The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-05-16

as he said slowly, 'Willapa Bends got a
few promoters too"
Messiter laughed quietly at the hit. "Oh,
yes, I'm a promoter all right, but 1t hap
pens i've got something to promote This
town will be city of $4,000 inhabitants
In five years. I may be a promoter, but
III am the kind that means to stay by the
town"
"Six months ago this town consisted of
one lone cabin and cowpath leading to
| 1t thru the timber. That was the whole
outfit. You see 1t now--two sawmills,
canning factory, $4,000 school projected,
$500, 000S hotel being built, lots anywhere
from two hundred to a thousand apiece.
If we can do that in six months what
can we4do in ten years?''
Well, i confess I like the outlook. I
believe you'll make a town out of it.. But
want to go slow. I've seen boom towns
before
II hope you are not going to liken us
to those mushroom prairie towns on the
rainless desert. This Washington immi-
grafton movement has come to stay.
We've got here the finest country on the
face of Gods green earth, and people
have just begun to find it out. I think
Willapa Bend and Seattle are going to
be the cities on the northern coast. It
takes two things to make town-one Is
natural advantages and the other is git
up-and-git, and we have got them both -
They were back in the office by this
time, and the president of the Willapa
T Bend Land and Development company
leaned forward persuasively and touched
the other mans knee with his lead
pencil.
"See here, Mr.. Roberts, I don't usually
talk about private affairs, but I'll tell you
one thing: our company has taken in more
than twelve hundred dollars day this
summer on an average-in cash, that is !"
That's more apt to mean inflated values
than legitimate development. I'd rather
hear that the Transcontinental was COM
ing this way"
The two men looked at each other for
q moment, and both smiled little. They
had got to the controlling lever at last.
President Eaton Of the Transcontinental
was married to a sister of Roberts. and
1t was beyond doubt that the latter would
locate in the town selected by the rail-
road company for its terminus. What
Messiter hoped for was that the mill owner
would be impressed with the advantages
of Wallapa Bend and throw the weight
of his influence in favor of that town.
Presently Messiter asked boldly: @
Which way is the Transcontinental go
ing?"
Il II don't think the matter is officially
decided" answered Roberts cautiously,
''but I guess Inverness has it pretty well
corralled." ~
Messister knew quite we'll that at present
Inverness was better town than Wallapa
Bend. It was q larger, older town, and
to the Michigan man, fresh from the neat
towns of his own state, presented much
more attractive appearance than Wallapa
Bend, rich in charred sturnps and black
ened hillsides where the forest fires had
run not three months before. But Messi-
ter saw it with the eyes Of faith, and he
meant that the other man should also
see it 80.
Inverness is an older town than this
and it looks good deal prettier just now.
It's getting past the stump age. They are
pretty fast, But that isn't what you
want, take it. You are after a place
that has Zig stumpage yet.
The Michigan man smiled a little in
appreciation of the pun, and said, There's
lots of timber round Inverness yet
Yes, there is lot Of timber there,
but there are a dozen big mills, and they
either own or have an option on the most
desirable timber lands. II you go there,
you take your chances, and they won't be
of the best. because you are the last In
the field.'
It was Messiter's one valid point and he
knew it had scored. The mill man smoked
in silence for minute before he spoke
again. And If come here %
"If YOU come here you are practically
! first in the field. don't count these two
mills already here, because they are
small, single barreled affairs. running
without much capital. There Is plenty OF
timber all around here. What's the mat
ter with your sending agents out to buy
up big quantities Of the most desirable
timber land? You can get it almost at
your own price now % S.
Messiter waited for the other to speak,
! but as he did not appear to intend to make
a beginning Jim continued:
There is a lot of timber yet in the
sound country. but they have to go back
| from salt water to get it now You will
not find a place on earth where timber is
handler than here. Assuming that we
get the Transcontinental"-R Roberts smiled
sunned the point at issue g the bulk 81
your carrying will be done by water on