The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1900-02-17
Creditors of the Huron Bay Rail-
way Co. May Get Part of
the Money Due them.
COMPANY OFFERS PER CENT
But Creditors Are DESTROYS OF
Receiving Full Amount
OF their Claims.

The following, dated fromChampion,
is taken from the Mining Journal OF
Thursday, and will be found of local
interest
'It is quite possible that the
creditors OF the Huron Bay Railway
company in this section who have
been waiting for the money due them
for the past seven years, will.be able
to effect settlement at near date.
1t will be remembered by the older
residents of the upper peninsula who
were familiar with the trouble lead
ing out of the construction of the
Huron Bay line at the time when
the road was nearly ready for use,
that number of merchants and
logging contractors were left with
very heavy balances due them. These
creditors were mainly in Champion,
Nichigamme and L 'Anse. The total
amount left unpaid at the time this
railroad scheme collapsed was in the
neighborhood Of from $45, 900 to
$50, 1000
within the past week the Huron
Bay people have asked the local
creditors to accept thirty-five cents
on the dollar in settlement Of the
unpaid claims. So far as can be
learned. the offer has not been ac
cepted by any of these creditors. 1t
is said, however, that some OF them
who have become tired of waiting
for their money, aud are anxious to
get something for their claims, will
settle on basis OF fifty cents on the
dollar. H. o. Young, of Isbpeming,
is looking after the interests of the
local people, but it is not certain
that he will succeed in getting any
more out of the company in a full
settlement of the claims than the
offer which has just been made.
The facts relative to the trouble
have never been published in full.
The parties who have been kept
waiting so long for money justly due
them do not blame the officials of
the company entirely for the diff
Guilty, nor do they accuse these of
trying to defraud them.
1t appears that the engineers, Milo
and George Davis, who were entrust
ed with the entire work of construct.
ing the line, deceived the officials Of
the company. AT the time the en-
gineers made an estimate OF the cost
of construction the figure was
placed at less than one-half what it
should have been. The Davises ad-
vised their superior officer, who had
the utmost confidence in them, that
the total cost would not exceed
$3.50, 900 AT the time q halt was
called, the road being still far from
finished and equipped, it was found
that something like 81 800, 900 had
been spent. An Investigation was
ordered and it was ascertained much
crooked work had been done.
For about sixteen months those
who supplied the workmen with
provisions and the sub-contractors
with timber, etc, received the money
due them regularly at stated time
each month. Finally things began
to look suspicious. This was while
the investigation was underway.
Meanwhile the work progressed as
though everything was going to
come out all right, but the bills were
not being paid with the regularity
customary. The last two months
accounts were not settled at all,
leaving some of those who trusted
the railway people on the verge of
bankruptcy.
1T is thought by some of the
creditors at least that the company
would have paid the claims in full
had the Davises acted honestly.
When the case came up in court
Milo Davis swore he did not know
the men who had presented the bills.
This, and other conduct of his, caused