The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1905-06-29
LYLE IS NOW ON
VERGE OF BOOM
ROAD CHANGES BRING new LIFE
People There clad to Believe North.
ern Pacific has Purchased
the c. Il. 4 n.

By Staff Correspondent.
Lyle, Wash, June y. Saturday will
he red letter day in LYLE. The c.
X. u N. railroad then passes into new
hands. Whose? That is the question
thaC IN Ihe wiseacres are trying to faith
on The syndicate that purchased the
road is compos ed of easterners. living
IN Delaware, but all think that the fine
itallan hand Of the Northern Pacific is
back OF the move. One of the most
mysterious gentlemen who has chit
the trail for many days dropped in
ON the denizens and commenced to
quietly get options along the Colum-
bia toward Portland on an old pro-
posed survey.
1t Is pretty generally conceded that
IL Is the work of the Northern Pacific.
Inc new company that is to own the
old road up to Goldendale will be the
Northern Pacific, it is pretty sure,
The citizens of the town are Glad. in
deed, OF the change The old com
pany and the shippers and the citizens
in general did not get along we'll The
management seemed to care little
about accommodations, but now that
a company like the Northern Pacific
is taking hold, if it is true, it is pref
ty sure that the road will be extended
into the Yakima valley. Owing to
this, gossip has it that the 0. h. & n,
is the purchaser There is nothing in
evidence to show Whet company pur-
ch sed tie road, rs the saleEis a
bind. No man or party of men would
lie insane enough to pay million dol
lars for road that would not pay in
terest on bond Issue Of less than half
that amount.
The new road that is positive fore
gone conclusion along the river will
own this branch line, aud it will be
line feeder for the new road. Of
course it will knock out a great deal
of business for the steam boats, but on
the other hand, it will give an open
ing by rall to the great wheat fields of
klickitat and Yakima if the extension
il made.
Lyle has been injured of late. The
arrangement of the boats has taken a
great deal of trade from the city.
There has been a lack of travel and
the merchants have cor pllined bitter
ly. There IL no finer land in the world
than that which surrounds Lyle
abundant in fruit and plentiful in
small grain. Now that the mountain
is BEING so thoroughly developed it
will not be long, even though there is
no road at all. until the merchants
and all living in and around the city
will experience mild, steady boom.
In the construction of the new road
Lyle will happily be situated to be
one Of the big points during the CON
struction. Tire boats will land great
deal of the supplies and it is pretty
generally understood that the con
structiOn work will start both ways
from here, connecting east and west.
wv
T. r. Coon, eX-mayOr of Hood Riv-
er, who owns 240 acres three miles
from Lyle, j. cne who has been ap-
preached, and stands ready to sell
land for a right of way. Mr.. Coon is
a man Of affairs who has had rather
heavy business dealings, and he said
to me:
81 have watched pretty closely since
| was a kid the workings of men with
capital | have seen companies go
through mountains and enter terri
tory that booted at the very sugges-
tion before operation commenced
When capital gets ready to move you
may look out for something, and | am
thoroughly convinced with the Condi-
tions and with what | am positive Of,
that there is to be 2 general movement
in this section and that Washington
along the Columbia leading to Port
land is to be tapped. Who it is, that
is a quandary, Eut it matters not, Ow-
ing to the concentration and the or
ganization in railway circles
Mr.. Coon is recognized as fruit
expert, in the Hood River valley as
well as on tire Washington side. lie
will soon have one of the finest and
largest commercial orchards in the
state. With the new work and the old
orchald of .orty acres he will have
eighty acres of NewJown Pippins.
~
l. b. Hewott. Who lives four miles
from Lyle, ,aAd who has resided in that
community for over twenty years, is
constructing a new residence. When
il is completed it will be one Of the
modern farm houses along the Lyle
road. It will be two floors, the house
largo and roCmy and OF modern archl-
lecture.
wv
J. O. Lyle, the "grand old man"
of Lvle. who has the honor Of having
the city named after him, had mar
row escape from serious accident II
not death, Friday afternoon. lie was
digging a cistern when sudden thuh-
der storm came up. A bolt struck q
huge fir near by and sent hber ana
limbs through the air, the shock being
felt by him in the excavation. The
mountains seemed to be en- fire and
the tbundcr fellow ed the terrific cleo
trical storm was deafeniug Mr.. Lyle
has lived on the mountain since the
unpleasar'ness in "a, and is not easily
frightened, but lightning was a new
fee to him, and it pretty generally
used Up the nestor Of Lyle.
~
f. L. Boorman, of the Davenport
Lumber company OF HOOD hlVer, has
one of the finest ranches on the noun
ts,n. He took possession this sprina
ard has made many improvements.
He is contemplating building a new
residence soon.
~
A. B. Coryell, who lives about
tw I've miles up the mountain from
Lyle, is carrying on an Interesting
eTneriment. Harry McGowan of Port
land, who is in the nursery business
and who has a homestead near by,
made arrangement with Mr.. Coryel tC
send him seed of all kinds, thus max
ing 8 test of the soil; So far every
thing that was sent has done fine but
the tobacco. The patch looks Ike the
experimontal portion at the great ,a3s
rirultural colleges of the country Mr.
Coryell says that he can raise amy
thing that grows.
~