The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1904-11-21
Cars May Run Over the New
Line By First Of May.
CONTRACT &c LET TOMORROW BY BOARD
Executive Committee OF Open River
Association Has Completed All
the Details for Road.

+ The portage road is now practically
an assured fact. From tomorrow the
firm which is to construct it will be
given five days in which to furnish the
necessary bonds for the faithful per-
Torrance of the work, and if nothing
of a serious nature intervenes to block
the construction the first cars will run
over the new line on the first OF May.
Saturday Governor George E. Cham
berlain Secretary of State Frank L.
Dunbar and State Treasurer Charles
S. Moore, representing the State Port
age Road commission, met in the office
of Joe n. Teal in Portland, with J. A.
Smith, president of the Open River as
ISOLATION; w. j. Mariner, the secre-
tary; Henry Hahn, Joseph T. Peters
and n. G. Blalock the executive COM
mittee of the Open River association;
l.. A. Lewis, member of the open
river committee of the Chamber of
Commerce; A. J. Mcmillan, State En-
the open river people.
The plans and specifications of the
after due examination by the state
commission We're accepted. The route
as chosen by Mr.. Mcmillan is a much
better one than that mapped out by
the old survey, SO the members of the
commission say, and can be built at
the same cost, if not for less money
and more quickly.
President Smith, reported that the
association was now prepared to carry
on the work as proposed by it to the
state board. 1t was ready to furnish
a contracting firm which would guar
antee to build the rOad-as far as the
state is concerned-for the sum now
in the treasury credited to the portage
road fund, which sum amounts ap-
proximately to $151,OOO.
The road as planned will cost good
deal to exceed $751; 900, and this extra
sum will be raised by the executive
committee of the Open River assOcia-
ton. This has been pledged by it and
assurances of aid have been given.
The state board ordered the engineer
to prepare formal contract and spec
ifications, which will be ready by
tomorrow morning. These will be ex-
amined by Attorney General A. M.
Crawford and returned by him to the
signed by the contracting firm that is
to do the work. This firm will be
given five days in which to file their
bond of indemnity, which must be
given to the state, and as soon as that
formality is completed the construc-
ton can begin at once.
The state is satisfied with the ar
engagements made by the association.
All it asks is to be secured in the
amount of the state money to be ex-
pended, and this is assured.
The contractors are ready to ac-
cept the assurance of the Open River
association that they will be secured
in the sum exceeding the amount of
the state fund, and the association has
voluntarily agreed to take upon itself
the task of raising the deficit from
among the people who will profit by
the completion of the road. Letters
and reports coming in from all sec
tions of the state leave no doubt in
the minds of the executive committee,
however, but that it will be an easy
matter to secure the subscriptions
necessary.
Written assurances have been re-
ceived from a large number of the
members of the Oregon legislature
pledging themselves to the support of
the portage road. In eastern Oregon
the sentiment is very much ,ins favor of
the construction of the road, while
the members from the valley counties,
as we'll as from the most remote parts
of the state, express themselves, as
being in favor Of the project and will
ing to help it. /
Tomorrow there will be another
meeting of the state commission with
the executive committee of the Open
River association, at which time the
final papers will be signed and the |
contracts let. e. -