The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-08-30

zas 19 per day. ara ths paw ranged ~
v&r1 fres1 tnss. Every ere has ncnev.
ard sas1E T. Tia general MERCHANDISE
business was nsaE extensive. and the eazra-
D2aT stars sataysi 3 practical .aor7poly.
Asss&0ESA Vas not 90 csnfew % great
trade. as was Umaal1a In Us prosperous
Gays. hat What fen short IA she mars
s1ess anita things vas zneuse3 ~ refresh
-1sats. Sixteen saloons soarishsa ard dss-
rersed whisky cocktails 70 SIS motley
population The inrsvencs % a casual Or
server = thz: she nature ~ country vas
. blame for this unequal condition % AZ
fairs regarding il1HIas ans more sold ar
tteaes- Perhaps ia residents noted thar
Snake river rolled millions % tens % good
water down toward the sea. while a.
distance OF Ten feet from IS shore the
land vas rarchs5 AMI burning the who's
year ro1n1. Reasoning from iris that wa
ter was out OF place there they sScre
or ussag 4 az a beverage. and what was
remarkable about swearing OF. taey al
most universally stuck 20 =
ut 9arce houses and dives there were
rnAny-perhaps the least said Of them the
batter The city vas a slice OF the Sums
Of New York SET down IN the West huns-
Grsd miles from nowhere. Us character
was OF the toughest; one visitor remarked
that II reminded him % the mouth or a
sewer IN New York haTbor. II wss not
the reckless roughnesS OF the typical
West with SIS fearless characters wso
made Rome howl as an amusement. ses-
tied every difference with a six-shooter
and passed In their checks 81 tire excite
ment 81 poker game quarrel. II was the
criminal wicksdness OF a great city trans
planted and without the restraint OF even
a TammSny police. Il possessed the evil
And murderous traits OF the city Sums
without the love OF fair play usually found
on The frontier. The public hrawis. IN
like those OF mining or cattle town. were
not settled by knife or revolver. The pistol
did not play an important part in their
little isagreemenis. bat the sandbag was
not excluded. and was so convenient ana
easily procure1-hags only were scare;
sand was everywhere-that II suppianted
the noisier weapon. and the yellow water
OF Snake river told no tales and gave up
none OF its secrets.
In the early days OF the city two citizens
engaged in a fight. When Il was over
enc OF them was dead. lie had come IN
contact with = knife In the others hand.
The other claimed II was an accident; that
the deceased had accidentally ran against
the blade. \ committee OF residents con-
siisred the matter. and as they differed
with the survivor as 10 the merits OF the
case they promptly hung him 20 tele-
graph pole. and that was the last time
quarrel ended IN that manner Thereafter
small differences of opinioa~sgeTe settled
with fists: or IL one of the disputants dis
appeared in a quiet way. people were too
busy for wearisome Investigations. and
accepted as matter not worth bofheFing
with the statement that ''he had gone
down the river on some other job
Society at the start was, as may BE seen
from what has been said. neither choice
nor refined As time progressed some or
the people became imbued with the idaa
that IL should be renovated, and 10 do so
aF ana ftF "a
heretofore prominent citizens There were
too many cases of rolling DRINKS for even
their not very delicate taste. so one day
some OF the citizens OF advanced ideas put
forth proclamation that certain conspic-
uous persons must move camp. il was
another case OF Harte's 'Outcasts, etc.
Among those so notified were lame
tough called "Reddy'' and his ''pardner.
Most OF those so honored complied with
the proclamation, but Reddy and his mate
either forgot the notice or neglected II.
The authors OF the proclamation carried
out the terms OF tho order with vigor ami
dispatch, and I'm conclusion they buried
Ready and his brother unfortunate IN the
sand at the edge Of the town. As a char
acteristic way OF marking the graves they
stuck Reddy's crutches. one at the mead
and one al the foot OF his mound; The
other Was designated by two whisky bot
ties. The moral atmosphere cleared some
what under these conditions.
In that country at that time lodging
houses were few and not close together.
Neither were the ones that az intervals
were encountered very Wen appointed.
Travellers carried their blankets and slept
where night overlook them, for, in the
''illahee' the dew does not interfere with
free lodgings. 1t forgets To fail for eleven
months OF the year and the other month
there is snow and it is not necessary.
Ainsworth was not city OF model hotels.
1t was full as healthy and perhaps as
comfortable TO sleep under a saSebrush
as IN one OF her hostelries. Late one
night a wayfarer came into It's precincts.
lie had been numerating the ties on the
railroad many days and was weary.
Doubtless he had not slept under a roof
for those many nights. A warehouse stood
near the river bark an9 no "cakilated
there were no rattlesnakes In IT. and
spread his blankets under Its shelter Tor
the night He had a dim consciousness
OF another form rolled in a bundle a few
feet distant. but as that was not matter
to concern himself about he slept. When
he turned out the next morning the
blanketed bundle still camped IN the cor
ner. A friendly greeting brought no re-
sponse. He went 20 the river and washed.
then came back 70 roll his blankets, and
still the bundle lay quietly on the floor,
Wake up and hear the little birds sing,
he shouted. and sun there was no stir.
Must bs pretty drunk" he mutteFed.
as he walked over and poksd the roll with
his toe
Then he pulled tbs blanket down ana
was rewarded by finding that his fellow
roomer vas a corpse.
One day the bridge was completed. FIJI
teen hundred and forty-one feet K
stretched over thu stream, with 3t1-toot
draw. April Is, 1884. T. was com pleted. and
the old ferry boa; Billings that had car
r,ed the ears across the river 80 long was
''out OF a Job" Il had been over two
years building.
When the bridge was completed the IN
habitants began - move away. Some
took their houses down and away. Others
let them for the rest 10 take down. which
the remaining population promptly did.
for arewood. SO many went that there
were not enough lefs 70 I'll IN. Offices OF
the incorporation. ana 50 the place dis
Incorporated. What IS more remarkable.
all the debts we're paid. There was no
population. The dissolution was accom-
plished and left no liabilities The re-
naming asset was a silver watch and Il
was presented 20 the mayor wahout a
dissenting vote.
So Separted the city % AfnSworth Il
was city built upon sand ami could not
stand II did not wash away, but e might
as well have done So II has as complete
" disappeared as though II had. Today
twenty acres OF broken bottles mark the
site-frona The number e would seem thev
had taken many a bumper % the success
Of the enterprise permanent record
that they lived Up 20 the vow 20 abstain
from water.