county sur
veyor estimated from q survey OF this
fraction of the proposed road that to build
II and build Il right will cost $4,000 In
stead of the $4,000 available. The same atI-
thority submits another estimate, under
which that piece Of road can be built. with
sleeper maximum grades, for SlG,000. The
Skagit county comm ssioners at one time
voted an appropriation of $1,000 from the
treasury of that county to apply TO the
construction OF that piece of the road, but
the Populist member of that board after
ward repented Of the progressive action he
had supported with his vote, and suisse
quently nullfied the county's proposed aid
by interposing such conditions to attend
the appropriation as were impossible of
compliance, because they imposed upon
the state board such requirements as
would be clearly illegal and unwarranted
under the act delegating TO that board It's
authority.
That virtually withdraws the rendered
aid Of Skagit county, and, IL is feared,
puts the seal of doom upon the whole
proposition. For the road commission.
taking the law In its entirety. reasons that
unless the road can be made passabe at
least along the entire route, the whole
must fail. And the conviction TRUSTS St
self upon the friends OF the proposed
state road that If this second attempt to
construct "a road connecting the east and
west portions of the state OF Washington
at the expense of the state shall thus sig
nally fail 1t will be very difficult, if not inn
possible. TO again Invoke state aid in the
furtherance of that enterprise.