The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-09-13
PASS FOR STATE ROAD
commissioners Return From
Their Examination.
HAVE SEEN ALL THE ROUTES.
A Stormy Trip, in Which Horses Had
Mishaps- Rainy Pass Located ana
Has Easy Grades.

]. Howard watson. OF Lake Chelan. one
% fhe state road commissioners. returned
Yesterday evening from an examination OF
ire different passes IN the Cascade ana
Efathow ranges. with reference 70 the CON
templated construction Of the state wagon
road. The comm ssiouers, E NJ Wilson, 81
r-airhaver. r o. Welts, Of Skaglt and
NJ Eatson. OF Okanogan. left Marble
Mount July . on their visit OF inspection,
and reached that point on their return,
September Il. They were accompanied oy
Engineer p. ". Huntoon. Of FairhaYen.
An AK man. a packer and a cook made up
a party OF seven.
4 stormy Trip All Through.
The commissioners encountered some
rough weather, finding z foot OF snow in
one Of the masses. and working amid one
continuous storm for the last week. While
they were Of the regular trail last week
one OF the mack horses slipped on the ICY
efone and fell over an abrupt precipice @n
feet high. Three other horses had mar
row escape by wandering TO an upland
pasture. when the slope up which they had
gone in safety froze behind them and. on
attempting TO descend, they slid down for
100 feet and were badly cut and bruised.
The heavy weather that set in warned the
travellers that IL was time 20 get out or TN
mountslns and they FASTENED their work
despite rain and snow. Leaving Marble
Mount IN a canoe at O'Clock yesterday
morning they ran through heavy storm
Till noon. reaching Hamilton just in trle
TO catch the train
NJ Watson was seen by a POst-iutelh-
eencer reporter last night at the Butler,
and after talking interestingly upon his
seven weeks life in camp, said concerning
the work of the commission
Four Foot Trail IN Begin With.
1.-THE plan under which we worked was
81. f,o .-+ If
foot trail, TO take grades and make ap-
proximate estimates on the cost OF con-
struct!on The purpose OF the commits
sion in adopting a four-foot trail a ba-
sis for estimates vas not necessarily that
only that trail would be constructed. But
the fact was apparent that $2o.W the
amount appropriated FOR a road from Mar
BILE Mount 70 the mouth Of the .Tw.tsp
river. would ne inadequate for the con-
struct.on OF an eight or ten-foot road,
unless a route was discovered that con-
tanned very little rock work. No grade
was contemplated under our estimates 10
exceed "A per cent. and only then when
absolutely necessary.
The Various Passes Examined.
THE commission first examined the
Slate creek route from Marble Mount TO
the mouth of the Twitsp. a distance OF
frCm ninety-e,ght 70 100 miles: the Thur
der creek route. from the mouth Of the
Twitsp 10 the Skagit, where Il would JOIN
the route already examined for Slate
creek: the Rainy pass route, rom the
mouth of Early Winters creek on the
Methow, to Ruby creek. and the Cascade
route. from the mouth of the Twitsp, 70
Marble Mount.
''The engineer will at once compile h's
estimates OF cost OF the different routes
and the commissioners VIII Formulate
their data into comparative estimates. AS
soon as this is done, so that an intelligent
cost can he secured, the commission will
meet and select a route for the state road,
and at the same time decide on its width.
Rainy Pass Good One.
The law under which the commission
has carried on its work made 1t manda-
tory that We should examine Slate. Thun-
der and Cascade passes. The commission
in going one step further and examining
Rainy pass did so under a broad construc-
ton Of the law. that the best and most
feasible route should be selected. There
had been a great deal said about the low
altitude and location of Rainy pass, but to
the average mountaincer il ewas a misty
something located in three separate places
and at the head of that number of differ
ent streams. The commission settled that
question for all time. Rainy pass is at
the head OF Granite creek. about twenty
miles from Ruby creek. Of which the for
mer is a tributary. The pass is an easy
ore and a road can be built through Il
and across Washington pass-which Is not
by 8 very easy grade. while the road
down Early Winters 10 the Methow could
he made hv as gradual descent as could
be desired"