The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-12-22
TRANS-CASCADERlOAD
Appropriation Too Small to
Cut Even a Trail.
s,1 SOMETHING WILL BE DONE
BUi @ &
.aorney General says It Must Be q
w.gon Road and One May Be
Built without Bridges.

- Erf1TU.
On ~ - sa-.e time although such a road
.''..,soubtesgy badly needed. J. Howard
49, AZ Lake Chcian. one Of the three
'l-.-rg~sserr-S appointed % build the road,
:, .ss Butler last night and told the
.s. 20 . weeks session OF the commits
$50 ended on Thursday night The
- commissioners are f. NJ. Wilson,
:. raIrhaven, and r. O Welts, OF La
Csnner. 90
= roaA" safd Mr. Watson. "the priD-
80 one r1rnFng from tbs Whatcorn
.,.sv lire along the Sound, to Blanch-
.,s5in skazit county. There II was In
...ses 10 use the county road already
80. frnu7 That point 20 Marble Mount On
- elragif river From there a division
=. ~ .sa b,iflt to the mouth Of the Twitsp
-, ard that IL total distance BY yari-~
80 rogStes OF rom 70 10 105iz miles Thep
q was pro9c 81 10 open road 10 the
=. ,q9osar river and build one across the
rrsygla I'M an reservation 10 Marcus
.sc',t % rniles-a portion Of which was
,.sss by a former commission ~ IL
ssy6vs FOR the whole road $4,000 was ap-
,-sorsated. OF this N.ooo was for the
r,.,ehsrd- road. $4,000 for tire Cascade
S-ssion and $500 for the eastern end.
sSrsush the reservation. =.
Legal Definition or ROan.
rye have been in session AZ Fairhaven
a. several days, and the r1att1r oS most
srnortarce before the board ar this session
-. an opiniop from Attorney General
r'rss. which had been requested. at
,,ersous meeting on the question 81
,ssher the board Rad authority 10 build
!, fsur-foot road. under the wording OF
ssa Ri. clear across the state. The former
commission had worked under bill that
,sserraf 70 road. The bin we worked
,,ss.r. which was prepared. apparently, on
ne recommendation OF the old commission,
.-saks 9f wagon rosa The old commits
s5p under the defialt.on OF the word
.-aad.' butt both wagon road and trail In
rlaeez The new commission, realizing
.-st .hs appropriation was rather small for
re great amount of v5ort q ba done.
r,,fe its investigations through the Cas-
easa mountains this summer, with the m
sc-stanafng that estimates should be made
on a frst-c!ass four-foot traii not TO ex-
erad a per cent. grade az any point, and
.hus determine how far the appropriation
would ~ toward building such road.
The Appropriation Too Small.
The result was THAT for the Cascade
slv,sion. from Marble Mount TO the
Tvitsp river. the commission found the
distance was s7l4 miles by the Slate creek
route. and that the cost OF four-foot
irsn would be- trifie over $4,000 over tire
ros,h fork OF Thunder creek route IL was
g2i. miles. and the trail would cost S3S.Jo0s
over the Cascade route IL was iSl5 miles,
ana would cost s247p0, with about 5000
additional for bridges across the Skagit
and Nethow rivers. Rainy pass route was
found 10 I've 1881 miles. and tho cost or
such a trail s24 800.
"Flther Of these sums, OF course. would
exceed the amount Of the appropriation,
but the commission believed II could To
duce the cost 10 the amount Of the appro-
priaHon n Il was authorized 70 build
tai instead Of a wagon road. The matter
was referred TO Attorney General Jones.
and he furnished an opinion IN which he
sah:
Section I OF the act referred TO pro-
viass that there be laid out, established
constructed and maintained for the use OF
the public a state wagon road" and so
forth and 7 am unable 20 find anything In
this law authorizing the construction OF
suy other kind Of road than~a wagon
road A four-foot tran r. manifestly not
wagon road. and an expenditure OF this
appropriation for such purpose would
be unauthorized by law
Wagon Road or Nothing.
Tn other words. the attorney general
Informed the commission that II would he
compelled 10 build I wagon road or moth
iar. The board discussed the matter at
length. and finally decided 20 figure upon
q rad seven feet wide, with maximum
grades OF 20 per cent. emitting bridges
over streams that can be forded in ordi-
nary water. and emitting gruhbng. except
tust sufficient 10 make a passable road.
The commission VIII at once figure on the
cost Of this plan OF road over the four
routes examined. the figures 10 be taken
from the field notes OF cur summer
cruise"
In case road over the entire distance
from Marble Mount 10 the mouth Of the
Twsp cannot be built for the sum appro-
rr.ated. then what are you going TO doT"
NY understanding Of the law is that a
fcad ls 70 De completed for the sum appro-
grated"
Then you are going 20 try 20 build n
wagon road for less than a four-feot trail
would cost?''
VIII Try 10 DO Something.
Well, 90 not desire 20 be quoted as
answering that IN the Affirmative I do.
however. believe thst Il Is the duty OF tire
commission to expend that money. II IL
o. Do 50 with a belief that the public VIII
e benefited I think we should not shan-
eon tie building OF road until we have
fgared on every possible method Of con-
s'roct,ng 81"
- the bo1ra At ell hopeful OF building
swagon road right through on the amount
tspropriateaa''
can only answer FOR myself. and must
cay that Il looks very donhtful.''
II case the board decides that Il cannot
e done. what them
y We md Z impossible 70 huTld thor
osgay respectable wagon road for the ap-
F.epTiauOn. I shall certainly be IN favor
soagng All further expenditure snd re-
,,sfTias the whole matter hack 10 the next
ssatuse for further action as 10 what
e desires are"
No Pass Yet Selected.
"a the hoard take any definite action
he selection q pass7"
vas discussed. but Il was deemed sd
2a3e - pass on ,thcr important matters
TIE commission will formulate a
- On the routes leading through all
q the passes recommended.
.oes the 6yard EXPECT 20 build the
Sschard road Z e finds that IT cannot
- the Cascade r1ade''
ne board IS OF opinion that x Il has
sa'e knowledge that one part Of the
-. - could not be built. II would have no
s'ry 10 bu.lA any portion OF Il. but
we're was soma doubt on this point 81
been referred 20 the attorney general
- blanchard road however. Is IN shout
Mine condition as the Cascade rad.
appropriation f1r ore Blanchard road
eNN@ while the engineers estimate Of
eost Is shout sls1oa. Skagit county,
= ss expected az cEe time, was 20 assist
L. - construction of this road. but Of
ssogped.