Evening star., 1898-04-22
A CHEAP RAILROAD.
Citizens Of Olympia Built Ii lnaiae,l
by Cash or Expert Labor
FTcm tho San Fraaisco Chronicle.

rrcih th" san Fra,nfscc Chronicle
Probably the cheapest railroad I'm ,ha
! wcrld Was built in oregon in Is72 DlrIn.,
The preceding year the Northern Pacific
Raflroad Company surveyed its line be-
tween Portland and Olympia, terminating
at theAiatter place but only for short
time; then it WAS moved away to Tacoma.
thirty-fve miles further north.
At that the people of Olympia arose in
! Indignation, called a meeting, and after
vigorously discussing ways and means.
resolved that, although the railroad had
been both given and taken away they
were not bound to submit as unto the
Lord. but would build one for themselves.
and build it with voluntary subscrirtions
OF labor and material.
one bright morning in April the Olym-
pa Brass Band halted at the corner of
Name and 18th streets Charlie Grance,'s
bay mule Betty fell in behind then came
the officials of both city and county led hy
the governor and followed l.y the citizens
in length.
They marched 10 a high bluff above tho
capitol building. and there the mayor of 4he
cry and the governor both made speeches
ana a prayer WAS offered Then came
Nine Betty's turn. A brass howitzer
which had been lasher upon her back was
TO sound sort of amen at the conclusion
Oh the prayer. but she objected. She struck
%.
ouetted. she waltzed, dispe ensing her fayors
equally ana fairly, with all the force in
her resentful little body and she never
stopped uii the governor and stam and all
the rest OF the crowd had scattered to the
woods in desperate hurry to get A tree
between themselves and that lively cannon.
FINALLY, the hoHitzer went off; so also
old the mule. and rolled over and over
Down the blum. where she lay for a time
no doubt congratulating herself on belrg
flu,of her unusual burden.
The men came back the first sod was
turned, and the grading of the road began
in earnest. One day in every Week was
set apart as field day, when The city and
county officials came out as at first the
merchants closed their stores and mechan-
les shut their shops aud young men and
old men, boys and Indians piled tn. snadr
with hearty WILL while the women spread
the tables with all things needed for a mid
day feast.
Week after week the work went on. and
the road stretched out, past the timber
sk4rting the upper end OF Puget sound
past the falls of TUmwafcr, between Tie
ihalan mounds OF Mound Prairie, through
haif "A mile of timber to Bush Prairie more
timber. more prairie, across wide ard shall
low Scatter creek-sixteen miles TO Tenino.
Then the ties were made and laid and
not one dollar had yet been asked for But
the time had come to buy the rolling stock
and subscriptions came pouring in till
everything was bought and ready.
w nat cay 1t was in the history Of
o's hpia WHcii DISt f1ln was started
over the hard-earned little railroad, Omen
cars were hung with evergreens and
again the people all came out with music
and rejoicing, this time to ride and not to
work.
But there was one man present who had
ridiculeo and opposed the project and as
he sat astiide, not Nine. Betty but per-
haps some relative of hers he called out:
Let loose yer old locomotive. I'll beat ye
thar-'
The engineer let loose, the engine shriek-
cd, the old nag snorted. reared, kicked
and plunged whirled and started on a
straight line for home, leaving her boastful
rider where he fell beside the track Some
one helped him up and he watched the
train glide out of sight. Then by and by,
be. too, went home. subdued and wonder
ing.
Many OF the old soldiers who labored
[aithfully to build that little road, among
them Gen. Mtlroy. who was known all
through the civil war as Gray Eagle. have
crossed the silent river. but the road they
)uilt Is still In use, and old settlers point
10 II with pride. the road the hardy pion-
,ers made with their own hands the cheap
est railroad in the world.